Elite Eight nearing tipoff in St. Joseph
By Harry Loomis
As March quickly approaches, postseason college basketball is right around the corner, and anticipation is building for the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Elite Eight at Civic Arena.
The tournament plays March 25, 27 and 29 at the Civic Arena.
After a successful tournament this past year, the St. Joseph Sports Commission also welcomed in new events such as a marathon. With every passing event, the organization’s confidence grows.
“It’s about the experience,” said Brett Esely, director of the Sports Commission. “When you leave here, we want you to have a very positive experience and remember St. Joseph, Missouri.
“When you leave here, in a basketball tournament, there’s only going to be one winner,” he continued. “We’re going to have a lot of people leave St. Joseph that didn’t meet the goal that they had when they came here. But it doesn’t mean that that they leave town with an experience that wasn’t satisfied.”
Although most arrangements on the commission’s part are on track, there is still no telling what eight teams will earn their place in St. Joseph. Regional tournaments end a week before the Elite Eight tips off, leading to a quick turnover rate.
One challenge has been having enough hotel space, which is not a short-term fix.
“Right now of the eight teams that come to the Elite Eight, each one of those teams as part of the block is guaranteed a meeting space for 20 people,” Esely said “Finding a meeting space for eight teams at a hotel for 20 people is a big-time challenge. When we’ve worked with city leadership, county leadership, who are working with hotel developers, we have made that a priority to let them know that double-occupancy rooms are key. We need rooms with two beds. The other piece to that is, is we need more meeting space. We just do.”
