MAAC Extends Partnership with Basketball Hall of Fame
MAAC Sports
Edison, N.J. - The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference reached
agreement on a three-year extension of its partnership with the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Highlights of the extension include expansion
of the 'MAAC Experience' at the Hall of Fame, continuing to host the annual
Hall of Fame Men's Tipoff Tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. and
the introduction of a women's basketball exempt event in the fall of 2013. The Hall of Fame also will join the
MassMutual Center in Springfield, MA to host the 2013 and 2014 MAAC Men's &
Women's Basketball Championships.
"The MAAC is pleased to
extend its agreement with the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to sponsor NCAA
exempt basketball events for men's and women's basketball through June 30, 2018
as well as the league's well regarded 'MAAC Experience' exhibit in the hall,"
noted MAAC Commissioner Richard J. Ensor, Esq.
"The exhibit, which includes the
MAAC Honor Roll and the individual school presentations, provides the
league with a tremendous branding opportunity in the Hall of Fame. The MAAC membership is extremely proud of its
association with Springfield, Massachusetts, the birthplace of the sport of
basketball."
The MAAC Experience, a 600-square-foot exhibit inside the Basketball Hall of Fame, first opened in October
of 2011. As part of the new agreement,
the exhibit will be expanded to include a special section to highlight great
coaches in the history of the MAAC and its member schools. The new coaches' display is expected to be
completed by the fall of 2013. It will
join the existing individual school exhibits, display cases with MAAC artifacts
and memorabilia and the acclaimed video feature titled "Day in the Life".
The MAAC will continue to serve
as the sponsoring NCAA conference for the Men's Basketball Hall of Fame Tipoff
Tournament each November at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The eight-team field will feature one MAAC
school each year through 2017. Fairfield
University will join national powerhouses University of North Carolina and
University of Louisville. The Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Challenge will
debut in the fall of 2013 at the MassMutual Center. Seven-time MAAC Champion
Marist College and the University of Connecticut will highlight the field of eight.
"The Basketball Hall of
Fame is excited to announce the extension of an agreement with the Metro
Atlantic Athletic Conference," commented Hall of Fame President and Chief
Executive Officer John Doleva. "The
MAAC's relationship with the Hall of Fame and assistance within the college
basketball landscape has been a positive for both groups and we look to
continue those relationships in both the men's and women's game. We look forward to welcoming many more MAAC
fans to the Hall of Fame and the City of Springfield as the MAAC's Hall of Fame
exhibit grows and the MAAC Championships are played at the MassMutual Center in
2013 and 2014."