A recent NCAA ruling forced a local high school basketball tournament to make some last-minute changes.
On Wednesday, volunteers for the annual Holiday Hoops Invitational met to get all the pieces in place to move the event from Michigan State University's Breslin Center to Lansing's Eastern High School.
"Kids come out and say 'Wow, I am playing at the Breslin Center,'" said Mike Borek, tournament director.
The tournament started in 1999 to bring the best basketball players around the state to play local talent at MSU. But after 12 years, the NCAA is stepping in.
"If I am a third party not associated with a Michigan high school athletic association I cannot hold a high school event on a university campus," said Borek.
The NCAA announced the change just a few weeks before the tournament.
"The ruling finally came down on the 22nd, so we had to scramble to find a venue," said Borek.
Fortunately, they found Eastern High School. The rule change was part of an effort by the NCAA to monitor prospective high school athletes and eliminate an edge that MSU could have in recruiting.
Borek says he was told the event could have been played at MSU if a local school was the host. They tried that, but they were too late. Borek says having a high school host the tournament would have the same effect.
"It's the same players that are going to come there, the same players are participating in that event, it's going to have the same advantage... I'm not sure I understand the difference, but that's the way the rules read," said Borek.
This is not an isolated incident. In the past two weeks the change has affected at least 5 other university events across the country.
But Borek says he believe they will be able to return to the Breslin Center in the future. @
"We're going to do everything we can to work with the Breslin Center and Wharton Center staff to be compliant with all the rules and regulations, submit that to MSU Compliance Department for them to submit to the NCAA and we will find out what the ruling is," said Borek.
The paper work is expected to be filed after the first of the year.
The tournament will start Thursday morning at 11 a.m. at Eastern's Don Johnson Fieldhouse. Tickets are $5 at the door.
