PEORIA, Ill. — The Illinois High School Association has decided to move the IHSA Boys Basketball State Finals from Peoria to Champaign.
The decision came down at Monday’s IHSA Board of Directors meeting.
The contract for State Farm Center to host is for three years, lasting 2021-2023.
Enjoy Peoria President and CEO J.D. Dalfonso said the event brought around 50,000 people to Peoria.
“We conservatively estimate it comes out to about $4.1-4.4 million in economic impact through spending in various ways in the Peoria area,” he said.
“That’s hotel, restaurant taxes, motor and fuel taxes. Anything people do to travel here.”
It had been held at the Civic Center since 1996.
“News like today, the biggest blow is these stories written by high school athletes for basketball over the last 25 years will be written somewhere else,” he said.
“As March played out, you really hold those experiences true and close when you have them.
“That’s an eyeopener, for sure. More than the financials.”
Dalfonso said the bid process began in August. The team representing Peoria delivered the IHSA its bid packet in December.
“We knew the decision was coming today, and we knew [the bid] was for three years. We just weren’t expecting the news we got from the IHSA.”
The decision was supposed to have come in April, but that decision was postponed because of COVID-19.
Dalfonso said he and his team will start preparing now to make its pitch to the IHSA in three years.
“The original [state] March Madness was founded here in Peoria, thanks to the community pride and organization that came with it,” he said.
“We’re going to reassess what happened, but you can almost guarantee Peoria will be back in the mix three years from now.”
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