A confluence of events led to Greenville’s march to 2017 madness, which city officials and others celebrated last week when the NCAA announced that the first- and second-round Division I men’s basketball tournament will be relocated to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena downtown.
First came the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the Statehouse grounds in July 2015.
When the flag came down, VisitGreenvilleSC officials sprang into action. They met as a local committee in January to discuss the possible opportunities to host NCAA events.
Chris Stone, VisitGreenvilleSC’s president, traveled to Indianapolis to share with NCAA officials that Greenville was eager and excited about having the association back in South Carolina.
Robin Wright, VisitGreenvilleSC’s senior sales manager, and colleagues throughout the state followed by visiting NCAA directors in Indianapolis.
Then came the bid cycle for the NCAA events for 2019-22.
Wright; Beth Paul, general manager of the Wellness Arena; Furman University Director of Athletics Mike Buddie; and Geoff Cabe, Southern Conference associate commissioner, returned to Indianapolis in May to attend a symposium and learn more about the NCAA process.
“I’ve been doing this for a quite a few years now and I can tell you all the folks that I knew in the room – there wasn’t one destination, one city that had that sort of crowd at the table,” Wright said. “We were there. People noticed that we were there. And I always like to capitalize on that.”
“In terms of seeing credibility and validation of us really wanting to go after this, that was very, very apparent,” said Jennifer Stilwell, VisitGreenvilleSC’s executive vice president and chief strategic officer. “There’s always a series of strategic moves that come into play that ultimately get you in the position to succeed.”
The more immediate opportunity arose when the NCAA announced in September it would relocate several neutral site championships out of North Carolina in response to the state’s so-called bathroom bill, HB2.
With potentially millions of dollars in revenue up for grabs, cities across the Southeast began jockeying to land one, if not several, of the displaced events.
Greenville was all in, with The Well joining forces with Furman, the Southern Conference and VisitGreenvilleSC to bring the NCAA men’s basketball championships back to town.
The championships have the potential to produce 6,200 room nights for local hotels and an economic impact of $3.8 million, Paul said.
From the start, local officials have been optimistic about drawing the NCAA back to Greenville, Wright said.
Bids had to follow NCAA rules and guidelines, and that led to several months of research and work. NCAA officials required information on facilities, budgeting, logistics, security, equipment and hotels. Schematic diagrams and promotional videos could accompany the information.
“They ask for all the destinations to champion their city,” Stilwell said. “They’re asking us, ‘Are our athletes and our fans going to have a world-class, best-in-class experience in your destination?’”
NCAA officials said the bid process for NCAA championships for the 2019 through 2022 seasons closed in August. An announcement on the championships’ locations is projected for spring of next year.
Greenville again is bidding on men’s basketball, women’s regional basketball and Division III baseball.
Cities submitting bids for those championships had to complete an antidiscrimination questionnaire, NCAA officials said.
Furman and the Southern Conference will serve as co-hosts of NCAA Tournament first- and second-round games, scheduled for March 17 and 19, at the 15,000-seat Bon Secours Wellness Arena in downtown Greenville.
“We are thrilled the NCAA has entrusted us to host one of its most celebrated championships and look forward to welcoming the student-athletes, coaches and fans of competing schools to our home next March,” Buddie said. “It’s great to be back in the business of hosting NCAA Championships in our community and state, and we are dedicated along with our Main Street area, Bon Secours Wellness Arena and VisitGreenvilleSC partners to provide an unparalleled, first-rate championship experience.”
Furman, the Southern Conference and Greenville last served as host of NCAA Basketball Tournament first- and second-round action in 2002 when Duke, Alabama, Oklahoma State, Kent State, Notre Dame, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic and Winthrop comprised the eight-team field for six South Region Tournament contests at the BI-LO Center (now Bon Secours Wellness Arena).
“Our community as a whole, but especially the business community, has been tremendously supportive and encouraging of our efforts to host NCAA events since the ban was lifted last year,” Paul said. “This announcement is another example of how Greenville continues to move in a forward direction.”
The 2017 NCAA Tournament Selection Show announcing the 68-team tournament field is scheduled for March 12 and will be streamed live on NCAA.com and broadcasted nationally.
“The NCAA is the elite of the elite and everybody wants to be able to host an event that they have and everybody wants the basketball,” Wright said. “We worked for this. This was something that was well-deserved and it was time for it to be in Greenville.”
