As the expansion Charlotte Bobcats prepare to take the floor this fall for their inaugural season, the Sports Business Daily is reporting that the team is using the NCAA men's basketball tournament for more than just scouting players. The Bobcats, who will move into a new Ellerbe Becket-designed arena at the start of the 2005-06 season, have tapped into the rich college basketball heritage of the Carolinas to increase franchise awareness and traffic on the team's website.

“In addition to TV and radio spots featuring historical footage, the team's website, http://www.nba.com/bobcats, is in the midst of the ‘Bobcats Hardwood Challenge,’ a 64-player bracket determining the Carolinas' top all-time collegiate player, with fans choosing the winners of each matchup.” Not such an easy task when you consider North Carolina's Michael Jordan, Duke's Christian Laettner, Wake Forest's Tim Duncan and NC State's David Thompson all played in the state.

The New Charlotte Arena will be home to the Bobcats and the WNBA Charlotte Sting, as well as other events such as hockey, arena football, concerts and family shows. Ellerbe Becket is providing architecture and engineering (mechanical, electrical and structural). Odell Associates and The Freelon Group are associate architects.

An innovator since its founding in 1909, Ellerbe Becket is a leader in architecture, engineering and the construction industry with office locations worldwide.

Contact: news@ellerbebecket.com