Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 11, 1990 TAG: 9003112710
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: BILOXI, MISS LENGTH: Long
"Next year in Roanoke, the colors will be red and black and blue and gray, and you put those together and you get green," said Monk, Virginia Tech's associate athletic director.
Monk is the director of the 1991 Metro basketball tournament, for which Tech will be the host school at the Roanoke Civic Center. The Hokies, though, will not determine whether the Metro's "basketball rally in the valley" will be big stuff.
Louisville and Memphis State dominate the eight-school conference, not only because of their basketball success, but because their fans are faithful and loud.
"And they love to eat and shop," said John Clarke, Dominion Bank's regional executive officer and a member of the Roanoke '91 Metro committee.
Before Friday night's semifinals at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, blue-clad Tigers fans and red-dressed Cardinals fans stood outside the arena and yelled with hope in their voices: "Anybody got any tickets for sale?"
Officials of those two schools estimated that about 2,500 Memphis State fans and about 2,000 Louisville fans will come to Roanoke next year. Many of the rabid fans of both schools are frustrated sitters on season-ticket waiting lists, and the annual tournament offers them the only opportunity to see their teams in person.
As Clarke, Monk and Metro '91 co-chairman Lu Merritt sat at breakfast Saturday morning, they were approached by Memphis State fans holding $100 bills.
"They wanted us to make their hotel reservations for them and take their names for tickets," Clarke said. "They'll be there."
The Roanoke tournament also should get a boost because of the Star City's driving proximity to Cincinnati and South Carolina, two Metro schools with improving basketball teams.
The Metro '91 committee has impressed and been impressed during the weekend. There are obstacles that concern the group, but enthusiasm, promotion and planning can overcome a lot.
"Danny and his people are farther ahead in their plans than the people were here a year ago, and the people in Columbia [S.C.] were the year before that," said Ralph McFillen, the Metro's commissioner.
"I think what they've done here shows the kind of benefits we'll see by moving the tournament in our rotation system. Community involvement means broader-based participation.
"This here, on the Mississippi coast, has been nothing but a positive experience. The Roanoke committee has seen that, and they're going to improve on it.
"That was part of the idea by moving the tournament around. We make Metro basketball better known in the Southeast. This tournament here has to help Southern Mississippi's program on the coast, and I would imagine that next year's tournament should help Tech in Roanoke."
The Roanoke committee handed out 12,500 souvenir pompons here and raffled off six round-trip plane tickets to Roanoke for next year's tournament. Just as important, they saw how the tournament works.
Roanoke Civic Center manager Bob Chapman has played videographer throughout the tournament, shooting tape of the Biloxi arena and the tournament operations. His assistant, Mark Collins, has questioned coliseum employees, from ushers to ticket takers.
Collins and Clarke have pushed the Roanoke tournament on halftime shows on each of the Metro radio networks. And all of the Roanoke visitors have manned their information booth, dispensing free goodwill.
Roanoke's tournament likely won't be as fat on the bottom line as the one here, because the civic center will seat only 9,876. Also, Virginia law prohibits beer sales at college sports events. The Biloxi tournament has been noticeably sudsy.
Monk and Clarke said the Roanoke tournament will need improved shuttle-bus service, because the civic center has only 1,820 parking spaces. The Roanoke committee also will establish information tables at every Roanoke Valley hotel during tournament week to help visitors locate restaurants and attractions.
"The hotels we have in Roanoke are better than here," said Clarke, noting that the Gulfport-Biloxi area is dominated by beach hotels, where accommodations offer little more than the bare necessities.
McFillen said Roanoke's salesmanship at this tournament was crucial, "because a lot of our fans don't know much about Roanoke, like they know the Gulf Coast for its beaches."
There's another valuable lesson Monk and his committee have learned in the past three days.
"Talking to the Louisville and Memphis State fans, the ACC is non-existent as far as they're concerned," Monk said. "People in Roanoke and the surroundings look at the ACC as really big. But to those Louisville and Memphis State fans, the Metro is the only thing that matters."
Clarke praised the Roanoke City economic office, civic center employees and Roanoke Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau officials who have spent most of their waking hours in the past week on their feet, shaking hands and passing out information on the Star City.
"That booth we had was a great idea and had a super, positive effect," Clarke said. "Those kids working it went above and beyond, and that's going to help us down the road."
The Roanoke Metro '91 committee will meet with Metro officials again in late May at the league's spring meetings in Destin, Fla. In October, Metro athletic directors will visit Roanoke for a meeting.
Monk's groups will begin monthly meetings soon. There are sponsors to secure - this tournament had 47 - and tickets to sell. The tournament ticket book, for seven games, likely will sell for $87, up $7 from the Biloxi event.
"They did a nice job here," Clarke said. "We want what we do to be better, and it can be. It will be."
by CNB