Fayetteville, N.C. - The USA South Athletic Conference has announced a partnership with the Fayetteville, North Carolina Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to host the 2013, 2014 and 2015 USA South Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments. Each tournament will feature the league's top-eight teams and will be conducted over a four-day period in Fayetteville's Crown Center Arena. Additionally, a portion of the tournament ticket sales are designated to assist needy military families.
“I’m thrilled that the USA South Athletic Conference’s Basketball Tournaments chose Cumberland County and the Crown Arena as its home for the next three years,” says John Meroski, Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau (FACVB) President & CEO. “We are rapidly becoming a North Carolina Basketball tournament destination.”
The new home of the men's and women's tournaments satisfies an on-going request from the USA South membership to conduct the games on a neutral floor. Past tournament contests have all taken place on the campuses of the League institutions.
"The USA South administrators and coaches look forward to this partnership with the Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Crown Center as our basketball tournament comes to Fayetteville, NC," stated Rita Wiggs, USA South Commissioner. “The Crown Arena is the perfect size to provide a great neutral venue for our tournaments. Our student-athletes will reap the benefits of the collaborative efforts of the FACVB and the Crown Center to ensure they will have a superior tournament experience in the upcoming years. The ability to assist local military families through ticket sales was a very appealing component of the proposal to host our event. We are most appreciative of the enthusiasm and support for hosting our tournament and look forward to making it a premier tournament event for the Conference and the City of Fayetteville.”
Specific details and game times of each 2013 tournament have yet to be finalized. Once official schedules have been determined, they will be available on the USA South website. It continues to be the USA South's goal to provide live online statistics and video of tournament contests.
The Crown Arena is part of the Crown Center complex, located on business 95. The Arena seats 4,500 and over the last few years has hosted a variety of sports events including Rhino Wrestling, North Carolina High School Athletic Association Eastern Regional Basketball Tournament and several rodeos.
The Fayetteville Area Convention & Visitors Bureau is a private, not-for-profit organization responsible for positioning Fayetteville/Cumberland County as a destination for conventions, sporting events and individual travel. For additional information, visit www.VisitFayettevilleNC.comor call 1-888-98-HEROES. Fayetteville/Cumberland County is the America's first military sanctuary. Through the Army's Army and other volunteer groups, our citizens and businesses are dedicated to “watching over those who watch over us ©.”