For Immediate Release
BIG EAST POISED TO TAKE OVER NEW YORK CITY WITH WEEK OF BASKETBALL EVENTS
From Wednesday, March 11 to Saturday, March 14, the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament Will Be Held at Madison Square Garden
The Empire State Building will Light in BIG EAST Colors, and Conference will Host Service Day and Panel Discussion with Industry Leaders
NEW YORK - March 10, 2015 - The BIG EAST today announced plans for a week of engaging, fan-friendly events across New York City - culminating in the crowning of the Men's Basketball Tournament champion on Saturday, March 14. The weeklong plans are a celebration of the BIG EAST's unprecedented connection to New York City, where the tournament will be held for the 33rd consecutive year at Madison Square Garden - the longest such relationship in college hoops history.
The expanded roster of Tournament-related events will serve to magnify the BIG EAST's presence in the New York City market. Events will take place all throughout Tournament week, and include pep rallies, community service projects, and learning opportunities for area students.
"The BIG EAST is proud of our long-standing ties to New York City and Madison Square Garden," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "We look forward to building on the excitement of our men's basketball tournament this week through a slate of additional events to engage fans and promote the academic and service values of our schools."
The pinnacle of the week will be the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament, presented by New York Life. The tournament will be played at the World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, March 11 through Saturday, March 14. The first two games will be played Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Thursday delivers a huge day of BIG EAST basketball, with four games beginning at noon. The semifinals are Friday night March 13th at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The BIG EAST champion will be crowned Saturday night with the championship game starting at 8 p.m. All games will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 and carried live on Westwood One Radio.
The schedule of events, in order of their date, include:
· On Tuesday, March 10, FOX Sports 1 will kick off its coverage of the tournament with a BIG EAST Basketball Party and the "FOX Sports Tournament Kickoff" outside the News Corp building from 8 a.m. -4 p.m., at the corner of West 48th Street and 6th Avenue. There will be brand ambassadors, two basketball hoops, a step-and-repeat area for people to take photos, a spin-to-win wheel with prizes, and giveaway items for fans who participate.
· The inaugural BIG EAST SERVES DAY will be held on Wednesday, March 11. BIG EAST staff and partners, along with member school participants, will go to three Boys & Girls Clubs in New York City, two in the Bronx and another on the lower east side of Manhattan. The volunteers will read to the children in attendance and facilitate a question and answer session, allowing youth to ask questions to the students and student-athletes. In addition, the member schools will declare March 11, 2015 as "BIG EAST SERVES Day" on campus and encourage other students and alumni to participate in service that day, or commit to it for a future date.
· On Wednesday, March 11, the Empire State Building will light up in the BIG EAST colors (red, blue and white) to mark the start of the tournament.
· Madison Square Garden will display the colors of all ten member schools throughout the week, and on the evening of Saturday, March 14, will light with the BIG EAST champion's colors.
· On Thursday, March 12, from 1:00p.m. to 2:00p.m. the conference will partner with the 34th Street Partnership to conduct a pep rally at One Penn Plaza to celebrate the tournament and spread excitement throughout Midtown Manhattan. Pep bands, mascots, and cheerleaders from the BIG EAST schools will perform for free for the public.
· On Friday, March 13, the Conference, in partnership with the BIG EAST Career Consortium, will be sponsoring the BIG EAST Career Networking Event at The Club Bar & Grill in Madison Square Garden from 9 a.m. to Noon. At the breakfast portion of the event, Commissioner Ackerman will give an opening address, kicking off a day of networking activities geared toward current students and recent alumnus from the ten BIG EAST Conference schools, including Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier.
· On Friday, March 13, Commissioner Ackerman will host the 2nd annual BIG EAST Basketball Roundtable, bringing together a diverse group of sports professionals to discuss current topics in college basketball during the Conference Tournament in New York City. The opening panel will feature Jack DeGioia (President, Georgetown) and Rev. Michael Graham (President, Xavier). Other participants are expected to include NBA executives, college sports leaders and sports business executives.
· The inaugural "BIG EAST 3X3 Battle," an open 3-on-3 basketball competition that allowed teams of contenders to compete for the right to play on center court at Madison Square Garden just prior to the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament championship game, will showcase the best New York City streetballers on Saturday, March 14. The event tipped off on Saturday, March 7, with 130 participants on 32 teams competing in either the Adult Elite or Adult Recreational divisions. The winning team in the Adult Elite division is eligible to advance to the USA Basketball 3x3 National Tournament and secure a berth to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour.
# # #
About the BIG EAST
Headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST is Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John's University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. The BIG EAST institutions are located in seven of the nation's top 35 largest media markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Cincinnati.
