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State basketball finals to remain in Peoria, Normal

The Illinois High School Association board of directors voted Saturday to renew the current state final basketball contracts at Carver Arena in Peoria for boys and at Illinois State University's Redbird Arena in Normal for girls.

The new contracts will run from 2016-2020.

"We have built strong traditions in Normal and Peoria," said Wauconda High School Principal Dan Klett, the president of the IHSA board. "There is incredible support from the venues, communities and volunteers for both of these tournaments. We were grateful to have excellent alternatives, but it was clear to our board that remaining at Redbird Arena and Carver Arena were the best options for the IHSA and its member schools."

The IHSA received boys basketball hosting proposals from the University of Illinois to host at the State Farm Center in Champaign, and for the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates to host the Class 3A and 4A weekend of the tournament. Bradley University's Renaissance Coliseum in Peoria was the only other proposal for the girls basketball state finals.

"We are appreciative of the impressive proposals we received from the Renaissance Coliseum, Sears Centre and State Farm Center," Klett said. "We had thoughtful dialogue reviewing each site proposal."

Sears Centre General Manager Ben Gibbs got the news from the IHSA via email earlier in the day. He said he was disappointed but didn't sound surprised.

"We knew we were very much a longshot," Gibbs said. "We were fighting a lot of tradition. Certainly downstate holds a lot of gravitas for a lot of people."

Gibbs thinks the Sears Centre's bid for the tournament could benefit the venue down the road. He hopes the IHSA might consider moving dance or wrestling tournaments or other events to Hoffman Estates.

"We'll see how that plays out," he said.

Kurt Gibson, an associate executive director at the IHSA, said that is certainly a possibility. Gibson also said the board didn't like the idea of having the 1A and 2A tournaments in a different location than 3A/4A.

"The board just wasn't at a spot where they felt comfortable splitting the two weekends for basketball," Gibson said. "They did talk about what will be a follow-up for this is maybe we explore hosting if the Sears Centre is interested some supersectional events there. Try to get a footprint in the Chicago market that way. I think we have the opportunity to do that there if we can come to some sort of agreement with Ben Gibbs and his group up there."

Peoria's success hosting the tournament the past 20 years was another big factor, according to IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman.

"We've had a really good history with these folks," Hickman said. "The volunteerism, the excitement of what's gone on here. Every year there is something new, something fresh. When you put everything together they have to offer here and the facility itself. To have it centrally located works out best for everybody."

Gibson said monetary incentives were not a deciding factor.

"Really incentives didn't play a big part in this," Gibson said. "It was the total experience a community can provide. Here in Peoria people don't have to get back in their car once they come down on Thursday or Friday. The experience, the interactive family area we have, the board wasn't quite ready to give that up because I think it has been so successful."

Hoffman Estates Mayor Bill McLeod couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Redbird Arena has hosted the IHSA girls basketball state finals since 1992, while the boys basketball state finals were first contested in Peoria in 1996.

Crystal Howard, director of Bloomington-Normal Area CVB, said the girls tournament brings $1 million each weekend.

St. Joseph Hall of Fame boys basketball coach Gene Pingatore, after his team defeated Belleville Althoff 67-63 on Saturday to win the Class 3A state championship, said he is glad to see the tournament stay in Peoria.

"It's my favorite place to come to," Pingatore said. "As a fan I love it. To be able to park the car and walk all over the place. The fact it is going to be five more years before I retire hopefully we can get down here one more time or maybe more."

• Daily Herald staff writer John Radtke contributed to this report

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