HENDERSON, Nev. — The Big West Conference’s relocation to the Las Vegas Valley for its men’s and women’s basketball championship events is off to a promising start.
That’s according to Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly, who spoke to Spectrum News at last week’s tournament at the new Dollar Loan Center and called the debut "fantastic."
The Big West broke in the 6,000-seat arena with a week of action that included a “SportsCenter”-worthy buzzer-beater, and a men’s championship game between Cal State Fullerton and Long Beach State that was played within one point.
The Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif., was previously the home of the tournament for 10 years. It was within easy driving distance of the Southern California-based teams in the league, but at a capacity of over 18,000 seats it was far larger than was required for the Big West.
Meanwhile, Las Vegas has become the mecca of basketball in the West during conference championship week in recent years. The Pac-12, West Coast Conference, Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West Conference play their championships at various venues in Vegas.
“That’s exactly why we’re here. This is mega March Madness in Las Vegas,” Butterly said. “If you play Western basketball, you’re in Las Vegas for your basketball championships. ... It provides us so many benefits and opportunities. The eyes of the West and college basketball are focused on Las Vegas. We’re proud to be here.”
Last March, the Big West carried out its championships without fans at Michelob ULTRA Arena in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino as a pandemic stopgap measure. It was favorably received by the student-athletes, Butterly said, and in June the conference announced a three-year deal with Dollar Loan Center to make it the first officially ticketed event there with the Big West's 10 postseason-eligible schools participating.
Butterly said an extension could be discussed after Year 2 in 2023.
“We hope it’s the permanent home, but that’s up to the membership and our coaches,” he said.
The $84 million, 200,000-square-foot DLC came together quickly – design and construction were carried out in 18 months – on a plot of land that previously housed an amphitheater. The city of Henderson and the Vegas Golden Knights split the cost.
The Big West’s men’s and women’s tournaments were the first events to be held at the venue, which will be the long-term home of the Henderson Silver Knights minor league hockey team and the Vegas Knight Hawks arena football team.
University of Hawaii Athletic Director David Matlin told Spectrum News during the BWC championships that he was in favor of the move to the Ninth Island.
On Saturday afternoon, the UH women’s basketball team had the distinction of being the first team in any sport to celebrate a championship at DLC.
“I’m thrilled with the tournament being here in Henderson,” Matlin said earlier in the week. “I think Dan Butterly and his staff have done a great job. Dan signing the deal here on behalf of the conference, I think it’s a game-changer for us. This is the perfect venue for Big West basketball.
“Obviously, we like playing in Vegas because we have good crowds here, so we’re excited about that. When you have Hawaii Tourism Authority, Hawaiian Airlines and Outrigger as sponsors of the event, I think that’s great for the Hawaii tourism trade too. And our teams are representing (well), so we’re loving that part, too.”
With the exception of a larger gathering of more than a thousand Long Beach, Fullerton and neutral fans for the men’s championship, UH had the largest contingent of fans throughout the week at 200 to 300 each game.
That meant a mostly empty arena. Butterly hopes to grow fan turnout over time, though increased national TV exposure remains the biggest carrot.
The DLC showed off its bells and whistles like its dramatic lighting for player introductions and a dynamic sound system. The arena has a medieval castle theme and 28 luxury suites that overlook the action. Besides myriad food and drink vendors, the concourse level includes a wing for the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
Butterly said it compares favorably to other venues in the area.
“I’ve worked a lot of the various facilities in town here, and I think this building is better than anything building in town relative to that,” he said.
With the exception of a few hiccups, the men's and women's tournaments were carried out smoothly despite a completely new staff for the Big West Conference – including former UH athletic director Ben Jay – and the new setting. Cal State Fullerton is the Big West men's representative to the NCAA Tournament while UH represents the women. Both teams were assigned No. 15 seeds.
A few other shots of Dollar Loan Center from last week:
