Question for Steve Kaplowitz regarding bidding for NCAA

[Minerinciter]

I was reading an article in the Albuquerque Journal about UNM have lost two rounds of bids to host men's basketball (1st and second rounds) at WisePies Arena. Even with the recent renovations done at The Pit, it seems like it did not do much to win over the NCAA.The NCAA are taking bids for hosting their championships for the school years 2019- '20, 2020- '21 and 2021- '22. The question is will Bob Stull or his fellow athletic director at NMSU Mario Moccia plan on trying to bring an NCAAs to either the 575 or the 915?
“There must be a minimum amount of space for our TV partners – Turner and CBS – the credentialed media, an interview room, photographers. We have arenas as big as 23,000 seating capacity for the first and second round and as low as 10-to-12,000. As long as they have the space for our requirements, we’re certainly going to take a look.”

Remington said the NCAA looks at a number of factors in the city, such as access to the airport, flight and hotel availability and restaurants, and Albuquerque “certainly fulfilled all those requirements.”
Haggerty said the NCAA courts are much bigger than Bob King Court in WisePies Arena, and must be “cut down to fit the exact footprint. We will pay for the shipping and the employees to do the work. Normally, the NCAA just places the floor over a hockey rink or something like that in a larger arena.”
The Pit roof does not allow for a hanging scoreboard, but Haggerty said he didn’t believe was a deal-breaker. Remington agreed, but said, “I do know the NCAA prefers them.” CC: @MarioMocciaNMSU

http://www.abqjournal.com/754473/sp...chobox&utm_term=Autofeed#link_time=1460266088
http://www.athleticbusiness.com/college/infrastructure-important-to-ncaa-tourney-sites.html
http://www.ncaa.com/news/ncaa/article/2013-12-11/2014-18-ncaa-championship-sites

 

[kappy600]

Great question, Minerinciter. As you probably either remember or have heard, El Paso once hosted an NCAA first round regional in 1981. Pitt, North Carolina, Utah, and Northeastern were here (I think I still have the program).

Since El Paso successfully hosted both the CUSA Tournament and US Bowling Congress Open event, they had been approached by the NCAA to bid on a first and second round regional tournament. I know that for a fact since one of my sources was the individual approached by the NCAA. From the story I was told, UTEP did not want to join the bid on the NCAAs (which they would need to since it has to come from a member institution). With UTEP out, the opportunity for El Paso to host an NCAA regional never came to fruition. I would bet that the NCAA was upset at our city's inability to try and offer up a competitive bid. It's another example of a missed opportunity.

 

[shyminer81]

why would UTEP say no?

 

[kappy600]

Some guesses are that it was too much work for them and they didn't want to have to commit all the time and man power to planning the NCAA regional. Also, they might not have believed that they had a chance since the Don Haskins Center does not have sky boxes. However, that is not a requirement by the NCAA for a regional site. Point is, for whatever reason, they chose not to pursue it and the bid never happened.

 

[miner661]

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

 

[Minerinciter]

Thank you for answering my question. What about the Pan American Center in Las Cruces? They have a tradition of hosting a 1st round West regional, 1st round Midwest regional and S16 & Elite 8 in '75 (Louisville). They have two things that the NCAA likes The Pit does not have: hanging scoreboard and a portable court.

Because the Pit was built below ground level, there is only so much expansion – and none at court level. In nearly every multi-purpose arena, the backstage areas of the building are at the same level as the court. Thus, the players, officials, media, etc., can leave the court and be directly in locker rooms, interview areas, etc.

Another issue that comes into play by being underground is getting the court to meet NCAA requirements.

“To get the court to fit, it cost the NCAA around $20,000 in 2012,” Haggerty said. “But had we received the bid, we were going to pay for that out of our share of revenue from the tournament (which he said was included in the bid).

“The footprint of the Pit is so tight and they truck in courts, so they would have to make adjustments for their court to fit our floor.”

Haggerty said the NCAA courts are much bigger than Bob King Court in WisePies Arena, and must be “cut down to fit the exact footprint. We will pay for the shipping and the employees to do the work. Normally, the NCAA just places the floor over a hockey rink or something like that in a larger arena.”

