CIAA Basketball Tourney set for ESPN
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), in an historic announcement Tuesday at the ESPNZone in Times Square, New York, unveiled a three-year deal with cable sports network ESPN to televise its annual men's basketball tournament beginning with the 60th anniversary tourney in March on the world-wide sports leader.
CIAA Commissioner Leon G. Kerry made the announcement that ESPN Classic will debut its live coverage of college basketball by televising all four men's quarterfinal tournament games on March 3 and both men's semifinal games on March 4. ESPN2 will then carry the 2005 men's final game on Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m.
ESPN Classic is broadcast into 54 million
homes nationwide while ESPN2 reaches 88 million
households.
"The CIAA has often been called 'the best kept secret,'" Kerry said. "It's the best kept secret because of the history, the people who have come before us, the fans, and the players. After today, it will no longer be the best kept secret. It will probably be the best known conference in (NCAA) Div. II and in HBCU sports.
"The announcement that we will become part of the ESPN family is a dream come true," Kerry added. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived."
The CIAA Basketball Tournament had humble beginnings in Washington, D. C., in 1946 and has grown into one of the largest, most prestigious and long-tenured traditions in black America, particularly in the South. Started by a group of visionaries led by legendary coach John McClendon, the tournament has come to showcase dynamic basketball that has produced the likes of past NBA stars Earl Monroe, Bobby Dandridge, Charles Oakley and Rick Mahorn and current NBA star Ronald Murray of the Seattle Supersonics. The week-long affair draws a host of national celebrities and dignitaries for a bevy of activities and events and serves as a sort of homecoming for students, fans and alumni.
The 2004 tournament drew over 100,000 fans last year to Raleigh, N.C.'s RBC Center, making it the third largest basketball tournament in the nation, regardless of division. This year's men's and women's tournaments will also be held in Raleigh from Feb. 28 through March 5.
Tournament games have been syndicated to television stations and networks nationally for several years but have never had the kind of national exposure that ESPN will bring.
"This is not just an historic day for the CIAA but its an historic day for ESPN Classic," said Crowley Sullivan, Vice President, Programming and Acquisitions for ESPN Classic and ESPNNEWS. "College basketball has served as one of the primary engines, from a programming perspective, for ESPN as a whole and ESPN Classic is delighted to be sort of joining the whole live game initiative. The idea of ESPN has always been to be the curator of sports and sports history and part of that role is to be able to tie in the relevant events from the past.
"The CIAA has such a rich history and such a sustained history, that the 60th anniversary tournament seemed like a perfect time for us to come together. We're thrilled and couldn't be more excited.
"Between ESPN and ESPN Classic we plan to share the history and the culture of the CIAA with millions and to show how that tradition is tied to the competition today."
Ford Motor Company will serve as title sponsor of the television effort.
© 2004 Azeez Communications, Inc.