Post by trues on May 28, 2008 23:29:20 GMT -5
I cannot belive Dennis pick Winston over Greensboro
wschronicle.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1232&Itemid=44
Finally, something to get excited about. Finally, a conference thinks enough about Winston-Salem to host its basketball tournament here. That’s all I could think about when MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas made the huge announcement at the Joel on Tuesday.
I was genuinely happy to hear that. I mean, I’ve been here for six years and all I’ve heard about was how fun the city was when the CIAA hosted its tournament here years ago. The MEAC has even been in Winston before (1980, 81 and 82). Thomas said the MEAC tournament will be in Winston for the next three years. The only thing Winston has to do is help the tournament grow. That’s what Commissioner Thomas told me after we finished with a little interview session.
“You’ve got to help us grow,” Thomas said.
I responded by telling him that I got him, and that I was going to do what I could. I mean, I know the tournament will get bigger in Winston. Look at what happened to the CIAA after it left Winston-Salem. Plus, the numbers indicate the MEAC basketball tournament attendance has increased each year. It went from 15,000 to a little under 35,000 paid fans during the time it was in Raleigh. The commissioner told me that he’d like to see the attendance increase to 50,000 while the tournament is here.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Thomas said. “In 2004, the attendance more than doubled. I would have cause for concern if we still have 35,000 paid fans after three years.”
Don’t even worry about, commissioner. I know Winston-Salem is going to help the tournament grow, as well as build a strong relationship with the conference.
I’m also hoping to build a better relationship with the MEAC through this tournament and some of the things we can do together. I will tell you more about that when things are finalized. But it’s looking good. From the looks of things, the tournament should definitely grow in Winston. I mean, this city is hungry for something like that. Seriously. And, I am going to love to be taking one less trip in February next year. Really, I’m pretty excited about the move to Winston.
I kind of knew the move was going to be announced. I even surprised assistant city manager Martha Wheelock with a call about it on Tuesday morning. According to her, she wasn’t even sure about the move when I called. But she hit me back (Thank you, Martha) to let me know that I was right. Then, Thomas gave her much praise leading up to his announcement.
“I want to thank Martha Wheelock for her time and effort,” Thomas said during the press conference. “She’s quite a negotiator. A lot of times it wasn’t friendly, but it was always professional.”
Thomas also spent quite some time praising the city officials, the community, our leadership and a few other things. He called our city a progressive city.
“This is a win-win situation for both sides,” Thomas said. “We feel like we can make a significant financial impact to the city. Winston-Salem State being here is icing on the cake. They are an anchor right here.”
Too bad Winston-Salem State can’t compete for a title for the next two years, which means the Rams will be playing North Carolina Central two of the three years the tourney will be here. The Rams won’t be able to compete for the title until 2010. Which is OK. But I would love for WSSU to be able to win it. That’s just me. It’s simply good to have a tournament coming back to the city.
wschronicle.com//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1232&Itemid=44
Finally, something to get excited about. Finally, a conference thinks enough about Winston-Salem to host its basketball tournament here. That’s all I could think about when MEAC Commissioner Dennis Thomas made the huge announcement at the Joel on Tuesday.
I was genuinely happy to hear that. I mean, I’ve been here for six years and all I’ve heard about was how fun the city was when the CIAA hosted its tournament here years ago. The MEAC has even been in Winston before (1980, 81 and 82). Thomas said the MEAC tournament will be in Winston for the next three years. The only thing Winston has to do is help the tournament grow. That’s what Commissioner Thomas told me after we finished with a little interview session.
“You’ve got to help us grow,” Thomas said.
I responded by telling him that I got him, and that I was going to do what I could. I mean, I know the tournament will get bigger in Winston. Look at what happened to the CIAA after it left Winston-Salem. Plus, the numbers indicate the MEAC basketball tournament attendance has increased each year. It went from 15,000 to a little under 35,000 paid fans during the time it was in Raleigh. The commissioner told me that he’d like to see the attendance increase to 50,000 while the tournament is here.
“The numbers speak for themselves,” Thomas said. “In 2004, the attendance more than doubled. I would have cause for concern if we still have 35,000 paid fans after three years.”
Don’t even worry about, commissioner. I know Winston-Salem is going to help the tournament grow, as well as build a strong relationship with the conference.
I’m also hoping to build a better relationship with the MEAC through this tournament and some of the things we can do together. I will tell you more about that when things are finalized. But it’s looking good. From the looks of things, the tournament should definitely grow in Winston. I mean, this city is hungry for something like that. Seriously. And, I am going to love to be taking one less trip in February next year. Really, I’m pretty excited about the move to Winston.
I kind of knew the move was going to be announced. I even surprised assistant city manager Martha Wheelock with a call about it on Tuesday morning. According to her, she wasn’t even sure about the move when I called. But she hit me back (Thank you, Martha) to let me know that I was right. Then, Thomas gave her much praise leading up to his announcement.
“I want to thank Martha Wheelock for her time and effort,” Thomas said during the press conference. “She’s quite a negotiator. A lot of times it wasn’t friendly, but it was always professional.”
Thomas also spent quite some time praising the city officials, the community, our leadership and a few other things. He called our city a progressive city.
“This is a win-win situation for both sides,” Thomas said. “We feel like we can make a significant financial impact to the city. Winston-Salem State being here is icing on the cake. They are an anchor right here.”
Too bad Winston-Salem State can’t compete for a title for the next two years, which means the Rams will be playing North Carolina Central two of the three years the tourney will be here. The Rams won’t be able to compete for the title until 2010. Which is OK. But I would love for WSSU to be able to win it. That’s just me. It’s simply good to have a tournament coming back to the city.
how instramental is the meac office going to be in developing this tourny to it's full potential...