By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
They seem to fit well into Orleans Arena every March, so it looks like the good ol’ West Coast Conference (the one with Gonzaga) will be returning to Las Vegas for at least another three years.
The WCC has already begun play this week at Orleans Arena, where the ice surface for the Henderson Silver Knights minor league hockey team sits underneath the hardwood where teams like BYU, San Francisco and college roundball powerhouse Gonzaga are playing in one of five postseason college basketball league tourneys in the Las Vegas market this month.
LVSportsBiz.com chatted with WCC Commissioner Gloria Nevarez Saturday evening for an update on the conference’s future in Las Vegas.
The WCC is in the final year of a three-year deal to have its hoops tourney at Orleans Arena and it’s clear that the league and Las Vegas are a good match for the basketball tournament. So expect the WCC to be returning to Vegas for another three years and Las Vegas tourism officials to approve the $300,000 sponsorship for the West Coast Conference.
Las Vegas Events, the non-profit arm of the public Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA), also sponsors the Mountain West tournament at Thomas & Mack Center for $300,000 and the Pac-12 at T-Mobile Arena for $500,000.
Nevarez said Las Vegas is a good geographic hub for the WCC and provides a solid neutral court location.
She also believes Gonzaga, St. Mary’s and San Francisco will get bids for The Big Dance, the NCAA national college basketball tournament. And she noted BYU has a crack, too.
But that was before San Francisco defeated BYU, 75-63, tonight.
LVSportsBiz.com will return to the WCC tournament on Monday when Gonzaga and its legion of fans fill Orleans Arena.
On Sunday, look for our NASCAR coverage at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the Vegas Golden Knights in action at T-Mobile Arena.
PSA