Fans who attended the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II men’s basketball tournament at the Danville Area Community College were greeted by a large video scoreboard produced by Watchfire Signs, a digital display manufacturer, according to a company press release.
The college in Illinois has hosted the tournament for the past 29 years.
«It was great to see the faces of players and coaches light up when they entered the gym and saw their logo displayed along with a welcome video,» Brian Hensgen, assistant vice president of student services at DACC and the NJCAA tournament lead, said in the release.
The school installed a full-color Watchfire S-Series videoboard measuring 17 feet wide by 9.5 feet high. The board is used to complement the gym’s other scoreboards and add to the fan experience.
Hensgen said that the videoboard was used at the NJCAA tournament to display hype videos, introduce players and showcase player and team stats. Going forward, it will also be used to feature dance cams and competitions, and to advertise messages from sponsors.
«The videoboard created a lot of buzz at the tournament, and many college recruiters and coaches asked where we got it,» Hensgen said in the release. «My recommendation to them was to contact Watchfire because it’s been a great addition to our gym and we couldn’t be happier.»
The DACC gym is home to the college’s men’s and women’s basketball teams and is used to host high school tournaments and camps throughout the year. The videoboard’s multi-sport software will allow DACC to host additional events, such as regional wrestling tournaments.
DACC uses Watchfire’s Ignite Sports software to create content and program the board. «The production crew has been very impressed with the ease of use and the ability to integrate our own content on the board. The visual quality is amazing,» Hensgen said in the release.
The video board will be used at commencement this spring to highlight student achievements, and other clubs and activities will have access to the board throughout the year.
Headquartered in Danville, Watchfire has manufactured electric signs for 90 years and LED displays since 1998 using components from around the world. Watchfire has more than 65,000 LED displays in operation.