Diary of a College Basketball Tournament

This Diary is the collective experience of our four person Sport Tours International crew as we worked and hoped our way through the days leading up to and during the 11th Annual South Point Thanksgiving Shootout Women’s Division I Basketball Tournament.

Sunday, November 22

Arrived in Las Vegas from Milwaukee. Airport and plane half full. Checked in at the South Point Hotel and Casino, our home for the next 7 days. More people in the Casino than expected. Everyone wearing masks. Man in elevator wearing one grey running shoe and one brown bedroom slipper. We’re in Vegas.

Monday, November 23

The Governor of Nevada issues a new Emergency COVID Declaration placing increased restrictions on all gatherings in the state. How will it affect us? Can we still have a tournament? All our work may be in vain. South Point Arena staff says “we’re dead”. Wait......we still have a pulse. Another tournament at the T-Mobile Arena is going ahead with their event. We ask South Point to check further. They do and we’re still alive. On, Off and On again within 4 hours. Inform our 7 teams we’re good to go and get back to work.

Tuesday, November 24

We meet with the hotel on rooms, the Arena on games and Dr. Jeff Davidson, our medical consultant, on testing and COVID protocols. EMT’s arrive in the early evening to administer PCR tests to everyone working on the tournament – 40 people. EMT’s are pros and everything is smooth. We’ll know results by 8:00am tomorrow morning – a 12 hour turnaround.

Wednesday, November 25

Teams arrive today. We have a special entrance to the hotel just for them. They’ll get PCR tests on arrival. Teams have their own floors in the hotel, separated from other guests. All tests from last night come back negative. First team practice underway and it finally seems this event may really happen. Last team arrives and is tested. It’s 10pm.

Thursday, November 26

Happy Thanksgiving! All our tests so far have been negative. Our teams – BYU, Fresno, Lamar, LSU, West Virginia, San Diego State and Washington – will be playing their first game of the year tomorrow. Everyone’s anxious, excited and optimistic. Let’s get this season going. Our game officials check in and are tested. So far, so good. Lots to be thankful for.

Friday, November 27

Game Day! Rapid antigen tests for all the teams. All negative. First tip at 1:00pm. Fresno and WVU get things going. Collective sigh of relief to actually be playing. Odds weren’t good we’d get to this point but here we are. Great to watch College Basketball again, especially when it’s our tournament. By 8pm all 3 games in the books. Do it again tomorrow.

Saturday, November 28

Shoot arounds, rapid tests, games begin. Everyone does their job and things are on track. Today’s lineup is Fresno/Lamar, LSU/WVU and BYU/Washington. Games fly by. We’re done. The teams are gone. The Arena is quiet. It actually happened. Beverage anyone?

Sunday, November 29

Time to fly home. Another tournament back here at the South Point in 3 weeks. Fingers crossed. Feeling thankful......to the coaches and teams, the South Point, and our EMT’s. Feeling lucky......to finally catch a break in this crazy, tragic year and to be working with each other. Onward and upward.