RALEIGH, N.C. - The city of Raleigh, N.C. capped off the most successful CIAA basketball tournament in conference history by announcing an all-time attendance record and presenting Commissioner Leon Kerry with a key to the city.
At a press conference at Raleigh Memorial Auditorium, Mayor Paul Coble gathered with CIAA Steering Committee members to celebrate the success of the recent 2000 CIAA Tournament held at the Entertainment and Sports Arena. In its first year in Raleigh, the tournament sold 55,000 tickets, a 30 percent increase over 1999, when the event was held in Winston-Salem.
Raleigh exceeded all our expectations as a host city," said Commissioner Kerry. "Everything, from the arena to the local facilities and the hospitality, was outstanding."
The week-long event included the men's and women's basketball tournaments as well as fashion shows, dance and cheerleading exhibitions, band competitions and a vendor village. It is one of the nation's largest athletic and cultural events held by a conference of historically black colleges and universities, attracting students, alumni and fans of the 12 member schools,
"The CIAA proved to be a wonderful event for our city," said Raleigh mayor Paul Coble. "We look forward to a long-term relationship with the conference."