WIAA Board Of Control Supports Moving State Basketball Tournaments to Green Bay

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Stevens Point (WQOW) -- This year's WIAA state boys and girls basketball tournaments will be held at the Kohl Center in Madison, but after that, all signs are pointing to Green Bay.

The WIAA issues a release Thursday night saying its Board of Control supports an executive staff recommendation to enter into a five-year agreement with the Resch Center, beginning as early as 2013. WIAA Executive Director Dave Anderson says there are no hard feelings between his association and the University of Wisconsin...it simply comes down to scheduling conflicts at the Kohl Center.

Anderson says, "Along with concerns that we still have about most recent information and proposals that were given to us. The best future that we're able to identify. For these two very important tournaments probably rest at some place other than the Kohl Center in Madison."

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STATEMENT FROM WIAA:

STEVENS POINT, Wiss. – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control supported an Executive Staff recommendation to enter into a five-year agreement with PMI and the Resch Center in Green Bay, as soon as 2013 and extending through 2017, if the University of Wisconsin is unable to accommodate the State Boys and Girls Basketball Tournaments in accordance with the terms of the existing agreement.

    Seeking a change in venue became necessary because of conflicts with the University of Wisconsin athletics schedule for 2013 and beyond. The traditional weekends of the State basketball tournaments in the Kohl Center have been reserved for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoffs in 2013, and initially, the Big Ten Conference Hockey playoffs beginning in 2014.

    In addition, the boys basketball tournament is expected to be displaced in 2014 for the NCAA Women's Hockey Frozen Four. Given the most recent information provided by the University of Wisconsin, other identified conflicts include the 2013 State Individual Wrestling Tournament, which is scheduled to be displaced by a regular season hockey series.

    The long-term conflict with the Big Ten Conference Hockey playoffs for 2014 and beyond was later resolved by a change in the tournament hosting format. However, a recent UW offer to extend the existing contract for use of its facilities included language that would potentially displace the tournaments for UW regular-season events, an item not present in the existing agreement.

    The WIAA has 14 other State Tournament events in Madison on 13 different weeks, including football, boys and girls golf, boys and girls hockey, softball, boys and girls swimming and diving, boys and girls team and individual tennis, and team and individual wrestling.

    Attempts to resolve the conflicts in 2013 and 2014, as well as concerns within the most recent proposal have been ongoing. The proposals to keep the basketball tournaments in the Kohl Center would have required moving the Boys State Basketball Tournament to late March or move the event to mid-week dates.

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WIAA Board Of Control Supports Moving State Basketball Tournaments to Green Bay