2022 Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships Program

W E L COME L E T T E R S

W E L COME L E T T E R S

March 8, 2022

On behalf of the New Jersey Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, (CRDA), we welcome back the MAAC teams and coaches to historic Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall for five action-packed days of the 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Basketball Championship. We are excited to have the tournament return to our venue this year, and we are confident that our building management team, Spectra Venue Management, will provide a safe environment to play this championship event. We look forward to a continued partnership with MAAC and invite you and your fans and families to experience all the great amenities and attractions Atlantic City has to offer. Our restaurants, shops and business partners are ready to host you! Visit our website at www.atlanticcitynj.com for a listing of all upcoming events.

March 8, 2022

Dear MAAC Basketball Fans: Welcome to the 41 st annual Hercules Tires MAAC Basketball Championships! 2022 marks the third 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 again 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. The good news is that for this year’s championships the attendance ban on fans has been lifted as sports returns to a new normal of safety awareness while resuming public engagement in our great game of basketball. March Madness is underway, and we welcome you all to Atlantic City. Even better news for local college hoops fans is that the MAAC, Atlantic City Sports Commission, and CRDA announced that the current hosting agreement for the championships at Boardwalk Hall will be extended through 2023! This a great boost to locals’ sports fans and the community as college basketball emerges from the pandemic and looks to grow the MAAC Basketball Championships in Atlantic City. Fortunately, for fans unable to attend the MAAC’s ESPN long-time partner will ensure that all championship games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks. The MAAC broadcast partnership with ESPN has been a huge game changer for the MAAC since it was launched in 2014. With all MAAC home games broadcast on either ESPNU, ESPN3 or ESPN+ it has allowed the conference and its member schools to expand its brand and reach throughout the nation and internationally on the Sidearm Sports streaming service. I want to thank all the MAAC’s partners and co-hosts for their efforts this year. The Casino Reinvestment Development Authority (CRDA), the City of Atlantic City, Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, the Atlantic City Sports Commission, MEET AC, Monmouth University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, 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 Showboat Hotel, 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 and brings economic rewards to the region through team and fan travel and entertainment. 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 22 teams chase the elusive bid that starts the “Road to the Final Four.” The pressure is real and the stakes high for all 22 MAAC teams as they get a shot to punch their ticket to the “Big Dance.” This year the “Big Dance” will conclude in New Orleans for the men and Minneapolis for the women and the MAAC championship winners are ready to ‘Dance’ as March Madness returns to Atlantic City. 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. The long-time commitment to hosting NCAA championships by the MAAC is part of the conference’s give back to the Association as well as our partner host communities and local sports fans. In 2023, the MAAC will again host the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball First and Second Rounds in Albany, NY at the MVP Arena. 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, JimMcDonald and his staff, our colleagues at the CRDA, as well as Atlantic City Sports Commission, CEO Larry Sieg, and staffers Dan Gallagher, Casey Sickler and Nancy Taylor. Also, 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 including Patrick Quinn. Van Wagner has been connecting brands to sports for over twenty years and is an important piece to the teams that financially supports the basketball championships. 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,

Mónica de los Ríos Interim Executive Director Casino Reinvestment Development Authority

March 8, 2022

Welcome to the 2022 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. We are once again honored to host the championships at Atlantic City’s Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall and welcome spectators back into the facility. Over the course of the past two years, our staff has been tirelessly working with local, county and state officials to update our operating protocols by creating and implementing policies and procedures to ensure the security and safety of everyone entering through our doors. The health and safety of our employees, partners, customers and guests is our number one priority and our team is committed to upholding these required standards of cleanliness throughout our facility. Thank you for joining us this week and allowing us to showcase our world class facility and city! We wish all the student-athletes and coaches good luck this week as you compete to earn a spot in the big dance.

Sincerely,

Jim McDonald General Manager

March 8, 2022

Welcome to the 2022 MAAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships! On behalf of Meet AC and the Atlantic City Sports Commission, I am pleased to welcome you back to our beautiful seaside destination. We are thrilled to welcome back the championships in Atlantic City at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall. The tournament week will be full of the finest college basketball featuring elite student-athletes battling for a bid to the NCAA Tournament. Your hard work, preparation, and dedication will be showcased for all to see throughout the tournament taking place in one of the East Coast’s iconic shore towns. While visiting Atlantic City, I encourage you to dine, explore and play after the games are complete. There are endless experiences all within walking distance of the arena. Be sure to visit meetac.com to discover what’s happening in

Atlantic City. Our hospitality awaits your arrival. Best of luck as you battle at the Boardwalk!

Sincerely,

Sincerely,

Richard J. Ensor Commissioner

Larry Sieg President and CEO Meet AC and Atlantic City Sports Commission

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