Fashion Forwards

Nike gives college hoops uniforms a radical new profile

March 5, 2007—Looks like those baggy shorts so popular among college hoops teams may finally be on their way out. Taking their place? Really, really baggy shorts. Starting tomorrow night, four top schools—Arizona, Florida, Ohio State, and Syracuse—will don Nike's System of Dress, a radical new look that brings Raf Simons–style proportion-play to the hard court. Complementing the aforementioned shorts are formfitting jerseys ten inches smaller in the torso, resulting in a second-skin look that's more Bode Miller than Ben Wallace. Players will also be able to customize their uniforms by adding options like padded shorts (to protect against the errant knee or elbow) and Dwyane Wade–style leg wraps. "There's sort of that tattoo mentality in basketball of guys wanting to share a similar look but also stand out within that look," explains Hans George, GM of Nike's global basketball business. "We expect that they make take some of the componentry and do something we might not really have imagined ourselves." Time will tell whether the new look catches on with more traditionally minded programs—something tells us Coach K will be a tough sell—but one thing's for certain: Those nut-huggers you wore in junior high aren't coming back anytime soon.

Nike System of Dress jerseys, $75, shorts, $60. Available at www.niketown.com, select Nike retailers, and at campus bookstores of the four debut teams.