PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – One of the Battle 4 Atlantis’ defining features is Imperial Arena, the temporary basketball venue set up each year to host the tournament.

The arena is pieced together in a ballroom between the Beach and Coral Towers at the Atlantis resort. The court itself sits directly on top of the ballroom carpet. Sections of chair-back seats are brought in and placed around the court, as are two scoreboards that hang in the corners of the arena.

The lighting adds another element to the arena. The stands are kept dark during play except for some blue light, which creates a blue aura around the playing surface. Spotlights also roam the stands and floor during timeouts.

Western Kentucky forward Justin Johnson and his teammates got the chance to practice in Imperial Arena on Tuesday before playing their opening game at the tournament Wednesday against No. 5 Villanova.

“It’s a cool atmosphere in there,” the senior Johnson said. “We were talking about the lighting and everything like that. The court’s really lit up and it’s dark around the arena.

“Playing in a place like this, it’s pretty unique.”

Villanova guard Mikal Bridges also used the phrase “cool atmosphere” to describe Imperial Arena.

“I’ve never played in an arena where the ceiling is that low and the lights are probably the biggest difference, where all the lights are on you, kind of like a spotlight,” Bridges said.

North Carolina State coach Kevin Keatts came to the tournament in 2012 when he was an assistant at Louisville. He compared the arena and its 3,500-seat capacity to playing in a smaller Division I venue where fans are packed into a more intimate environment.

“It’s packed and it’s fun and can get going in there,” Keatts said. “It’s an exciting place to play.”

The Wolfpack coach said he didn’t expect the low ceiling, lighting and the rest of the arena’s features to hurt players’ ability to shoot.

“Typically, when you’ve got a smaller venue and it’s a little bit tighter, guys typically shoot the ball better,” Keatts said. “I think the depth perception in these bigger arenas is what causes you not to shoot the ball well. Hopefully we can make some shots because of that.”

Atlantis trip another bonding experience for Hilltoppers

Most of the players on WKU’s 2017-18 roster didn’t know each other until this summer.

Johnson, Lamonte Bearden and Tyler Miller are the only Hilltoppers who were with the program last year. The other five players on the trip to Atlantis – Dwight Coleby, Taveion Hollingsworth, Marek Nelson, Jake Ohmer and Darius Thompson – are all newcomers to coach Rick Stansbury’s WKU program.

The Toppers got a head start on team bonding back in August when they went on a preseason tour of Costa Rica.

The 10 practices that preceded that trip gave Stansbury an early look at his team on the court, while the trip itself kept the players around each other a full week and gave them a chance to better know one another.

“I was new to all these guys,” said Johnson, who rejoined the basketball program right before the Costa Rica trip after working out all offseason with the football team. “Costa Rica made us really close. …

“Trips like this early in the season bring you a lot closer, too. You face adversity, you learn to get through it with guys.”

Players spent some of their downtime Tuesday walking through the indoor and outdoor aquariums at the resort and spending more time together as teammates.

That came one day after WKU’s traveling party went to a homecoming celebration Monday hosted by the family of Coleby, a Nassau native. Hilltopper players and coaches got a firsthand look at the Bahamian culture and background of one of their teammates.

“It was great for our team to be part of that, not just Dwight,” Stansbury said. “It was great for our team to see his culture, who he is, and it made us all better leaving there.”

Ayton another Nassau native in the tournament

Joining Coleby as a local participating in this week’s tournament is Arizona center DeAndre Ayton. The freshman is a Nassau native who, like WKU’s Coleby, moved to the United States in high school to pursue a basketball career.

Ayton and Coleby will both be trying this week to become the first Bahamian to play on a team that won the tournament. Other Bahamas natives to participate in the Battle 4 Atlantis in recent years include Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and Michigan State’s Tum Tum Nairn.

“To be able to have DeAndre return to a place where he’s from is very meaningful to him and his family,” Arizona coach Sean Miller said. “It’s always nice when you can bring someone home that’s not from right around the corner.”

The Wildcats went to a community service event Tuesday in Nassau where they went to a school and played with local children. The native son Ayton was the star of that event.

“DeAndre, we’re just excited for him to come back home and be around so many family and friends and so many supporters he brings for the Arizona program,” guard Allonzo Trier said.