By Bobby Narang
The boys basketball high school State tournament will return to Champaign.
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) board of directors voted to accept the Champaign-Urbana bid to be the host for the State basketball tournament beginning with the 2020-2021 season all the way through the 2022-2023 season
After spending 25 years in Peoria, the Board of Directors voted to bring back the tournament to the famed University of Illinois (U of I) campus.
“This was a very difficult decision for our Board, one that I think was the right decision,” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said during a news conference. “Leaving Peoria, as you can imagine the friendships you can make after being in a location for that period of time can be extensive.…Their bid was powerful. When comparing for the boys tournament, Champaign rose to the top because of the resourcefulness of their bid. You could tell that we were wanted there.”
In addition, the Board voted to keep the girls basketball Sate tournament in Bloomington-Normal at Illinois State University for the next three years.
Illinois men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood weighed in on the decision of the board to return the State tournament back to Champaign. The event was previously held at the University of Illinois, 1919-1995. All four classes of the State championships will be held at State Farm Center.
“I’m old school. I believe it belongs on a college campus,” Underwood said. “So much has changed since the last time it was here. I couldn’t be more elated for our program and for our community.”
Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman said the Champaign-Urbana area, along with the Illinois campus, is looking forward to being host to the annual tournament.
“We are thrilled with today’s news that the Illinois high school boys basketball State finals will return home to the campus of the University of Illinois,” Whitman said. “We are grateful to the IHSA and its leadership for choosing State Farm Center and Champaign-Urbana to (be) host (to) the State finals.”
Although the State tourney thrived in the first decade, with a bustling downtown in bars and restaurants, the changing economy altered the landscape over the last 14 years in Peoria.
“We see this as the passing of the torch from Peoria to Champaign-Urbana,” Anderson said. “It is bittersweet because there is incredible passion for high school basketball within these two communities, and both have done so much to elevate the State final experience as hosts. The State Farm Center is one of the best arenas in the country, and we are excited to crown State champions there once again. The timing simply felt right to make a change as the tournament format shifts in 2021.”