Boys Basketball To Stay In Madison/Girls Move To Green Bay
Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 -- 4:46 PM
The WIAA Board of Control voted today to leave the State Boys Basketball Tournament in Madison but move the Girls State Tournament to Green Bay.The Board of Control voted to keep the boys basketball tournament in Madison, where it has been every year except one since 1920.
In an unexpected move, the Board of Control voted unanimously to move the girls basketball tournament to the Resch Center in Green Bay for at least the next two years. The event will be re-evaluated at that time, with the possibility of finding a permanent home at the arena across the street from Lambeau Field or potentially moving back to the state capital.
The continual shifting of the location (and date) of the girls tournament was cited by coaches as an issue throughout the debate. In just the last 12 years, the girls have played at the Fieldhouse, the Kohl Center, and the Alliant Energy Center, with the Resch Center marking the fourth location.
One of the main concerns for the WIAA in moving the boys? tournament from the Kohl Center, which has a seating capacity of more than 17,000, was a potential loss in revenue. Had the boys? tournament moved to the Resch Center, which can accommodate around 10,000 spectactors, the possibility of thousands of fans not being able to attend the games could have become a reality.
With a smaller, more intimate venue (the Resch Center seats 10,500 compared to more than 17,000 at the Kohl Center), there is hope that it will provide a more appropriate atmosphere for the smaller crowds generally seen at the girls state tournament, which has struggled to fill the lower bowl of the Kohl Center in recent years.
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