VIDEO UPGRADES TO JUNEAU-DOUGLAS HIGH SCHOOL LEAVE LASTING IMPACT ON CRIMSON BEAR ATHLETICS AND COMMUNITY
Greenville, IL, April 23, 2018- The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team at Juneau-Douglas High School (JDHS) in Juneau, Alaska, not only left their 2015-2016 basketball season as Region V Champions, they made school history by clinching their first 4A State Championship title since 1998. With their momentum built Head Coach, Robert Casperson, recognized his team’s outstanding accomplishments and quickly realized the Crimson Bears needed an exceptional scoring solution to take game-day at their home court, to the next level.
Casperson reached out to Nevco Sales Consultant for the state of Alaska, Linda Leidel, in the fall of 2016 in search of a scoring solution to take the Crimson Bear crowd experience to new heights. Linda began the project by suggesting scoreboards with message centers, as well as standard video display options. Once Casperson learned of the endless possibilities of a video display, he was sold. Dillon Brasher, Sports Video Sales Consultant for Nevco, assisted Linda on the project to help with video integration for JDHS’s new championship scoring solution.
By March of 2017, the Crimson Bears had secured another Region V Championship title and ended their 2016-2017 season with a 4th place finish at State. With another record season under their belt, JDHS went in search of sponsors to help with the funding for a state-of-the-art video display. After securing a sponsorship with Ike’s Fuel, a local company in Juneau, JDHS was well on their way to delivering a game-day experience like never before, with not one, but two new video displays.
JDHS received two display & scoring solutions from Nevco, including two model 8815 10mm Full Color LED Video Displays, both measuring over 5’ high and over 8’ wide. Vibrantly projecting over 88,000 pixels, the displays are capable of capturing interactive fan-prompts, sponsorship messages, in-game graphics and animations, and more. Hanging to the left of each display is an Intelligent Caption™ Nevco scoreboard Model 2781 that allows JDHS to personalize the home and guest team names and multiple sport scoring modes, for every team that plays at the facility. To complete each solution, JDHS added non-illuminated signs to the top and bottom of their displays, decorated with their school colors, name, logo, and prominent Ike’s Fuel sponsor recognition. The displays hang on each side of the gymnasium, for maximum viewing experience.
“These athletes are incredibly deserving of a video display that will change the game forever and we’re glad that Nevco could take our vision and make it a reality,” says Chad Bentz, JDHS Director of Athletics. “Nevco’s dedication and customer service throughout this entire project really helped provide us with an amazing game-day atmosphere that is truly one-of-a-kind.”
“This was an exciting project to work on and Juneau-Douglas was definitely deserving of a state-of-the-art scoring solution,” says Nevco Sales Consultant for Alaska, Linda Leidel. “My job is so rewarding to work with fantastic schools, and I look forward to working with JDHS again in the future to maximize the impact of other athletic teams.”
To operate the display, the Crimson Bears utilize Nevco’s exclusive content management system, Display Director™, that allows JDHS to organize and display stats, headshots, graphics, ads, and more in one simple, easy-to-use interface platform.
“This is a significant win for Nevco and Juneau-Douglas,” says Sports Video Sales Consultant, Dillon Brasher. “JDHS not only invested in state-of-the-art technology, but they invested in a new way to generate revenue and bring new opportunities to their school and athletic department.”
The new displays allowed the school to host the Capital City Classic basketball tournament in December of 2017, accommodating 8 teams and over 1,000 spectators each night and bringing in added revenue for the school. Not only did the display prove to be useful for athletics but also for community events and fundraisers, including one for Kevin Guimmayen, one of JDHS’s basketball players who recently passed away from cancer in the fall of 2017.
“Through the use of our Nevco Display, we were able to create a professional program for a former player of ours that died in August from leukemia. We were able to display fan pictures from Twitter using the hashtag #SockItToCancer, a tribute video, and our fundraising efforts in real time,” says Coach Casperson.
The memorial fundraiser was held at JDHS’s home game on February, 4, 2018. Kevin was a great friend to many, including those that played for the opposing team. The Bears basketball team housed over 2,000 friends and family that night and were able to raise over $7,000 for Kevin and his family.
“It is certainly something I hope we never have to replicate in the future. However, it is reassuring to know that we were able to give such a deserving young man, his family and the community a final, fitting memorial,” says Casperson.
Through the inventive uses of their new video display & scoring solutions, Juneau-Douglas not only left an impact on their championship basketball team, but their community as well. Nevco looks forward to a continued partnership with JDHS and their success within all athletic programs.
About Juneau-Douglas High School: Juneau-Douglas High school is one of three high schools in Juneau, Alaska. It is one of two primary high schools for the Juneau School District. The Crimson Bears are red, black, and white.
About Nevco: Nevco is the largest private manufacturer and provider of video display, scoring and audio solutions. For over 80 years, Nevco has provided colleges, universities, high schools, park and recreation groups, and other organizations with the most innovative scoring and LED video display products in the industry. Nevco is known for its specialty in designing custom facility solutions, quality of products, and superior long term financial value. Today, Nevco scoreboards, message centers and video displays are used to enhance the fan experience at events in more than 100,000 locations around the world. For more information on Nevco, visit their website at nevco.com.