One-on-One With Las Vegas SportsBiz Newsmakers: College Basketball Promoter Brooks Downing
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher/Writer
Man, Brooks Downing gets around.
The college basketball tournament promoter was just in Bahamas for a hoops tourney before arriving in Las Vegas for the Continental Main Event basketball foursome that is featuring Illinois vs. Virginia in the final at T-Mobile Arena Sunday. Downing was able to include UCLA and Baylor in the event. Both UCLA and Baylor lost on Friday.
In all, Downing has brought together 44 college hoops teams to play 58 games across three markets, including Las Vegas, in two countries.
Downing and his Kentucky-based bdGlobal is no stranger to Las Vegas. Interestingly enough, Downing is more than just college basketball. He brought a one-off college hockey event in January 2018 to T-Mobile Arena as a business wedge to bring the Frozen Four to Las Vegas. And he also promoted a golf tournament at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort outside Vegas.
LVSportsBiz.com caught up with Downing before today’s Virginia-Illinois game to find out why he likes promoting events in Las Vegas.
Downing was in on The Dollar Loan Center arena in Henderson from the very start. He helped promote the arena’s first event — the Big West college basketball tourney in March.
Here’s Downing talking about what it was like to work with Golden Knights owner Bill Foley’s sports and entertainment group to help open the new arena in Henderson that is also home to the Henderson Silver Knights, the NBA G League Ignite and Vegas Knights Hawks of the Indoor Football League.
Downing will also be checking out his Vegas 4 college hoops tourney at The Dollar Loan Center arena in Henderson.
Here’s Main Event championship belt is at stake today. Quick quiz — who won the first Main Event here at T-Mobile Arena? None other than the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV in 2017.
In the end, Virginia won the championship and the Main Event belt.