The Pit roof does not allow for a hanging scoreboard, but Haggerty said he didn’t believe was a deal-breaker. Remington agreed, but said, “I do know the NCAA prefers them.”
http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1969
http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1972
http://www.databasesports.com/ncaab/tourney.htm?yr=1975
Because the Pit was built below ground level, there is only so much expansion – and none at court level. In nearly every multi-purpose arena, the backstage areas of the building are at the same level as the court. Thus, the players, officials, media, etc., can leave the court and be directly in locker rooms, interview areas, etc.

Another issue that comes into play by being underground is getting the court to meet NCAA requirements.

“To get the court to fit, it cost the NCAA around $20,000 in 2012,” Haggerty said. “But had we received the bid, we were going to pay for that out of our share of revenue from the tournament (which he said was included in the bid).

“The footprint of the Pit is so tight and they truck in courts, so they would have to make adjustments for their court to fit our floor.”

Haggerty said the NCAA courts are much bigger than Bob King Court in WisePies Arena, and must be “cut down to fit the exact footprint. We will pay for the shipping and the employees to do the work. Normally, the NCAA just places the floor over a hockey rink or something like that in a larger arena.”

The Pit roof does not allow for a hanging scoreboard, but Haggerty said he didn’t believe was a deal-breaker. Remington agreed, but said, “I do know the NCAA prefers them.”

What about the other sports such as women's basketball, rifle, women's volleyball or outdoor track and field? The UTEP Athletics Strategic Plan calls for putting a new pole vault and bleachers at Kidd Field with no press box, yet University Field is going to get a press box with Wi-Fi. Women's soccer has no chance to host a regional without it.

 

[Minerinciter]

Hello Mario,

Mark Lewis asked that I provide a few items in response to your email below.

For Division I men’s basketball, the minimum seating capacity to host tournament games (excluding the Final Four) is 10,000 saleable seats.

The NCAA will bring in a court, which measures 60-feet wide by 116-feet long. We would prefer not to have to cut the court in any way, as he points out we did the last time men’s basketball was in Albuquerque in 2012. Since we store and reuse these courts from year to year, it is best if we don’t have to cut any of the wooden panels.

As for other arena requirements, I have attached a space assignment document that is part of our bid specifications, which might assist in identifying other requirements at the competition venue. A centerhung scoreboard is a plus, but it is not mandatory.

In addition, yes, we do require at least six, and preferably more, full-service hotels to host first-/second-round sessions of the tournament. Each of the eight participating teams require 75 hotel rooms on peak nights, and three meeting rooms (minimum 1,200 square feet each). If there were a need for two teams to be placed in one hotel, those requirements are doubled at that hotel.

The media will also need a full-service hotel as will the game officials. The teams, game officials and the media all stay at different hotels. Ideally, that’s 10 hotels – one for each of the eight teams, one for the media, and one for the game officials. Again, if some of the full-service hotels are large enough to handle two teams, it is possible to reduce the number of required hotels by placing two teams in one hotel. In addition, it is a plus if these hotels are near the competition venue. As part of the bid process, the NCAA will want to know the distance of each hotel from the venue.

The airport being 40 miles away is not ideal, but not a deal-breaker on its own. When the NCAA evaluates bid entries, it takes everything into consideration (competition venue size and quality, back-of-house space, hosting history, ticket sales history, quality and proximity to the venue of the hotels, and size and location of the airport, just to name a few).

I’m happy to discuss further if need be. Please feel free to reach me through my contact information below. Thanks.

Ron


Ron English
Director, Men’s Basketball Championships
w: 317-917-6571
P.O. Box 6222, Indianapolis, IN 46206-6222

This was part of an e- mail I sent to Mario Moccia, the Athletic Director at New Mexico State of why or why not put in a bid for the Pan American Center. The thing that hurts NMSU is that the city has one full service hotel. What hurts UNM or UTEP for that matter that the court setup does not lend itself to host the men's tournament. The women's tournament I believe does not matter for at least the 1st and second round.

 

[Voice of the Mosquito]

Asking for a bid and receiving one are two very different matters. I am sure the NCAA asks every qualified venue to bid, but the selection process appears to be competitive and somewhat political. UTEP likely determined that they had 0% chance and didn't persue the matter. UNM appears to have spend a lot of effort and time completing the bid and they received nothing for the effort. Although hosting is great for fans, hotels etc it really is a raw deal for the Host institution who bears much of the costs and manpower to host but receives nothing but a thank you in return.