As concerns regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) led to schedule changes across the country, Cleveland saw two major college basketball events canceled.
As it is each year, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was slated to host the Mid-American Conference Tournaments this weekend. And the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers was also scheduled to host first and second-round games in the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
The NCAA Division II Men's and Swimming Swimming and Diving Championships at the SPIRE Institute in Geneva were also canceled.
Citing the concern for player safety, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission CEO David Gilbert says he wasn't surprised by the cancellations. That, however, didn't make a difficult week any easier.
"I give our staff a lot of credit this past week. It's been rough," Gilbert told 3News. "They've handled it like pros."
At this point, a lot remains unknown, including whether Cleveland will receive future consideration as a host site for the NCAA Tournament to help make up for this year's cancellation. According to Gilbert, it's about a nine-month process to put in a bid, with each city's bid due at the same time.
"My guess is they haven't thought that far," Gilbert said. "My guess is that's certainly not their highest priority at the moment."
What is clear, however, is that this experience hasn't scarred Cleveland, which is still scheduled to host the NCAA Women's Final Four in 2024. Gilbert said the city will remain aggressive in bidding for future events, especially in basketball and wrestling.
"Late this fall, the NCAA is going to announce about 360 different championships that are going to be awarded," Gilbert said. "We have 60 bids in total. Our hope as a high-end goal is we'll be awarded 10 national championships over those four years."
