TSSAA Considering Tech For Alternate Basketball Tournament Venue

Tennessee Tech is being considered by TSSAA as an alternate venue site for this year’s state basketball tournaments.

Athletic Director Mark Wilson said conversations between Tech and TSSAA have been ongoing since the fall. Wilson said that nothing has been finalized yet, but said TSSAA is looking to have venues on standby because no one can predict where will be most impacted by COVID when tournament time comes.

“We treated the Blue Cross Bowl from day one, just like a collegiate event and we run it like it’s a collegiate event, like it’s our own collegiate event,” Wilson said. “We would do that same thing with basketball. So, they know we’ve been able to host basketball here, over the course of this Winter. Safely for the student athletes and for the fans, with masking, with physical distancing.”

However, Wilson said they have told TSSAA the dates would need to line up with Tech’s own schedule.

“We have told them that if it fit in the schedule of athletic facilities at Tennessee Tech and the Tennessee Tech overall schedule,” Wilson said. “We could do it in a way that we think is healthy and safe, then we would host other events.”

He said at this time Tech will wait to finalize any plans for state basketball tournaments until TSSAA decides to come.

“I think they have other venues that they’re talking to as well, as standby venues,” Wilson said. “You just never know how communities are going to be impacted or a particular venue is going to be impacted. I think they’re making sure that they have a wide variety of options to be able to provide a championship experience for high school students.”

Currently, TSSAA High School Basketball Championships are set to be hosted at Lipscomb and MTSU. The dates are currently March 5 until March 21.