For obvious reasons, Atlantic City seemed like a perfect venue for the Atlantic 10 tournament. But on Wednesday the league announced it will move the event to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The question now: Is New York City big enough for both the Big East and A-10? “[It] has unlimited possibilities,” A-10 commissioner Bernadette McGlade said. “Our teams will compete in the newest state-of-the-art facility within the Atlantic 10 footprint and the number one media market in the country.”
The first question McGlade received after the announcement was whether she knew there were no A-10 teams from New York. Apparently Fordham doesn’t count.
“We’re not really concerned about that,” McGlade said. “The New York metropolitan area has the largest concentration of A-10 alumni, in excess of 100,000.”
Starting in 2013, the tournament also will include all 14 of the league’s teams, ending the late-season drama for downtrodden programs such as St. Joseph and Fordham trying to earn a berth.
– Kevin Dunleavy
