U of M Wins With Lighting a New Crisler Player Development Center

The University of Michigan’s nationally ranked men’s basketball team is shooting for a Big Ten Title and a long NCAA Tournament run this season.  While the Wolverines continue to rack up victories in games, EverLast® Lighting could get credited with an assist for helping them on the practice court.

Fifty-six Induction High Bay fixtures manufactured by EverLast® Lighting were installed during construction of the university’s state-0f-the-art Player Development Center, which is attached to Crisler Arena, where Michigan plays its home games.  The Player Development Center, which opened in October, is 57,000 square feet and was built at a cost of more than $23 million.

“The fixtures from EverLast® were a great fit for this project, ” said Andy Meteer of Gasser-Bush Associates, a lighting company located in Livonia that sold the fixtures to U-M.  “Induction lights like those produced by EverLast® are ‘instant-on.’ A coach can flip a switch and start practice instead of waiting several minutes for them to warm up and fully illuminate.  The EverLast® lights also are low maintenance and provide a higher CRI.”

The color rendering index, or CRI, measures how something appears under a certain type of lighting. Lights with a higher CRI give their users visual acuity, which means objects are sharper and more defined.  EverLast® fixtures provide a higher CRI than other lighting options, which benefits members of the University of Michigan men’s and women’s basketball teams during practice at the facility.

Damon Grosz, facilities manager at Crisler Arena, said the induction fixtures have performed well since the facility opened and made a note of how the lights turn on instantly.  “That is a nice feature,” he said.

Meteer said the fact that EverLast® Lighting manufactures its products in Michigan is helpful when it comes to meeting deadlines.  EverLast® Lighting, a subsidiary of Full Spectrum Solutions, is located in Jackson, less than an hours drive from the University of Michigan.  “Our engineers appreciate the Michigan based companies,” Meteer said, ” and it does help in some cases to get the material specified.”

The reviews of the facility were positive right from the start.  Michigan head coach John Beilein voiced his approval via Twitter right after he and his staff moved to the facility in late October.  “We just moved into the new Player Development Center,” Beilein wrote.  “Wow! Thanks to all who have helped make this dream a reality.”

Assistant Coach Bacari Alexander said the facility will help the Wolverines bring in quality players to help strengthen the program.  “I can only imagine what recruits will say once we tour our improved facilities here at Michigan,” Alexander said via Twitter.  “We love autographs (during the signing periods) in November and April.”