When the Douglas varsity basketball teams return home for a Jan. 19 matchup against South Tahoe, spectators will see a much different gym than they did during the squads' last home game nearly a month prior.
Douglas' Block D Lettermen's club sponsored the painting of a new mural on the gym's back wall, which has been stark white for the better part of the last 20 years.
"It's changed the look of the entire gym," Block D adviser Ernie Monfiletto said. "It really turned out nice."
Monfiletto has had the idea to put something on the wall for the last three years, but the community's extraordinary generosity this year allowed the club to go forth with the project.
"We try to get sponsorships all throughout the year," Block D council member Keith Lowe said. "We felt this was important to the gym because it really invites people in and gives you something to look at right when you come in."
Longtime Carson Valley sign-worker Dwight Machutta painted the mural. It spans vertically from nearly the ceiling to the floor with the Sierra and High Desert League school logos set in circular formation around a large tiger head.
In the late 1980s, the logos of each conference at the time were painted along the top of the back wall with a large Tiger head in the middle. Those were painted over when the current logo signs were installed above the bleacher cases on each side of the gym, leaving the back wall blank.
"Coach Monfilletto asked us at the beginning of the year if we'd be interested in trying to get this done," said Block D president Phil Mannelly, who also plays baseball and football. "We contacted Dwight Machutta because we knew he did the signs on the outfield fence for baseball last year."
Block D also bought new mats with tiger heads on them that will be placed by the front doors before sporting events
"One of our goals every year is school improvement," Monfilletto said. "Every year they try to do things that will make the school better. This was just one of those projects.
"We are extremely grateful to the community for the support they've given us. Without them, we wouldn't be able to do the things we do."
-- Joey Crandall can be reached at jcrandall@recordcourier.com or at (775) 782-5121, ext. 212.
