Northwestern basketball and Under Armour will unveil a “By The Player” inspired uniform Sunday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena in a home game against in-state rival Illinois. Hopefully, for the sake of Northwestern basketball, the reaction to these uniforms goes over better than the jingoistic flag uniforms Northwestern football wore against Michigan around Veteran’s Day. There was some fallout with that.
Back to the Northwestern basketball unis. The UA design team took feedback on 25 questions from a circle of NU players and coaches last spring. This will be the first uniforms designed completely by the Northwestern basketball team. From Chicago Bulls-inspired pin striping to pre-game meal images, each hand-drawn image is incorporated in the design.
Here’s some of the meaning behind the images in the Northwestern basketball uniforms.
FAMILY, BROTHERHOOD and TRUST: The three words the players and coaches identified as the terms that embody the Northwestern basketball team. They are placed around the school logo on the uniform.
JOHN HANCOCK CENTER: Not only a fixture in the Chicago skyline, this building has been the site of many team bonding and recruiting experiences.
CHICAGO SKYLINE: NU markets themselves as “Chicago’s BIG10 team” (I think the actions of the free market in the local economy beg to differ with that designation) so the skyline was integrated into the uniform to represent the great city they play for.
EH! EH! EH!: As NU takes the court, you will undoubtedly hear the team chanting “Eh! Eh! Eh!” as they prep for battle.
HEART-SHAPED BASKETBALL: Coach Collins has a mantra he reiterates to his team day-in and day-out: “Love the game!” The heart-shaped basketball icon is a representation of this saying.
POUND THE ROCK: Northwestern basketball call to arms, their battle cry is “Pound the Rock.”
Northwestern basketball takes on the Illini Sunday night at 6:30 CST on Big Ten Network. More photos of the Northwestern basketball uniforms:
So what do you think of the new Northwestern basketball uniforms? Boss or blasphemy? Comment below
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments discussing: Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Bears and Bulls on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)