Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 14, 1991 TAG: 9102140068
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK SPORTSWRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
As of Wednesday, the deadline for the seven visiting Metro schools to take orders for the tournament, 5,395 tickets had been secured. Tournament officials were pleasantly surprised at the sales, which they expected to be in the 4,800 range.
"This is great news," said Tech associate athletic director Danny Monk, the '91 Metro tournament director. "It's an indication the tournament is getting closer. We're still out there pushing corporate sponsorships and tickets."
The tournament, which traditionally has been a sellout, isn't close to that. There are 9,348 seats available for sale for the eight-school tournament, which will be the Metro basketball swan songs for Cincinnati, Memphis State, Florida State and South Carolina.
A seven-game tournament ticket costs $87.
About 1,000 tickets have been sold in the last four weeks.
The largest increases in orders in the last month have come from corporate sponsorship sales, an increase of 358 tickets, and from Memphis State, where 434 more were sold. The Tigers have taken 1,034 orders.
Tech's ticket office sold 114 in the past four weeks, although the Hokies have lost 10 of their last 11 games entering Wednesday night's game against Louisville. Fifty tickets were ordered at the Roanoke Civic Center box office in the past month.
Tech ticket manager Tom McNeer said the seven visiting Metro schools now will funnel their remaining ticket orders through the Hokies, having their fans use Tech's toll-free ticket order number (1-800-VATECH4). The civic center box office (981-1201) also will continue taking orders, McNeer said.
Monk said he remains surprised that Cincinnati and South Carolina haven't sold more tickets. Those are schools with good teams, located within reasonable driving distance of Roanoke. Cincinnati's order, 205 to date, has been disappointing, Monk said.
The disappointing seasons by Tech, Louisville and Memphis have hurt sales, as has the Metro's loss of four members, Monk said. The recession and the Persian Gulf War likely also have distracted prospective spectators' interests, he said.
Monk said the Metro committee still is looking at 7,500 to 7,800 tournament book sales as a break-even point financially.
by CNB