The Sun Belt Conference will move its men’s and women’s basketball championships to Lakefront Arena in New Orleans beginning in 2014, the conference announced Tuesday. The arena will host the tournaments through 2016.
The change affects all Sun Belt members, including South Alabama, whose men’s and women’s teams compete in the conference tournaments each March.
A Return to Lakefront Arena
Lakefront Arena previously hosted the Sun Belt Championships in 2002, when the University of New Orleans was a conference member. This time it will serve as a neutral site, making it the third arena to host the Sun Belt tournament on a neutral-site basis.
The arena has recently completed a series of renovations, including:
- A $3.5 million exterior metal facade and sloped roof panels
- A $1.5 million bitumen roof system
- $2.5 million in new seating, bringing capacity to 8,700
- $1.2 million in ramp renovations
- New flooring on the second-level concourse, new tile and restroom fixtures, lighting upgrades, a new sound system and two new lounges
Hot Springs Agreement Ends Early
The announcement comes with one year remaining on the conference’s agreement with Hot Springs, Arkansas. The two sides mutually agreed to end the arrangement after this year’s tournament, scheduled for March 8-11, which will be the fifth consecutive year Hot Springs has hosted.
“When Hot Springs began hosting the tournament in 2009 it was the first neutral site that the Sun Belt had used in over twenty years,” Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson said. “The leadership of Steve Arrison and his staff made the existence of a neutral site basketball tournament for the Sun Belt possible.”
Hot Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Steve Arrison said the city originally signed only a three-year deal with the conference. “We have had a great partnership with the Sun Belt Conference over the past five years and are looking forward to a great tournament come March,” he said.
Officials on the Move
“New Orleans is a great destination for our basketball championships and the recent renovations to Lakefront Arena make it an excellent venue to showcase our league,” Benson said. He cited the city’s geographic fit for the membership and its record of hosting major sporting events, including the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, which has featured a Sun Belt team every year since its first game in 2001.
Dr. Jack Hawkins Jr., chancellor of Troy University and president of the Sun Belt Conference Executive Committee, said New Orleans “provides an excellent geographical fit for our league and is easily reachable for our fans.” He also thanked Hot Springs for its years as host.
Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation CEO Jay Cicero said the organization looks forward “to playing an important role in making this one of the NCAA’s best conference tournaments.”
Dates to Come
Dates for the 2014 tournament will be announced later. The Sun Belt Conference is headquartered in New Orleans.
