What Does it Take to Host an MIAA Tournament?

The Cutler Athletic Center during the Trine vs. Olivet game.

By Nadia Tijerina

OLIVET, Mich. - For the first time since 1972, The University of Olivet men’s basketball team captured the outright conference title after defeating Trine University 84-80. While it was a huge accomplishment for the team, it also brought a lot of responsibilities and pressure for the institution itself as now Olivet was set to host the 2026 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Men’s Basketball Championship tournament. 

With Olivet and Hope College neck-and-neck in the standings heading into the last day of the regular season, that left only five days for the institution to prepare for the tournament after beating Trine to close out the regular season. 

“The first thing I did was I found the conference manual for basketball and I printed it off,  I spoke to the commissioner on Monday morning and then we set up a meeting in the afternoon with all the parties involved," Ryan Shockey, interim athletic director, said. "I created a spreadsheet in teams to lay out everything like the communications we need, where we needed people, who was going to be doing what, and just walking through everything with our group on campus and with the commissioner president so we knew we had everything covered."

Since this was a conference championship tournament, not a regular Wednesday or Saturday game and with Olivet having one of the smallest arenas in the conference, there were a lot more protocols and smaller projects that had to be set in order for the weekend to run smoothly and, also, for Olivet to make a statement to the rest of the MIAA.

“I think we have a great facility for Division III, but when you compare Hope College and Calvin University who seat around 5,000 people, it just feels different," Shockey said. "When we hosted back in 2018 on social media and discussion board posts, people kind of have a negative attitude of like ‘Oh we got to go to Olivet, it’s gonna be small’  and how we aren’t used to doing these type of events so I just wanted to put our best foot forward and make it a great experience for all the teams coming."

That approach helped guide the planning process as the school prepared its facilities and staff for the event.

“I was in charge of making sure facilities were claimed and cleaned, having signs everywhere so there would be no confusion, and having locker rooms all set up,” said Javier Smith, assistant athletic director. 

While the responsibilities were clear, executing them during a conference tournament presented its own set of challenges.

“The biggest challenge I was faced with was the limited space we have and just wanting the fans and spectators to be as comfortable as they could be," Smith said. "We had two concession stands open instead of one, we had Campus Safety down there to help rope off the areas for the players so the players aren’t just walking through the lobby with all the people. We had velcro signs on where each team's spectators and fans should be sitting so there was no confusion on that part. I had to come up with an idea for parking and where the bus would drop off and pick up the athletes."

While Smith focused on handling the logistical challenges inside the facility, tournament manager and UO women's basketball coach Peter Sabiiti played a key role in coordinating communication with the teams.

“I was more focused on the teams, like Calvin, Trine and Hope and just making sure they had what they needed, they knew exactly where they were going when they first got here and where they were sitting in between games," Sabiiti said. "Then during the game I was a part of helping keeping the crowd controlled, making sure the exits were clear and the teams had a clear way to exit and get into the gym."

Another role that had to take place for this tournament to run as smoothly as it could be would be the ticket sales and the overall media during the tournament.

"I personally worked with the conference office on ticketing and making sure we had everything figured out with it, then I covered graphics for the score table," said Geoff Henson, sports information director. "I made sure the live stream was set up so people who were at home could watch it, and then making sure I had endgame stats so the coaches could walk away and have accurate stats."

By the end of the weekend, the hard work from the staff and volunteers throughout the tournament prepping and being at the games itself helped create a

positive image for Olivet.

"We got compliments from schools who don't normally, which felt nice. We got a lot of compliments from the commissioner and assistant commissioner and that helped showed that we can run a big event like this," said Shockey.

When all was said and done, Hope College cut down the nets and captured the MIAA Men's Basketball Tournament Championship. The Flying Dutchmen went on to lose their first game of the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament.