SPOKANE, Wash. — The State B Basketball Tournament has a long history in Spokane.
"It's 66 years," WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman said. "Beautiful venue. It's Hooptown USA, so there's a lot of tradition."
But Spokane could soon have some competition when it comes to keeping this tournament. According to tournament officials, costs for the tournament are rising.
"Our costs are just over, you know, north of $200,000 for the facility and the services that come along with it," Hoffman said.
According to tournament co-director Dave Tikker, the bid process is already done for next year, which means the tournament will stay in Spokane for at least another year.
But it’s the bid for the four years after that’s on the line.
So what’s Spokane’s biggest competition?
According to Tikker, it's Yakima, which already has the 1A and 2A state basketball tournament.
"Because Yakima has a community that is really together and they really work strong together and they have a lot of things that they can give away to bring people in," Tikker said.
Tikker says if the State B tournament were to leave the Lilac City, it’d be a big economic loss.
According to the Spokane Sports Commission, the tournament generates upwards of $4.2 million each year.
Hoffman says their goal is to keep the tournament in Spokane, but they’ll need help from community leaders.
"And so what we want to do is, well, similar to what we do in Yakima, is where we work with those leaders to find a way to help offset those costs." Hoffman said.
Hoffman hopes to have a plan figured out by June for the board before going out to bid.
if they manage to pull it off, the tournament’s chapter in Spokane will continue.
The State B Basketball Tournament continues until this Saturday at the Spokane Arena.
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