UTEP Ramps Up Efforts To Host 2010 C-USA Tourney
By Darren Hunt
EL PASO — Conference USA announced Tuesday that their tournament will remain in Memphis for 2009, but UTEP officials are hopeful about bringing the excitement to El Paso for 2010.
In 2007, the Western Athletic Conference hosted their tournament in Las Cruces and fans, game-goers and businesses descended upon the city en masse for the sports ‘extravaganza.’
Brian Kennedy, presidentof the El Paso Sports Commission said 2010’s Conference USA tournamentstill provides an opportunity to duplicate that sports and commerce excitement.
“Are we in the game, are we not in the game? The sports commission, the convention and visitor’s bureau andUTEP work every year to try and bring this tournament,” Kennedy said.
Memphis has hosted the event for four consecutive years while the Don Haskins Center has not seen postseason tournament play since 1990. The reason for the seeming inequity in awarding tournament hosting is the hefty $500,000 price tag that bidding universities bring to the bargaining table.
“One of the things that is critical any time you’re trying to get a large tournament is the money you’re going to have to bring to the table. The guarantee,” Kennedy said.
UTEP Assistant Athletic Director Brian Wickstrom said the guarantee proves to be the biggest challenge to the university’s hosting.
“UTEP doesn’t have the resources without the city’s help. We need to see what the city will do,”Wickstrom said.
City councilman Steve Ortega said the funding is available, citing the El Paso Marathon sponsorships and the Texas vs. the Nation football game. All that’s needed, Ortega said, was for UTEP to ask.
“IfUTEP wants to have those discussions, wants to put forth a proposal, we’d love to hear from them so we can sit down and see if we can work out a deal,” Ortega said.
Typically, the tournaments are awarded on a two-year hosting basis, so in order for UTEP to acquire rights for the 2010 postseason presentation, a bid package has to be finalized soon.
