CIAA Basketball Tournament

Shakieviea Gilchrist 

Photo Manager 

February 25 through March 1, the CIAA 2014 Basketball Championship took place in Charlotte.

When you think of the CIAA tournament, you automatically think about the celebrities, parties, tons of people roaming the downtown streets of Charlotte, and of course basketball; that’s the root of why everyone is there.

CIAA is an important tournament for the community surrounding Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). It is a chance for proud alumni to reunite, current students to show their pride, and athletes to showcase their talents. Men and women student athletes from CIAA member institutions come to compete in the basketball tournament that draws more than 150,000 attendees yearly.

The event truly is an experience, from 22 basketball games (men’s and women’s) to a fan festival, school specific events, a step show, career expo, and various other parties, brunches, and lunches throughout the week, the fans definitely celebrate their alma mater.

The Fayetteville State University “Lady Broncos” mascot rolls
across the court during a timeout in action against Shaw University
in the CIAA Championship game on Saturday, March 1, 2014,
at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C. Photo Courtesy of
MCT Campus.

Each year the event is hosted in Charlotte, and it was decided that it will continue to be hosted there for the next six years. As of 2014, this was the ninth year that the city served as a backdrop to the entire experience.

The tournament not only functions as a point of pride for HBCUs, but it also has a huge economic impact for the state of North Carolina and the schools and students that participate.

According to the CIAA, the event began in Washington, D.C. and moved to North Carolina, first in Raleigh and most recently in Charlotte. “The 2011 CIAA Tournament, in its sixth year in the “Queen City”, Charlotte, NC, boasted over 190,000 fans during the course of the week, while making an economic impact of over $44.3 million. Since the year 2000, the CIAA has generated over $266.06 million in economic impact for the state of North Carolina and over $16.5 million in overall scholarship dollars for CIAA member institutions.”