Promoter says hospitality keeps them coming back
Tournament promoter Bill Ingram said when it comes to hospitality, Little Rock is the Real Deal.
“Most tournaments, unless they have a big sponsor like a shoe company, have a shelf life of about three or four years,” said Ingram, who has been running the Real Deal in the Rock for all of its 14 years. “Teams keep coming back to Little Rock because of our hospitality.”
There seems to be no shortage of teams for one of the nation’s premier summer basketball tournaments, which begins play today at 32 sites in central Arkansas. More than 300 teams have registered for this year’s event, including a combined 85 in the 17- Under, 16- Under and 15- Under divisions.
Headquarters for this year’s tournament is at P. A. R. K. on Geyer Springs Road. Most teams will play as many as five games Saturday. The semifinals and championship games will be played Sunday.
“We’ve cut back on having so many games on Sunday,” Ingram said. “We wa n t the players to have fresh legs for their championship games.”
In addition to the elite divisions the Real Deal is known for, Ingram said the tournament has added a “Silver Division” for teams that are not on the highest level.
“Every tournament has a silver or gold division now,” Ingram said. “We’re not inventing something new.”
Tonight’s feature game will pit the host Arkansas Hawks against the Dallas Pacers in a 17- Under game on P. A. R. K.’ s Court 1 at 7 p. m. Doors will open at 5: 30 p. m. The Hawks were originally scheduled to play powerhouse Atlanta Celtics tonight, but Ingram said the Celtics were not expected to arrive in Little Rock before 8 p. m. Friday.
“We didn’t want to hold up the tournament or hold up our fans by playing so late,” Ingram said.
The Celtics are now scheduled to play the Hawks at 12: 20 p. m. Saturday.
The 17- Under Hawks feature five University of Arkansas, Fayetteville commitments — juniors Ethan Henderson of Little Rock Parkview, Isaiah Joe of Fort Smith Northside, Desi Sills of Jonesboro and Reggie Perry of Thomasville, Ga., and sophomore Justice Hill of Little Rock Christian.
“Dallas may be bigger, but our Arkansas teams have whooped them pretty good recently,” Ingram said. “They aren’t taking it real well either. I’m sure they’re going to come at us with everything they’ve got.”
Despite how Arkansas teams have dealt with visitors on the court, the representatives of the Real Deal have a reputation of treating visitors with kindness.
“When teams make out their summer schedules, they can go to places like Dallas, Atlanta or Indianapolis, just to name a few,” Ingram said. “But teams want to come to Little Rock, even though it may cost them more to get here. … The one way to get them to keep coming back is to treat people right. That’s what we do.”