CHARLESTON, W.Va. — High school basketball fans are expected to flock in the next two weeks for the WVSSAC girls and boys state tournaments inside the Charleston Coliseum.
Teams and fans will be entering what may feel like a different site from past years for the tournament because it is the first tournament since the multi-million dollar remodel to the facility.
“We will have multiple entrances,” said Jim Smith, assistant manager and director of operations for the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center. “We plan to do a couple of points of sales that are a little bit different than the past. it is a unique set up for all of us and I think it is a better fit now that we are out from under that construction umbrella.”
The tournament gets underway Wednesday with the girls’ tournament that runs through Saturday. The first game is at 9:30 a.m. in Class A with No. 3 Magnolia vs. No. 6 Trinity followed by a Class AAA matchup at 11:15 a.m. between No. 2 Greenbrier East vs. No. 7 Huntington.
Smith expects a busy start to the tournament for the facility with Greenbrier East playing because of a strong fan base.
“There are school buses and they kind of cart of the whole towns of Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs down to watch it,” he said. “We will start off very, very strong.”
MORE: MetroNews’ previews of Class A, Class AA, and Class AAA tournaments.
The boys’ state tournament begins Wednesday, March 13 and runs through Saturday, March 16.
Smith said there are plenty of new features in the arena that will improve the fan experience.
“We put new lighting in there, new performance lights,” he said. “We have new Wi-Fi with a change order to do 7,500 concurrent users. That’s free, uninterrupted, free access Wi-Fi. That will benefit media and fan engagement.
“There’s a new sound system. The court was just redone not too long ago. Everything is polished and spiffed up with multiple points of entry.”
Listen and watch all the games on the MetroNews Channel.