SSAC basketball championship returns to Rome

 

The Fuddrucker’s SSAC Basketball Conference Championship will return to Rome March 1-5 inaugurating the first championship since the recent expansion of the conference and a newly refurbished court floor at the Forum.

 

The Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC), a conference of the National Association of Intercollegiate Atheletics (NAIA), was expanded in late 2010 to include 16 schools. To accommodate the growth, the tournament has expanded from eight teams to ten. Both the men and women will compete during the five day tournament in Rome.

 

The winners of these two tournaments will gain automatic qualification to the NAIA Men’s and Women’s National Championships.

 

The expanded tournament will ensure that 20 teams travel to Rome for the championship, and creates additional visitation to the community.

 

“We are happy to see this event growing. More teams and fans mean increased exposure to our community including more room nights for our hotels, diners in our restaurants, and all other services that visitors need,” said Ann Hortman, sports marketing & events coordinator at the Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau.

 

To improve the experience of the tournament, Floyd County & The Forum invested into refurbishing the basketball floor at the Forum. The floor was sanded to its original surface and resealed. New painting included lines for all basketball divisions from high school to NBA.

 

“Word-of-mouth about destinations and venues is a powerful marketing tool. We must continue to invest in our community to support our reputation around the southeast as a destination for sports,” said Lisa Smith, executive director of the GRCVB.

 

First rounds will be held at The Forum and Darlington School, with the championship games hosted in The Forum on Saturday, March 5.

 

“We are pleased to be working our community partners to accommodate the growth of the league and bring the championships back to Rome each year,” said Smith.

 

The 2011 event is presented by Floyd County and The Forum. Additional sponsors include Darlington School, Shorter University, the Noon Optimist Club, the Greater Rome Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Hospitality Association of Rome & Floyd County.