Contract with Charlotte up in 2020; CIAA focused on future

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The CIAA Tournament is in its 12th straight year in Charlotte, but the contract between the conference and the city will expire in two years.

The future of the league tournament in Charlotte is up in the air.

“Believe me, there's great discussions right now with Charlotte about extending and being here,” CIAA Commissioner Jaquie McWilliams said.

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McWilliams said Charlotte is not out of the running to continue hosting the league championships, but other cities have shown interest.

She wasn’t ready to announce the names of those cities, but said some of them have a CIAA school.

“We're going to have to make a decision, in quick order, by the end of the year, I would believe,” McWilliams said.

Even though the tournament comes with thrilling basketball games, attendance has been a challenge.

“The tournament means more than just a party,” McWilliams said.

She said that preserving the conference's image, and its brand, has also been tough because of violence at outside events that have nothing to do with the CIAA.

“They can help us stay here, by doing those types of things to show value, that the tournament means something,” McWilliams said. “At the end of the day, we want to be somewhere where somewhere wants us to be.”

Last year, during CIAA week, 100 shots were fired in uptown Charlotte.

Cox Media Group