BIG EAST POISED TO TAKE OVER NEW YORK CITY WITH WEEK OF BASKETBALL EVENTS
From Wednesday, March 11 to Saturday, March 14, the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament Will Be Held at Madison Square Garden
The Empire State Building will Light in BIG EAST Colors, and Conference will Host Service Day and Panel Discussion with Industry Leaders
NEW YORK - March 10, 2015 - The BIG EAST today announced plans for a week of engaging, fan-friendly events across New York City - culminating in the crowning of the Men's Basketball Tournament champion on Saturday, March 14. The weeklong plans are a celebration of the BIG EAST's unprecedented connection to New York City, where the tournament will be held for the 33rd consecutive year at Madison Square Garden - the longest such relationship in college hoops history.
The expanded roster of Tournament-related events will serve to magnify the BIG EAST's presence in the New York City market. Events will take place all throughout Tournament week, and include pep rallies, community service projects, and learning opportunities for area students.
"The BIG EAST is proud of our long-standing ties to New York City and Madison Square Garden," said BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman. "We look forward to building on the excitement of our men's basketball tournament this week through a slate of additional events to engage fans and promote the academic and service values of our schools."
The pinnacle of the week will be the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament, presented by New York Life. The tournament will be played at the World's Most Famous Arena, Madison Square Garden on Wednesday, March 11 through Saturday, March 14. The first two games will be played Wednesday, March 11, at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Thursday delivers a huge day of BIG EAST basketball, with four games beginning at noon. The semifinals are Friday night March 13th at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. The BIG EAST champion will be crowned Saturday night with the championship game starting at 8 p.m. All games will be broadcast live on FOX Sports 1 and carried live on Westwood One Radio.
The schedule of events, in order of their date, include:
· On Tuesday, March 10, FOX Sports 1 will kick off its coverage of the tournament with a BIG EAST Basketball Party and the "FOX Sports Tournament Kickoff" outside the News Corp building from 8 a.m. -4 p.m., at the corner of West 48th Street and 6th Avenue. There will be brand ambassadors, two basketball hoops, a step-and-repeat area for people to take photos, a spin-to-win wheel with prizes, and giveaway items for fans who participate.
· The inaugural BIG EAST SERVES DAY will be held on Wednesday, March 11. BIG EAST staff and partners, along with member school participants, will go to three Boys & Girls Clubs in New York City, two in the Bronx and another on the lower east side of Manhattan. The volunteers will read to the children in attendance and facilitate a question and answer session, allowing youth to ask questions to the students and student-athletes. In addition, the member schools will declare March 11, 2015 as "BIG EAST SERVES Day" on campus and encourage other students and alumni to participate in service that day, or commit to it for a future date.
· On Wednesday, March 11, the Empire State Building will light up in the BIG EAST colors (red, blue and white) to mark the start of the tournament.
· Madison Square Garden will display the colors of all ten member schools throughout the week, and on the evening of Saturday, March 14, will light with the BIG EAST champion's colors.
· On Thursday, March 12, from 1:00p.m. to 2:00p.m. the conference will partner with the 34th Street Partnership to conduct a pep rally at One Penn Plaza to celebrate the tournament and spread excitement throughout Midtown Manhattan. Pep bands, mascots, and cheerleaders from the BIG EAST schools will perform for free for the public.
· On Friday, March 13, the Conference, in partnership with the BIG EAST Career Consortium, will be sponsoring the BIG EAST Career Networking Event at The Club Bar & Grill in Madison Square Garden from 9 a.m. to Noon. At the breakfast portion of the event, Commissioner Ackerman will give an opening address, kicking off a day of networking activities geared toward current students and recent alumnus from the ten BIG EAST Conference schools, including Butler, Creighton, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John's, Seton Hall, Villanova and Xavier.
· On Friday, March 13, Commissioner Ackerman will host the 2nd annual BIG EAST Basketball Roundtable, bringing together a diverse group of sports professionals to discuss current topics in college basketball during the Conference Tournament in New York City. The opening panel will feature Jack DeGioia (President, Georgetown) and Rev. Michael Graham (President, Xavier). Other participants are expected to include NBA executives, college sports leaders and sports business executives.
· The inaugural "BIG EAST 3X3 Battle," an open 3-on-3 basketball competition that allowed teams of contenders to compete for the right to play on center court at Madison Square Garden just prior to the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament championship game, will showcase the best New York City streetballers on Saturday, March 14. The event tipped off on Saturday, March 7, with 130 participants on 32 teams competing in either the Adult Elite or Adult Recreational divisions. The winning team in the Adult Elite division is eligible to advance to the USA Basketball 3x3 National Tournament and secure a berth to the FIBA 3x3 World Tour.
# # #
About the BIG EAST
Headquartered in New York City, the BIG EAST is Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John's University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University. The BIG EAST institutions are located in seven of the nation's top 35 largest media markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, Milwaukee and Cincinnati.
