ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Paycom Wood Legacy match returns Wednesday to Anaheim’s Honda Middle, a staple of California school hoops that goals to drag in energized fan bases from across the state.
However the match’s development lately has been in a holding sample as a crowded market of vacation school basketball tournaments restricts the provision of high groups. In 2019, the match dropped from eight to 4 groups as tv accomplice ESPN has a broad vary of faculty basketball obligations, making it difficult to search out sufficient groups for a bigger subject.
That’s why the match, named after the late basketball deity John Wood of College of California, Los Angeles fame, prefers high in-state groups.
This 12 months, the match contains St. Mary’s and California State College, Fresno.
“They’re groups which might be a very good match for the West Coast market,” stated Anthony Brenneman, senior director of the nonprofit OC Sports activities Fee. “We all know what sells on the West Coast, and we’re not simply speaking TV. We’re speaking ticket gross sales, and we all know each colleges have energetic alumni bases.”
UCLA competes within the match about each 4 years, and the College of Southern California participated final 12 months, beating San Diego State College within the finals.
However Brenneman stated there’s long-term curiosity in rising the match to enhance turnout. Final 12 months, the occasion bought about 6,000 tickets, a quantity Brenneman expects to fall barely this 12 months. Which means a smaller financial influence for native eating places and resorts.
Extra tickets bought for extra video games quantity to a stronger financial influence for Anaheim.
Brenneman’s nonprofit is just like a chamber of commerce and goals to attract native sports activities occasions to Orange County to learn the native economic system.
Increasing the match, nevertheless, is extra advanced. Brenneman’s nonprofit, which is affiliated with Go to Anaheim, has a share of TV income as a part of its four-year contract with ESPN but additionally has restricted autonomy to choose groups. This 12 months, the video games will begin play as early as 6:30 p.m. and as late as 9:30 p.m. PST on ESPNU and ESPN2, respectively.
Even some huge applications with nationwide followings will not be essentially the appropriate match.
“Villanova doesn’t have a ton of alumni on the West Coast, and it’s not one thing they’re going to journey for,” Brenneman stated.
That makes taking part in up the native angle much more important. The match this 12 months has tapped a neighborhood highschool band to carry out on the video games and can embrace gamers from native youth groups as water and towel attendants for the groups.
“Having these regional parts has been a major focus,” he stated. “We’ve allowed ourselves to get the neighborhood extra concerned.”
The championship sport is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day on ESPN2.