2021 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

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W E L COME L E T T E R S

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March 8, 2021

Dear MAAC Basketball Fans: Welcome to the 40 th annual Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships! 2021 marks the second year that the MAAC’s premier event is being hosted by Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. And what a year it has been for college sports as America has fought the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic! Sports have not been immune to the struggles and pain caused by the pandemic and the MAAC has worked with the NCAA to ensure the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staffs in staging its basketball championships under these unique conditions. We all remember the dramatic end of the 2020 championships following game three of the women’s quarterfinals. Following the Fairfield Stags 72-56 win over the Siena Saints the MAAC announced the cancellation of the championships. This decision was painful, but necessary, as the NCAA and all Division I conferences recognized the need to shut down college sports for the safety of participants and fans. As we start the 2021 championships we do so after careful study of safety procedures working in tandem with our institutional medical teams, and state and local health authorities. Unfortunately, this has meant that no fans can attend the championships. We understand the disappointment that this decision means to the families and fans of the MAAC teams. The decision was made with great care by the conference membership based local and state guidelines. Fortunately, the MAAC’s ESPN partners will ensure that all championship games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. I want to thank all the MAAC’s partners and co-hosts for their efforts this year. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), Atlantic City, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, the Atlantic City Sports Commission, MEET AC, Monmouth University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s Univerity, and the MAAC have worked diligently to create a first-class event for our student-athletes and coaches. Included in these acknowledgements are the MAAC’s hospitality hosts at the Tropicana Casino and Resort, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City, The Claridge – A Radisson Hotel and the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel. This annual event is a showcase of college basketball that conference membership looks forward to each March. Playing in the NCAA Tournament is a life-long goal of MAAC athletes and coaches, and that is why the level of play is so intense as 21 teams chase the elusive bid that starts the “Road to the Final Four.” The pressure is real and the stakes high for all 21 MAAC teams as they get a shot to punch their ticket to the “Big Dance.” This year the “Big Dance” will be hosted exclusively in Indianapolis for the men and San Antonio for the women and the MAAC championship winners are ready to ‘Dance’. We also want to remind our basketball fans that the KeyBank Center along with the MAAC, Canisius College and Niagara University will host the 2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds in Buffalo, NY. I want to thank all of those who have worked tirelessly to make the event a memorable experience, with special thanks to the Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall General Manager, Jim McDonald and his staff, CRDA Executive Director Matt Doherty, Atlantic City Sports Commission’s Dan Gallagher, Casey Sickler from Meet AC, Michelle Perry the MAAC’s design and operations consultant at Game Changers Consultants, Dave Siroty and Dave Popkin from Front Porch Athletics and MAAC Properties sponsorship team from Van Wagner Entertainment. Lastly, I would like to thank the sponsors and local community for your support. We look forward to exciting MAAC basketball this week, as well as showcasing Atlantic City through our broadcast partner, ESPN, to a national audience of sports fans. Thank you for your continued support and enjoy the championships!

Sincerely,

Richard J. Ensor Commissioner

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