March
2004 - This month, Worcester will be in the center of the one of the
country’s most elite sporting events — the NCAA Men’s
Basketball Championship — when the DCU Center and Holy Cross host
the opening rounds of the annual March tournament.Sharpen your pencils and set up your brackets, because in a few weeks the rankings will be out. The NCAA tournament never fails to amaze, especially when adding the Cinderella story teams into the equation. Teams like top ranked Illinois, UNC, Kansas, Kentucky and local Boston College will lead the march, followed closely by fan favorite Gonzaga, defending champions Connecticut and host Holy Cross, who will all likely be making an appearance in the tournament.
The BC Eagles have been on a tear this year, winning their first 21 games of the season and setting a new Big East Conference best record at 20-0, as well as a new school record (passing the best start in school history of 19 games in 1968- 69). The Eagles and top-seeded Illinois were the two lone undefeated teams until the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame handed BC its first loss in early February.
Of the top seeded schools, Steve Hailey, a sophomore guard from BC, is the only local baller. Originally from Boston, Hailey attended Worcester Academy.
Worcester is no stranger to big-time basketball. Fifty miles from Springfield where the game was first played, it has been the home of many premiere athletes. Celtics great Bob Cousy graduated from Holy Cross in 1950 to become one of the greatest playmakers ever to enter the NBA. Also of the Celtics, Tom Heinsohn chose HC over 30 other schools for their program; he now serves as the color anchor for Fox Sports Net during Celtic games.
Highlighted by the careers of both Heisohn and Cousy, Holy Cross has had a very successful basketball history and the program continues to flourish. HC was recently named one of the best around, ranked 68th by Street & Smith’s 100 greatest men’s college basketball programs. The school has made it to the NCAA opening round 11 times in their 86 year history and will likely be playing at the DCU Center later this month.
The DCU will host the first six games of the tournament on March 19 and 20. In July 2000, the DCU Center and Holy Cross, backed by Worcester area officials, filed an application to host the tournament. After passing the requirements and site surveys, they were awarded the ability to host the NCAA Men’s Tournament Regionals. Worcester also hosted the First and Second rounds in of the Men’s NCAA Tournament in March of 1992.
“We are confident that we will be able to provide the ultimate basketball experience for players, students, coaches, media, tournament personnel and fans,” says Sany L. Dunn, GM of the DCU Center. “The facility and the College of the Holy Cross bestow a sense of pride in hosting this event.”
John LaHair, DCU Center Director of Marketing, says that Worcester, which is also the host of the NCAA hockey tournament every year, has enthusiastically embraced all levels of sports. “During the two weeks that the NCAA will be at the DCU Center for both basketball and hockey, the eyes of the world will be focused on Worcester as fans watch the best in collegiate sporting.”
LaHair has worked in the entertainment and sporting industry for 14 years, and says that the NCAA Men’s Tournament is destined to become a highlight for the city. “Members of the community have geared up to work alongside Holy Cross, and I look forward to making this a most memorable experience at the DCU Center.”
When Worcester announced the DCU Center as a tournament site, they received an unprecedented number of applications for tickets for the event, which reached into the tens of thousands. The DCU is configured for just 12,797 fans. Across the country, fans will feel the madness of the tournament, but Worcester has a front row seat to sports greatness.