Motor City Madness Reaches New Heights In 2018
Lance Rinker
INDIANAPOLIS — The 2018 Little Caesars Horizon League Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championship drew to a close last week, capping a comprehensive initiative both on and off the court that saw the Horizon League establish a record-setting attendance figure for the second year-in-a-row and a year-over-year ticket revenue increase of 31 percent.
Over the course of the five-day tournament, 30,288 fans filled Little Caesars Arena to enjoy an 18-game slate of men’s and women’s college basketball. Wright State’s men notched the program’s first NCAA tournament berth since 2007, while Green Bay’s women captured the Phoenix’s fourth-consecutive conference tournament.
“The student-athlete experience is so important to the kids coming out,” Green Bay Women’s Basketball Head Coach Kevin Borseth said. “It’s like an NCAA Tournament. Bright lights and buses in buildings and a lot of cameras. The kids just feel really special. Brand new Little Caesars Arena, with the professionalism and everything that surrounds this tournament, is just second to none.”
Accompanying the games on the hardwood was the Horizon League’s commitment to community outreach and innovation.
Beginning in early January, the league’s basketball programs began utilizing their off day between contests at Detroit Mercy and Oakland to give back to the Metro Detroit community, volunteering at several organizations, including the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Salvation Army.
Before cutting down the nets at Little Caesars Arena, Cole Gentry and his Wright State Raider teammates spent time in January at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, located just a mile from Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. “We’re pretty fortunate, all the guys on our team,” Gentry said. “Being in this position, you can really help others, and it’s good to give back.”
Once teams and fans were gathered in Detroit for Motor City Madness, the league’s pledge to the community continued with band and spirit squads bagging over 20,000 packets of dry food benefiting the Kids Coalition Against Hunger.
Additionally, fans were able to “Be Part of the Madness” through numerous events during the tournament. The Motor City Madness youth basketball camp took place on the competition floor, allowing over 30 youngsters the opportunity to take the court at Little Caesars Arena while getting hands-on instruction from former Division-I athletes and some mascots, as well.
“I would’ve loved to have done this as a kid, especially to be able to play in this arena,” said camp instructor and former Oakland women’s basketball standout Bethany (Watterworth) Codrean. “To be on the same court as student-athletes and having student-athletes teaching you, it’s just a really cool thing.”
For those wanting to be close the court but not bounce a ball, fans participated in yoga on the court the night before the tournament began.
To close the week, a trio of Pistons greats — Rick Mahorn, James “Buddha” Edwards, and Earl Cureton — served as panelists for the annual Horizon League Champions Brunch on the morning of the tournament’s championship day.
Meanwhile, the week opened in innovative fashion as the first-ever Motor City Madness Esports Championship saw the grand prize winner walk away with $6,000 in prize money on Thursday night. More than 300 online matchups of NBA 2K18 in late February culminated in a live championship event broadcast on Twitch, a live streaming video platform where more than 100 million visitors gather every month to broadcast, watch, and talk about video games. The championship event, held at Little Caesars Arena the night before basketball games began, allowed attendees the opportunity to meet and shoot around with Detroit Pistons legend Ben Wallace.
The latter four events — just a few of the “Be Part of the Madness” events offered throughout the week — took place inside brand new Little Caesars Arena, which opened its door in September.
“I think this arena is so nice,” Green Bay senior Jessica Lindstrom said. “You can’t really beat it.”
IUPUI Men’s Basketball Head Coach Jason Gardner echoed Lindstrom’s sentiments.
“Unbelievable atmosphere — unbelievable arena,” Gardner said. “It’s the best arena, I think, in the country.”
Motor City Madness was one of just seven Division I conference tournaments played in an NBA building. The Horizon League’s tournament was played in the newest arena among all 32 Division I conferences.
About the Horizon League
The Horizon League is an NCAA Division I athletics conference comprised of 10 member institutions located throughout the Midwest’s major metropolitan cities. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the League and its members strive to be highly competitive athletically while committing to the total development of its student-athletes and creating a lasting impact on campus and in the community.