• Championship Central
• Digital Program
By Shawn Rine for MountainEast.org
It’s the dawning of a new era for the highest-scoring NCAA Division II basketball league.
For the first time this week, the Mountain East Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournament, which is being presented by the Health Plan, will be held inside Wheeling’s revitalized WesBanco Arena.
“In July 2017 I met with Debra Townsley, then-president of Wheeling Jesuit University, to discuss areas where the city and university could work together,” Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott recalled. “She alerted me to the fact that MEC Commissioner Reid Amos was interested in considering Wheeling for the 2019 location of the men’s and women’s basketball tournament.
“She put me in touch with Commissioner Amos, and we scheduled a meeting in Wheeling in August of that year with the City Manager (Robert Herron) and Denny Magruder of WesBanco Arena.”
A change of venue became necessary due to the fact that that this year’s West Virginia State Girls’ High School Basketball Tournament fell on the same weekend as the MEC’s event. But logistically speaking, the groundwork to make this possible, was extensive.
With the Ohio Valley Toughman Contest also scheduled for the same weekend and the arena’s main tenant, the Wheeling Nailers, also in the fold, a number of different areas needed to be addressed in order for the entire thing to come together.
Elliott and company went to work immediately.
“Once we realized that the MEC was interested in Wheeling, we put together a Championship Host Committee consisting of City Manager Robert Herron, John Culler, Don Rigby, Jim Pennington, Wendy Hodorowski, Eriks Janelsins, Erikka Storch, Denny Magruder, Tim McCormick and Frank O’Brien,” the mayor said. “The committee collaborated to put our bid together for submission in early 2018.
“The bid was an impressive document reflecting many hours of effort.”
The manner in which everyone worked together, certainly caught the attention of the league’s commissioner.
“In a conversation with Mayor Elliott, he committed to reserving our dates at WesBanco Arena and then working with Toughman promoter Jerry Thomas who graciously agreed to move up the dates for their event,” Amos said. “Then conversations with Don Rigby and RED ensured that the Nailers could be scheduled by their league in a fashion where they would be out of town for the required dates for the MEC Tournament.
“When those efforts were successful by their local officials, Wheeling was then in a position to bid on our event.”
The next logical step was securing sponsors, of which the Ohio Valley was more than willing to step up to the plate. It started with the Health Plan, led by CEO Jim Pennington, coming on as the main sponsor.
“We get a lot of requests, some of which are smaller in nature,” Pennington said. “We like events that are centered around health and fitness, and that is a big factor.
“The MEC adds great value to the city of Wheeling.
“Personally you love to be involved in events that add value. West Virginia is a small-town state and being able to be involved personally and professionally, feels like you are giving back.
“Being a leader, you have to make certain that you take advantage of the things you can. The Mountain East is going to put on a first-class show here.”
Officials came away impressed. After going through the bidding process with lots of careful consideration, Wheeling and the league agreed on a two-year contract for the hosting rights of the event, with the Mountain East holding a third-year option.
“The Wheeling area has embraced and welcomed the Mountain East Conference Basketball Tournament in a way that has exceeded even the highest of our expectations. I’ve said this more than once because it deserves mentioning, if we have a similar level of support from basketball fans in the Ohio Valley as we have had from community leaders, led by Mayor Glenn Elliott and from business leaders, led by CEO Jim Pennington of our presenting sponsor The Health Plan, then we should have a fantastic inaugural MEC Basketball Tournament at WesBanco Arena,” Amos said. “There are so many people for us to thank, particularly from the Wheeling local organizing committee, many of whom have gone above and beyond in supporting the MEC in its move to WesBanco Arena. We are very fortunate that so many businesses and so many people are providing us with support.
“Through the bid process, more recently the organizational stages, and now the first year of the event, on behalf of the MEC we have been fortunate to experience what the collective commitment of Wheeling brings to the table.”
What Wheeling has brought to the table is perhaps an unrivaled love of sport. But more importantly, leaders agreed, that the MEC Tournament coming to the Ohio Valley was a win-win for everyone.
“From Mayor Elliott and Jim Pennington as mentioned, to City Manager Bob Herron and Michelle Rejonis and others from the city, to Wendy Hodorowski and others from The Health Plan, to Don Rigby at RED and members of their staff and the Wheeling Nailers, to Denny Magruder and the staff at WesBanco Arena, to John Culler and Jim Squibb and everyone at Beyond Marketing, to Delegate Erikka Storch helping us with event ambassadors, to the County Commission, to the Wheeling CVB, to the folks at Oglebay, to all of our sponsors … and many others. The level of involvement has been tremendous,” Amos said. “We have had the red carpet rolled out for us.”
Amos said the conference is looking forward to the event being held inside WesBanco Arena, which offers a variety of amenities.
“With this initial commitment, Wheeling and WesBanco Arena will have every opportunity to demonstrate its ability to serve as a long-term home for this event,” Amos said. “Having 2,000 seats in reserved sections among the 5,000 total seats in the arena provides an ideal arena for the MEC Basketball Tournament. Additionally, the four-panel HD video board allows us to engage sponsors in an entirely different way while delivering an enhanced experience for our student-athletes and fans.
“The new box office and lobby is stunning, every seat in the arena is new, the HD video board makes a significant impact. I can’t imagine that local officials could have gotten much more for their investment in the renovations at the facility.
“We believe that the MEC and WesBanco Arena will prove to be a great partnership in showcasing the Mountain East Conference Basketball Tournament.”
Elliott believes this event arriving in town is another reminder of all the great things Wheeling has to offer.
“I tell people all the time that they would be hard pressed to find a city of 27,000 or fewer people that has two professional sports teams (Wheeling Nailers, West Virginia Roughriders), a symphony, a world-class waterfront, and an Oglebay Park,’’ he said. “When you throw in the Cancer Research Classic, Super Six and now MEC into the mix, we have a lot to be thankful for here in the city of Wheeling.”