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3C SPORTS/tClie dmlsttt $o(t Thursday, March 18, 2004 CIAA tourney object of cities’ desire By Bonitta Best THE TRIANGLE TRIBUNE RALEIGH - The 2004 CIAA tournament had another banner year, with over 100,000 fans in atten dance during the weeklong event. It’s impact on Raleigh’s economy was esti mated at more than $11 mil lion Next year is the final year of a three-year contract, and the sixth year overall since the tourney came to the future hold between the city and the third-largest basketball tournament in the country? Commissioner Leon Kerry answered that and other questions in an interview with The Tribune. Tribune: Any thoughts on where the tourney wdl go after next year? Kerry: It aU depends on Raleigh. Raleigh could be conservative and lose it. But it should be here, we can con trol the costs of the arena, do some things differently. We’ve had our best years here, it’s the heartbeat of the CIAA because we’ve got three schools here, plus Virginia and Maryland are close. Tribtme: After five years, is Raleigh starting to take the tournament for granted? Kerry: The contract can be ostentatious where you’re not being taken for granted. They can’t come with the same contract. It’s really up to them. They’ve got a $10 million economic impact on this. Tribime: Basically, it will come down to which city has the best package, correct? Kerry: Yeah that’s it. The board of directors make the decision. I give input, but I don’t vote, I don’t make the decision. Tribune: Every year it seems more people complain that the CIAA is becoming more corporate and less fan- friendly. Kerry: People will com plain and say it’s more corpo rate. Let me tell you some- thirrg: The corporate side of it takes you to where you need to be. Tbm Joyner is corporate. Ebony is corporate, and if you get national recognition from corporate, so be it. Everybody is trying to do what we’re doing—the white conferences, the other black corrferences, so I don’t buy into that. You need corporate dollars to make it run. Corporate dollars do a whole lot of things, buy jobs for kids, etc. Tribune: Did you catch flak about raised ticket prices? Kerry: No. I think we should have raised them a httle bit higher becairse they anon Protection Proiea your savings from ihe ups and downs of inflation with the new Scries I Bond from the U.S. Treasury, And I Bonds are available at most financial institutions, Qll 1-800-4US BOND for more information. IBonds bemSeitUhaaCtm I400^BOND , wwtHtiipbwKfcfflf I .1 fdtir U painiM sold too quick. We’re imder- priced. The ACC is $286 a week. My highest seat is $150, I’m stiU rinderpriced. Tribime: Are the parties and events starting to take away from the basketball? Kerry: We’re always trying to do something different and irmovative to keep it interesting. Everybody has a basketball tourney but they don’t have an event. That’s why it’s so critical to have a venue hke this. We have plenty of hotels, restaurants and shopping, and people are going to have fun. They save all year for this. We want to try to keep it that way. Tribime: What is the con ference doing to offset Winston-Salem State and N.C. Central possibly leav ing for Division I? Kerry: We’re positioning ourselves. We had a meeting and chopped up some ideas. We’re going to charge for membership, charge for peo ple leaving. There are some schools in Division I that want to come back to Division II so... One thing we’ve learned is regardless of who leaves, we want to maintain some of their fans. They’ve got to get a new group when they move on. We’re trying to maintain our old group and a couple of things have changed for us. We’ve got 30 percent of our audience that attended CIAA schools. The other 65 percent are hooked when they come once. Tribune: Will NCCU and WSSU be given a grace peri od? Kerry: According to the board of directors, they are no longer members as soon as they make the armounce- ment. The board said they didn’t want Division I kids playing against our kids while they’re building up their teams. They can go play independent, do what ever they want to do. Tribune: Where can the tournament go from here? Kerry: If we can stay steady like this for the next 10 years and make it grow and provide scholarships for kids... I’m always thinking outside the box. Tribune: WiU you be here in 10 years? Kerry: No, no, I probably won’t. But I want to set the pace for the others so it won’t be hard to follow. I’d be a fool to tell you I’ll be here 10 years, you don’t know. I’ll be here as long as I can. FORD’S USED TIRES New Tires Mon. - Fri. 8 a.m. - 8 p.m. • Sat. 8 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. • Brake Job Front $35.00 Back $45.00 340] Tuckaseegee Rd. Charlone, NC 28208 (704)393-1109 * Oil Change - $21.88 Ford's Busy Bee Mini Mart 505 Beatties Ford Rd. Charlotte. 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The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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March 18, 2004, edition 1
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