Joplin, Mo. – Missouri Southern State University will continue to be the home of one of the finest basketball arenas in the MIAA and Division II, thanks to a significant donation announced Thursday, Oct. 3 at a press conference at the university.
The anonymous, $250,000 donation was announced by MSSU Interim President Dr. Alan Marble and Athletics Director Jared Bruggeman. The donation was designated by the donors for the construction of a new video scoreboard within Leggett and Platt Athletic Center.
Installation of the new video scoreboard, which will be 8.5 feet tall and 10.5 feet wide on each side, will begin in early November in the Center’s basketball arena. The board will feature four 40-square-foot LED video screens – each screen being approximately 5 x 8 feet in size.
The board is being manufactured by Nevco, a video scoreboard company located in Greenville, Ill. The project is being completely funded by the generous donation and is expected to be completed before Thanksgiving. Marble credits Bruggeman for his role in securing the donation.
“I’m very proud of the effort he put into making the dream of this project become reality,” Marble said. “That says a lot about the commitment of our staff.”
The center-hung video scoreboard, a rarity among Division II schools, will not only provide a boost to the facility and basketball experience, but also to the many concerts, ceremonies and student events held each semester in Leggett and Platt. The high-tech scoreboard will show replays, statistics, graphics and videos.
“I think it’s truly fitting that one of the best facilities in all of Division II, let alone the MIAA, has one of the best video boards as well,” Bruggeman said. “If it weren’t for donors like we have today, as well as those who helped make the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center a reality in 1999, announcements like this wouldn’t happen. Adding a video board will enhance the championship atmosphere that already exists, and let’s not forget the multiple uses it will also provide to the campus community and University as a whole.”
The addition of the video scoreboard will also provide valuable hands-on experience for Department of Communication students who will operate the cameras and the board during the games. A communication practicum of broadcast students will run cameras and learn live-event filming and high-tech editing techniques.
“Every time we are able to make an announcement like this and see our donors step forward to fund a project they are passionate about, it reminds me of the support that makes this university so great,” said Dr. Marble. “To witness the difference these gifts make to our students and facilities is inspiring. You realize there are many, many people who want Missouri Southern to be the best, and they are willing to make that happen.”