It’s TBT Tip-Off Time in Wheeling
Derek Redd Trending
WHEELING -- Passionate fans will converge on Wheeling today as The Basketball Tournament is held for the first time in the city. The planning that went into the tournament, including coordinating the first ESPN broadcast at WesBanco Arena since the 1990s, began back in January.
The Basketball Tournament, also known as TBT, features alumni teams from universities like West Virginia University, Marshall and the University of Pittsburgh that will face off July 25-30 in the West Virginia regional of the tournament.
Coordinating the TBT involved "lots of moving pieces," said Executive Director of the Greater Wheeling Sports and Entertainment Authority Kelly Tucker.
Apart from organizing ticket sales and sponsorships for the event, Tucker described being in a "holding pattern" for several months figuring out when TBT and ESPN could both come to the arena. Games will be broadcast from WesBanco on ESPN+, with Wesbanco Arena Marketing Director Kyle Knox saying it will be the first ESPN broadcast at the arena since "the WWE was still the WWF and putting on shows here."
ESPN will bring a staff of 15-20 workers to help with the broadcast alongside a handful of TBT staff. Local volunteers will also play a vital role in organizing the tournament, with the Linsly School lending its gym for teams to practice on and the YMCA providing merchandise for the event. A plethora of local athletic trainers and coaches are helping at the event as well.
While planning began in January, some key pieces for the setup of the event had to be saved for the day before the tournament. This includes putting together the court, as Steel Valley Regional held its Car Audio Competition & Car Show at WesBanco Arena on Sunday. Tucker described employees having to wait until 9 p.m. to flip the court over after the car show.
"Today is going to be a busy day, too," said Tucker on Monday. "We just had the TBT staff come in, so I feel like we're ready for everything now."
Kelly Quigley, Site Director for TBT West Virginia Regional, explained that TBT had been given "full range" when working with WesBanco Arena to "really make it a home court for us." She commended the venue for not only being incredible to work with but also for being a great home court for Best Virginia and the other teams playing in the regional.
"The best part about it is probably that we can manipulate the court in any case that we want," said Quigley on the appeal of WesBanco Arena as the venue for TBT. "We know that our fans are going to have the best experience when they get here."
The tournament was previously held in Charleston, with Quigley explaining that "the location and close proximity for players" were the main motivators for using West Virginia as a regional site. She cited "the passionate fanbase" as the largest draw for holding the tournament in the state.
"We have some really high-caliber teams that are going to play in this area, so obviously that's been a huge draw for us," added Quigley. "There's always a good fan base that comes out here and supports as well."
To handle the fan base that will flock to Downtown Wheeling during widespread construction in the area, Tucker said she had to "plan carefully." This construction is on top of two other major events in Wheeling -- the Grecian Festival and Upper Ohio Valley Italian Heritage Festival -- occurring at the same time as TBT.
While organizing the event, Tucker said she often had to "smile through the pain" but said that the city has always been "extremely cooperative."
"I know we'll get through it," she added. "There have been some pains, but everyone just needs to see through the pain for progress. The city does its best to make sure every event goes flawlessly."
Knox emphasized that downtown Wheeling has parking facilities with the capacity to handle "a lot of these events" and that WesBanco Arena has been putting out information to help patrons navigate the city as well.
"It's a rewarding experience for all of downtown Wheeling to bring this event to WesBanco Arena in the middle of summer," said Knox. "Combined with all the other events going on in Wheeling at the same time, it's going to be a great, busy weekend for the city."
On what to look forward to in the tournament, Tucker said she was most excited to see Best Virginia on the court, as well as the WVU Alumni Band's performance.
"I personally always get excited when we're having these events," added Tucker. "People from all over the community and beyond are coming here and seeing what an amazing venue we have at WesBanco."