CIAA tourney: Balancing basketball, partying for 75 years

Bobby Vaughan can’t help but smile when he thinks about trition of Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament. “It’s a party where y just happen to play some basketball,” said 92-year-old Vaughan, who has served a player, coach and conference president for nation’s largest Division II basketball tournament.

conference, which is me up of historically black colleges from rth Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland, is celebrating its 75th basketball tournament this week in Charlotte.

men and women will decide ir tournament champions on Saturday at Spectrum Center, home of NBA’s Charlotte Hornets, but that seems a mere afterthought for many of fans who return year after year for week-long event which features food, music and plenty of partying.

Former Virginia Union star and NBA player A.J. English called it a “family reunion.”

“It’s that time of year for everybody to get toger and network in ir personal lives, business lives, whatever it may be,” said English, who was inducted into CIAA Hall of Fame on Friday. “People still mark that day on ir calendar and say, ‘Hey I’m going to attend CIAA.’ It has been passed down for so many years and every year it is ‘how can we outdo last year?’”

CIAA has its own unique style.

Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams strutted in alongside Shaw University marching band on Friday to kick off annual fan fest at Charlotte Convention Center, high-stepping alongside band leer.

Inside, patrons got ir hair trimmed in old school barbershop chairs, shot baskets on a removable indoor court and shopped for CIAA merchandise while marching bands from each school competed in “battle of bands” on a nearby st. Alumni of schools gared and hugged, reuniting acquaintances in telling old stories of past CIAA tourneys.

McWilliams said tournament has stood test of time because it is celebration of CIAA community and culture that has been created over past 75 years.

“It’s truly a homecoming,” McWilliams said. “ three things that people talk about all of time — y eat, y watch games and y party — and we’re still doing this after 75 years. You can still feel energy.”

Said Vaughan: “re still is a following of people who plan on having ir annual vacation at CIAA.”

games leing up championship have h plenty of empty seats, similar to past years.

But money tournament has generated for host city is table.

Tom Murray, president of Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, estimates CIAA tournament produced an estimated ecomic impact of $43.7 million last year in Charlotte. He said it has generated an estimated $600 million in total ecomic impact over previous 14 years, including $370 million in direct visitor spending.

Or cities have taken tice.

Baltimore outbid Charlotte for right to host tournament for next three years, offering more in scholarship money to students.

Murray said Charlotte will push to get tournament back in next contract.

CIAA fan Albert Huntley, from Charlotte, said he hopes Murray is right and event will return soon.

“This tournament, it’s about meeting people,” said Huntley, who has been attending event for more than 15 years. “A lot things go down here.”

Vaughan said in old days teams would stick around at tournament for entire week inste of returning home after being eliminated from play. He said y would go to nearby gyms and play more ufficial games.

That doesn’t happen anymore, but he said environment at CIAA is tough to beat, which is why he keeps coming back.

Donald Remy, NCAA’s chief operating officer, attended Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday morning and he met a couple who has been coming to tournament for last year 20 years.

“y talked about friends that y come here with and y get toger year after year,” Remy said. “y talk about old times, good times and future. It is one of those tournaments that is more than just basketball, It’s about family.”