ATLANTA --The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) announced today that its Council of Presidents voted unanimously to relocate its Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament to the city of Birmingham, Alabama.
Starting in 2014, Birmingham's newly renovated Bill Harris Arena at the Birmingham CrossPlex, located minutes from downtown, will be the new home for the SIAC's winter classic for three years. The Centennial Basketball Tournament, which will be the 81st for the men, will be played Monday, March 3 through Saturday, March 8, 2014.
"As Mayor, and on behalf of the City of Birmingham, we are proud to be awarded the role of host city for the 2014-2016 SIAC Men's and Women's Basketball Championship," said Birmingham Mayor William A. Bell, Sr. "Our one-of-a-kind CrossPlex Facility has established itself as a nationally recognized home for championship events and we look forward to providing the SIAC student athletes, coaches, administrators and spectators a "World Class Experience" and a warm Birmingham welcome."
"The Bill Harris Arena at the Birmingham CrossPlex is honored to have been awarded the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament. Our continued objective is to effectively execute all aspects of the championship flawlessly, while ensuring that each student-athlete is left with a memorable experience-win or lose." added Birmingham CrossPlex Director Kevin W. Moore.
Recently, the Harris Arena underwent a 3 million dollar renovation that includes a state-of-the-art sound system, a four sided center hung LED display scoreboard, basketball floor and basketball goals, HVAC system and other facility improvements. In addition, the facility includes two hospitality suites, press box that overlooks the venue floor, four locker rooms, an officials and training room.
"We are thrilled to return one of our flagship events to the Magic City next year," said SIAC Commissioner Gregory Moore. "We not only look forward to working with Mayor Bell and his staff in connection with our tournament, but also engaging the important community stakeholders to ensure that we create the best possible events for the city of Birmingham."
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