HENDERSON, NEV. (June 24, 2021) – The Big West announced today a new multi-year agreement to bring the Big West Basketball Championships to The Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, NV, beginning in March of 2022.
The $84 million, 6,000 seat Dollar Loan Center will be completed next February. In addition to hosting the Big West’s signature event for the next three years, The Dollar Loan Center is home to the Henderson Silver Knights, the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights, the Vegas Indoor Football League franchise and the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2022 Big West Basketball Championships, presented by the Hawaiian Islands, will christen the arena as its first publicly ticketed event. The five-day tournament will run March 8-12 featuring 10 women’s and 10 men’s teams vying for conference championships and automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships.
Donning hard hats today at the arena construction site, Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly held a joint press conference with Kerry Bubolz, President of the Golden Knights, and Henderson Mayor Debra March in front of a contingent of local representatives and Big West CEO’s and athletic directors.
“The Big West stands for innovation and opportunity and The Dollar Loan Centerprovides a tremendous, state-of-the-art venue to showcase the Big West, its member institutions and basketball programs,” said Butterly. “It is a spectacular facility that will become an entertainment hub for the city of Henderson and the Las Vegas valley. A place that I know our student-athletes, coaches, administrators and fans will love to be next March. Special thanks to Mayor March and President Bubolz and his team for working with us to elevate our brand and return the Big West to the Silver State.”
“We are thrilled that the first ever event in our brand new, state-of-the-art community facility in Henderson will be the Big West men’s and women’s basketball championships,” said Vegas Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz. “The Dollar Loan Center will be home to some of the most exciting entertainment our region has to offer. With the Henderson Silver Knights, our Vegas Indoor Football franchise, the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and now the Big West basketball championships, we have established a tremendous foundation of affordable, fun and family friendly sports programming at The Dollar Loan Center.”
Now a popular destination for college basketball championship events, the Big West was the first collegiate conference to hold a conference basketball tournament in the state of Nevada nearly 30 years ago. Previously, the Thomas and Mack Center hosted the event in 1994 and 1995, before the tournament moved to the Lawlor Events Center in Reno from 1996 to 2000. The Big West returned to Las Vegas a year ago, staging the 2021 championships at Michelob ULTRA Arena inside Mandalay Bay.
An announcement on ticket pricing for the 2022 Big West Basketball Championships, presented by the Hawaiian Islands, will be made at a later date.
ABOUT THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
The Vegas Golden Knights are a National Hockey League franchise owned and operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC. The Vegas Golden Knights were established by founding partners William Foley and his family and the Maloof family. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights visit vegasgoldenknights.com. Fans can follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat.
ABOUT THE HENDERSON SILVER KNIGHTS
The Henderson Silver Knights are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights and is operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC. For the latest news and information on the Silver Knights visit hendersonsilverknights.com. Fans can follow the team on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
ABOUT THE BIG WEST
The Big West Conference was formed in 1969 and is a member of NCAA Division I with 11 academically and athletically prominent institutions consisting of Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara.
The conference sponsors 18 sports at the NCAA Division I level: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s water polo. For more information, visit BigWest.org or follow the Big West Conference on Twitter @BigWestSports and @BigWestHoops.
ABOUT THE DOLLAR LOAN CENTER
The Dollar Loan Center is a 6,000-seat multi-purpose venue on Green Valley Parkway near The District at Green Valley Ranch in Henderson, Nevada. The community facility will be the future home of the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Henderson Silver Knights, the Vegas Indoor Football League franchise, the Southern Nevada Sports Hall of Fame and the Big West basketball championships. Fans can visit leesfamilyforum.com for programming, schedules and more.