The Illinois High School Association has pulled a Class AA basketball supersectional out of its traditional site at Northwestern because the university demanded the IHSA underwrite expenses.
”We don`t want to make money on the game, but we have to break even,”
said NU athletic director Doug Single. ”We lost more than $1,000 last year, and this time we asked the IHSA to waive its policy of giving the host school (only) 30 percent for expenses.”
Instead, the IHSA will move from Northwestern`s 8,200-seat Welsh-Ryan Arena to the 4,000-seat gym at Elgin High School. Except for the 1983 season, when the arena was being refurbished, NU has been the site for a supersectional since the current tourney format was devised in 1956.
Last season, only about 4,500 fans saw Hersey beat Carmel. According to Single, the game resulted in about $13,000 in revenues, of which
Northwestern`s cut was $4,000.
”But it costs around $5,000 to play one game,” said Single.