Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, May 18, 1994 TAG: 9405180096
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. LENGTH: Medium
Less than a week removed from losing a bid for the Virginia High School League winter basketball tournament to Lynchburg and Liberty University, the Salem Civic Center won't be getting the Big South Conference men's basketball tournament either, sources said Tuesday.
And the winner is: Lynchburg and Liberty University.
The conference's executive committee - the presidents of the member schools - met here for three days this week and awarded the tournament to Liberty in 1995 and 1996, sources said. The league will make the announcement this morning at a news conference.
``Representatives of the Lynchburg Sports Commission have been invited to the announcement [today],'' a source said. ``Carey Harveycutter [the Salem Civic Center's manager] has not.''
The main factor in the successful bid by the Lynchburg group apparently was cash. Lynchburg is believed to have offered a $55,000 guarantee in addition to 2,000 books of tickets that will be priced at either $15 or $20 and offered to the member schools.
Salem's bid amounted to $38,500, sources said.
The tournament's dates have not been announced, but traditionally, the tournament has been played during the first two weeks of March.
Unlike in past years, the play-in game also will be played at Liberty University's 9,000-seat Vines Center. Previously, the play-in game had been contested at a campus site.
Harveycutter was on business in Richmond and could not be reached for comment.
The well-traveled tournament will be coming to Lynchburg after two lightly attended years at the North Charleston (S.C.) Coliseum. One of the primary factors in the move to Lynchburg is the expectation of substantial crowds. The Flames' following may be the most avid in the conference.
In other developments at the league meetings:
nIt also has been learned the women's basketball tournaments for 1995 and 1996 will be played at Radford University. The tournament has been at the Dedmon Center seven times previously. Dates have not been set, but the women's tournament usually is played the week after the men's event.
nAccording to sources familiar with the proceedings, conference attorney Thomas Brittain outlined to the presidents a plan of attack against Campbell University, which has announced it will leave the Big South for the Trans America Athletic Conference. The Big South would like to stop Campbell's move because the Camels' departure would cost the conference its automatic bid to the NCAA men's basketball tournament.
Brittain told the presidents the Big South will seek a two-year injunction against Campbell. Results of the attempt to get an injunction, which would be at the state level in the South Carolina courts, will be known about mid-June, the lawyer said.
Should the Big South fail to obtain an injunction, the conference is expected to file a $300,000 suit against Campbell that would not be heard until next year, the lawyer said.
nThe presidents voted to reinstate the conference baseball tournament for 1995. The tournament would include the top six teams in the regular-season standings.
There was no tournament this year because the dates conflicted with some of the schools' exam schedules.
The only hitch in plans for the baseball tournament's reinstatement would come if the league is denied its automatic bid to the NCAA's as a result of Campbell's defection. Should the Big South be required to have a play-in game to the NCAA Tournament and that game conflicts with any of the schools' exam schedules, then the regular-season champion would qualify for the play-in and there would be no tournament.
Otherwise, the tournament winner will get the NCAA bid.
by CNB