New 'final four' format for NCHSAA basketball playoffs could be held at Lawrence Joel Coliseum

[Hon Dines]

per HighschoolOT

The final four format means the regional championship games and the state championship games for all classifications will be played at a single location, likely Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

This is a change from the previous format, which saw regional championships played at neutral sites throughout the state on a Saturday before state championships were held at Reynolds Coliseum or the Dean E. Smith Center the following Saturday.


Regional championships will become state semifinals and will be played Monday through Thursday, which falls on Mar. 11-14, 2024. Games will be played throughout the day each day.

State championships will be played on Friday, Mar. 15, and Saturday, Mar. 16.

 

[ohio tarheels]

Any idea if there will be help paying for hotel rooms for teams that choose to stay in town between semifinals and finals??

 

[Hon Dines]

Any idea if there will be help paying for hotel rooms for teams that choose to stay in town between semifinals and finals??

Details haven't been finalized yet. Good question.

 

[FreedomAlum]

per HighschoolOT

The final four format means the regional championship games and the state championship games for all classifications will be played at a single location, likely Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

This is a change from the previous format, which saw regional championships played at neutral sites throughout the state on a Saturday before state championships were held at Reynolds Coliseum or the Dean E. Smith Center the following Saturday.


Regional championships will become state semifinals and will be played Monday through Thursday, which falls on Mar. 11-14, 2024. Games will be played throughout the day each day.

State championships will be played on Friday, Mar. 15, and Saturday, Mar. 16.

Lawrence Joel in Winston-Salem is a lot better for this than making everyone travel to Chapel Hill, which is too far east.

I'm not exactly clear how this would all work. I assume the first three rounds (what were once called the sectionals) would still be Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of the first week after the conference tournaments. I can see when the fifth round (regional finals) would be played as well as the state championship games, but this isn't clear about the timing of the fourth round (what we once would have called the first round of the regionals).

This also doesn't leave anywhere near as much time for practice or things like the media day before the state championship games and I wonder if they will be able to get the championship programs printed in time.

 

[recycled2]

Just a suggestion. Georgia would host a Final Four type of event and pair north vs south in each semifinal. For us of course it would be east-west. It would be interesting to see a possible conference matchup for a state title.

 

[bulldog nation2014]

I like the move pending some details but the atmosphere would be great and a great experience for the kids.

 

[Oldballcoach18]

Didn't they use this system in the late 70's?

 

[Hon Dines]

per NCHSAA
The 2024 NCHSAA Boys and Girls basketball final four will be played at Lawrence Joel Coliseum in Winston-Salem.

 

[Middle Sound Heel]

Didn't they use this system in the late 70's?

I recall in 1979 when I was in High School our first round game only was played at home in the east. In the first round in the west playoffs Gastonia Ashbrook played West Charlotte in a game so hyped it created alot of buzz and sold out the old original Charlotte coliseum, the one on Independence. Because of the increased crowd draw in Charlotte because of James Worthy and Ashbrook and due to the fact that two Greensboro teams, Page and Grimsley, had won in the first round, ALL remaining games were scheduled to be played at Greensboro Coliseum. Teams I remember advancing and playing in Greensboro Coliseum were my High School Westover, Scotland, Smithfield Selma, Page, Grimsley, Ashbrook, Freedom, and maybe McDowell. Page beat Westover then beat Ashbrook in the semi finals and then beat Grimsley in an all Greensboro finale in the Coliseum. But I was only in the Greensboro Coliseum to see Westover lose to Page followed by watching Ashbrook beat Smithfield Selma. To my knowledge all games after that were also played in the Greensboro Coliseum.