OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Omaha Westside High School is taking fan engagement to the next level with a new court projection system that displays hype videos directly on the basketball court during player introductions.
WATCH THE STORY:
The innovative technology transforms the traditional pregame experience by projecting player names and videos onto the court floor, creating what students describe as a college-like atmosphere.
"When the lights go off and their heads normally go up the scoreboard, now they're going down to the floor and just seeing their reaction is priceless," Omaha Westside principal Dr. Jay Dostal said.
The idea originated when Dostal was browsing the internet. He consulted with other Nebraska schools that have similar technology to help fine-tune the plans.
"I definitely like my tech gadgets," Dostal said, "but I'm more excited about student engagement."
The project was funded through the Westside Community Foundation and the athletics fund from ticket and concession sales.
"It's technology," Dostal said. "Technology isn't cheap, but we think the return on investment is going to be excellent."
Students have embraced the new addition enthusiastically.
"Colored lights... I know our football team does that, but I haven't seen like an actual like video on the court or like on the field or anything, so that's been really cool," senior Jason Kipling said.
Fellow senior Eli Bartsch-Bang agreed, noting the enhanced atmosphere.
"I feel like it's almost like a college-like atmosphere," Bartsch-Bang said, "with the names going across the court and all that. It really gets everyone excited for the game."
Westside parents, who said they didn't have similar technology during their high school years, are also impressed with the innovation.
"The screen is amazing," Patrick Regan said. "It looks fabulous."
"It just involves the crowd and the students, the athletes," Kristi Dada, whose son, London, is on the boys' basketball team, said. "It helps get the kids pumped up and hopefully helps them to get started off to a better game.
"It's a good addition. It was neat to see this."
Dostal believes the technology will likely spread to other schools in the metro area once they see it in action.
"I think once people in the metro area see this," Dostal said, "we're going to start seeing a lot more high schools in the metro have it."
Dostal said it will be used for volleyball matches in the future and potentially class reunions.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
