PDF Release -- Link to the Pete Hanna Center
Birmingham, AL—Exciting NCAA Tournament basketball is coming to the Birmingham area this March!
The Gulf South Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments are headed for the Pete Hanna Center at Samford University, March 7-10, 2013. All eight men’s and women’s teams will make the journey to Homewood, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham.
The league officially announced the signing of the agreement for its 2013 events, which also includes an option to return in 2014. The GSC Basketball Tournaments have been at a neutral location for 13 consecutive seasons, but 2013 marks the first time that the event tips off in the Conference Office’s hometown. The Pete Hanna Center is the home of the Samford Bulldogs and is a state-of-the-art, 4,974-seat (2,800 chair-backs) arena that opened its doors in October, 2007.
"I am delighted to see our Championships heading to Samford," said
GSC Commissioner Nate Salant. "We've been trying to bring events to the Birmingham area, which has been our conference home since 1978. Now, our marquee event will be here, in a great facility that is within easy driving distance for most of our fans and in a place where there is a lot to see and do around the games themselves. When you couple our Championships with the NCAA Division II Winter Sports Festival, which overlaps into our event, the first week of March will be a great one for Birmingham-area fans and the GSC."
"We're very excited to have the Gulf South Conference tournaments here on our campus at the Hanna Center this spring,” said
Sean Wright, Director of Venue and Event Management at the Pete Hanna Center. “The conference has a long, storied basketball tradition. We're excited about having both the men's and women's championships here and think it's going to be an exciting event for Birmingham and the basketball community."
The good news did not end there—the GSC also announced a sponsorship agreement with
Raymond James | Morgan Keegan that gives the company naming rights to the Basketball, Baseball and Softball Tournaments. This year’s 2013 GSC Basketball Tournaments will now be referred to as the
Raymond James | Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Basketball Tournaments.
The 2013 Raymond James | Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Basketball Tournaments will tip off with the men’s and women’s quarterfinal action on Thursday and Friday, March 7-8. Semifinal contests are featured on Saturday, March 9 and the Championship Games will be televised live on the GSC-TV LIVE Network on Sunday, March 10. Additional Tournament information will be posted at
www.gscsports.org as soon as it becomes available.
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