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VB TO HOST STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

VB to host state basketball tournament

TANIAH TUDOR

Press Argus-Courier | 1/14/2017

PHOTO CREDIT: Van Buren High School Atheltics

Van Buren High School will host the class 7A state basketball championship tournament set for March 1-4.

Arkansas Activities Association announced Thursday that Van Buren won the bid to host the 2017 championship tournament.

Hosting tournaments helps the community by bringing in revenue, prevents local athletes from having to travel and allows the school district to show off its facilities, said Drew Cone, Van Buren School District activities administrator.

"Anytime we have an opportunity to host a state meet or a regional meet, we want to do something like that," Cone said.

Van Buren was the only school to bid on hosting the event. This will be the second year the school hosted the 7A tournament.

"The community and the school district really enjoyed hosting back in 2011 and we're going to enjoy doing it again," said Van Buren athletic director Randy Loyd. "The other athletic directors asked if we would like to do it, we made a bid for it and got it."

Van Buren will host the first four rounds of the tournament capping with the semifinals to be played on Saturday, March 4. The state finals are slated for March 9-11, but the date and time for the 7A finals are not yet set.

Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission provided the school district with a 7,000 sponsorship to help with costs of hosting the tournament, said Maryl Koeth, Van Buren Advertising and Promotion Commission director.

Sponsoring the event, which allowed VBHS to host it, is economically sound, Koeth said.


"I know from experience within the state with other cities putting on the tournament, and from experience with the Babe Ruth World Series that those types of events bring people in," Koeth said. "They stay in our hotels and eat in our restaurants - they help boost our economy."

Van Buren hosted the Babe Ruth League World Series baseball tournament in 2004, 2008 and 2012.

Visitors staying in the area also are going to spend money shopping, which helps area retails sales, Koeth said. The A&P will provide tournament visitors with information on places to stay, eat and shop in the area, she said.

"We try to not only bring them here, but make their stay enjoyable," Koeth said. "It's just a win for everyone."

Koeth called the basketball championship tournament hosted in 2011 "very" successful. During the tournament, 24 teams play 20 ball games over four days.

"No doubt there will be some good crowds and the crowds for the last couple of years have been huge," Loyd said, adding that the 7A state tournament tends to draw a lot of basketball fans.

Both Van Buren basketball teams reached the tournament last season but were ousted in the first round. The Lady Pointers lost to Northside while the Pointers dropped their first game to Springdale.


"I know reaching the state tournament is something both teams would like to happen," Loyd said. "We just started conference play so both teams will need to win some games to qualify."

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