MIAA Commissioner Dr. Bob Boerigter and the city of Kansas City have announced an agreement to extend the current MIAA Basketball Championships contract and keep the event at historic Municipal Auditorium through 2014.
“I am so pleased that our CEO’s have determined that our MIAA basketball tournament will remain at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City through the 2014 season,” Boerigter said. “Our tournament here in Kansas City has proven to be popular for our alumni and fans and playing in historical municipal auditorium has been a great experience for our student athletes.”
“All of our conference university presidents are extremely pleased to extend the relationship between our conference tournament and Kansas City,” MIAA CEO Council Chair Dr. Ed Hammond added. “Municipal Auditorium has a long history of high-quality, post-season basketball play. We look forward to working with our many sponsors to continue our March tradition.”
This year’s tournament, which will take place as part of the conference’s Centennial Year celebration, is also the 10th year for the championships to be held in Kansas City.
“On behalf of my office, the city council and the citizens of this great City, I am thrilled to have the MIAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship Tournaments return to Kansas City, Missouri in March, 2013 and 2014,” Kansas City mayor Sly James said. “The institution of basketball in Kansas City is a long and storied history. No City in the world has the relationship to collegiate basketballthat Kansas City does and we are glad to add our tradition by hosting this tournament at Municipal Auditorium in 2013, 2014 and beyond.”
“The announcement of the extension of the MIAA Championships is exciting news for Kansas City,” Kansas City Sports Commission & Foundation President/CEO Kathy Nelson said. “We are thrilled to support the conference as they continue to hold their winter and spring championships here, some just blocks from their headquarters in downtown Kansas City. We also look forward to the growth of the conference as they welcome four new schools this fall, making the eight championship events even more exciting for our region, all hosted right here in Kansas City.”
For the first 10 years in Kansas City, including the upcoming tournament, the MIAA Championships have been two eight-team tournaments (men’s and women’s). Six different schools have won the men’s tournament since it has been hosted at Municipal Auditorium, while two schools have combined to win the nine women’s tournaments.
Beginning with the 2012-13 season, the MIAA will have 15 member institutions, and 12 teams will qualify for the tournament. The top-4 seeds automatically advance to Kansas City, and seeds 5-12 will play an opening round of games on campus sites with the winners advancing to Kansas City to complete the final eight-team field.
The 2012 MIAA Centennial Basketball Championships will take place March 1-4 at Municipal.
— MIAA News Release —