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Big Ten tournament headed to DC in 2017
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Looking to increase exposure in East Coast markets with the addition of Maryland and Rutgers, the Big Ten announced Tuesday that the men’s basketball tournament will be played at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., in 2017.
Maryland and Rutgers are set to join the conference on July 1.
On Monday, the Big Ten announced an annual season-opening Gavitt Tipoff series of games with schools from the Big East, which is made up predominantly of teams in the East.
The Big Ten also is opening a second office in New York City and a satellite office in Washington.
“At the time Maryland came in, we set an aggressive goal — to live in two regions in the country,” Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany said. “Those were our words. We’ve been working hard over the last 18 months to match our actions to our words.”
The Big Ten tournament has shifted between Indianapolis and Chicago since it started in 1998. The 2015 tournament will be held at the United Center in Chicago and the 2016 event at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
“These events will live in the east and also in the Midwest,” he said. “There will be a rotation.”
The Big Ten also is increasing its East Coast presence with a commitment to the Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium and bringing on Johns Hopkins as a lacrosse-playing member of the conference.
“Becoming part of the Big Ten is something we’re very excited about,” Maryland athletic director Kevin Anderson said. “This is a prime example of what kind of partnership we’ll have.”
