Thursday, June 25, 2009

Nick Jezierny tops the list

So which WAC team will be leaving Las Vegas in March 2011 victorious? (please no Nicholas Cage jokes from you film buffs)

We looked around and in our humble estimation it is Nick Jezierny who provided the most comprehensive look at the moving of the WAC basketball tourneys to Las Vegas. Here you go:

WAC betting that basketball fans will flock to Vegas
The league's basketball tourney is moving to a neutral site, and it will need fan support to be a success
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
6/25/09


WAC basketball coaches got the neutral site they coveted for their conference tournaments, but the real winner in playing the 2011 and 2012 events in Las Vegas could be the fans.

"I think it's an opportunity for our people to travel because Las Vegas is a destination area," Idaho athletic director Rob Spear said.

And the fans are the ones being asked to make sure the men's and women's tournaments are a financial success. The WAC is counting on selling out the 7,500-seat Orleans Arena.

Past tournaments, which have been played on campus sites, have paid schools handsomely. Nevada guaranteed each WAC school $60,000 for the 2009 and 2010 tournaments.

"We believe if we sell the building out - and it's our goal - we'll be able to generate the same type of revenues," WAC commissioner Karl Benson said...
Go here for the remainder.

Teddy Feinberg of the Las Cruces Sun-News comes in next with his report here.

Dumping the WAC play-in game is a great idea because the atmosphere in the building was similar to a chess match.

Plus, the WAC should be able to accomplish the same if the West Coast Conference had a sell-out tournament in Vegas this year. Right?

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