Mike DiTullo ‘98 ID, a design director at Converse, could hardly consider the concept of a ball in the sole of one of his basketball shoes under development without thinking of The Balls, RISD’s infamous basketball team. So, when all the in-house talk about balls inspired him to check out the status of RISD’s current team, that, in turn, led to conversations between Converse and RISD about potential collaborations.

First on the agenda is a series of potential YouTube videos Converse is looking to create with the help of Balls players. With six video cameras on loan, the players are now taping each other responding to 25 quirky questions from Converse. If all goes as planned, the footage will be edited for Converse’s artsy YouTube marketing pieces.

In the meantime, The Balls are having fun playing with other perks from Converse, including game sneakers, uniforms, warm-up suits and a pair of Chuck Taylor hightops for each player. The new duds make their on-court debut at the first game of the season: this Friday evening (January 16) at 7:30pm, when The Balls take on Pratt at the Wheeler Gym in Providence.

Balls coach Bill Miller ‘91 PT, who “moonlights” as a tech and teacher in the Painting Department, and Don Morton, associate director of Student Life, are as excited as the team about working with Converse. “After listening to their vision and looking at their materials, we can’t imagine a better fit for RISD,” the two report.

Next up, The Balls play Cooper Union on January 31 and Pratt on February 1 (both in NYC), and follow up with three home games, with Sarah Lawrence on February 7, Cooper Union on February 28 and MassArt on March 14.