Iowa high school boys basketball state tournament moving out of Wells Fargo Arena
The Iowa boys basketball state tournament will soon have a new home.
Iowa State University and the Iowa High School Athletic Association announced on Tuesday that the tournament will be played at Hilton Coliseum starting in 2027.
It's a massive change for the tournament, which has been played in Des Moines since 1963.
“We couldn’t be more excited about what this opportunity will offer our student-athletes, schools, and supporters as they experience an elite basketball environment at Hilton and an awesome new tournament community in CyTown and Ames,” IHSAA executive director Tom Keating said in a news release. “Our sincere appreciation goes to everyone who has helped make this possible at Iowa State University, Discover Ames and Cyclone Athletics.”
The tournament has been played at Wells Fargo Arena since 2006 and, before that, at Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
"The folks at Wells Fargo have been terrific," Executive Director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association Tom Keating said. "But Hilton is really a basketball facility... One of the things we're hoping is that kids get a little better sense of the fans right there and the intimacy of the, of the arena. The other is, they get to they watch Iowa State on TV, they watch players play in the Hilton. They think about, wow, what would it be like to play in that facility. And now we're going to give them the opportunity to do that."
The state's partnership with ISU initially is for five years, 2027-2031, with the tournament remaining five days long.
"It's just a great opportunity for everybody," said Iowa State Athletic Director Jamie Pollard.
Pollard says the move will time out perfectly with the development of Cy-Town — the athletic department's new entertainment hub scheduled to open the same year.
"Schools close, they come down on the busses from their communities, and they're going to be in this wonderful new environment that we have called Cy-Town before they go in and watch their teams play," he said.
Matt Eichhorn, the Activities Director at North Polk High School, says he's excited for Ames to host the tournament-- hoping some of Iowa State's Hilton Magic trickles down to high school.
"Just like I said, the Hilton Magic, right, and I'm sure a lot of these kids have seen games there, and then they get a chance to go in and play on that floor. Definitely a special experience for all of them," Eichhorn said.
Watch: Impact of boys state basketball tournament moving to Hilton Coliseum
For the city of Des Moines, the move could also be an opportunity.
Greg Edwards with Catch Des Moines said, in recent years, the tournament's economic impact is still significant but has dwindled. It currently brings Des Moines a boost of around $750,000. Comparatively, the city's largest high school state tournament, Boy's State Wrestling, has around a $1.5 million economic impact.
Edwards says Catch Des Moines will explore alternative events to replace the tournament.
"We've had inquiries about hosting other major athletic events and other events that would use Wells Fargo. So we'll open up some doors maybe to pursue some of that stuff," Edwards said. "The boys tournament will still be here again next year, so we've got some time to hopefully fill that space with something big and exciting as well."
Hilton, which opened in 1971, has a capacity of 14,267. Recent upgrades include a new state-of-the-art video board, LED ribbon boards and an audio system, as well as renovated locker rooms.
The tournament will return to Ames after a century-long absence. Iowa State College, as it was known then, hosted from 1917-1926.
Iowa State, IHSAA announce boys state basketball tournament move to Hilton
Boys state basketball tournament planner
Here are the dates of the first five Iowa boys basketball state tournaments at Hilton Coliseum.
- 2027: March 8-12
- 2028: March 6-10
- 2029: March 5-9
- 2030: March 4-8
- 2031: March 10-14