April 14, 2004

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - Commissioner Michael Gilleran announced today that the WCC Basketball Championships will return to the Leavey Center on the Santa Clara University campus in 2005. The 14th annual women's championship will take place March 3-6, while the 19th annual men's event will be played March 4-7.

The 2005 WCC Basketball Tournament was originally slated to be held in War Memorial Gymnasium on the University of San Francisco campus. Unfortunately, the Dons are unable to host the event due to construction delays on major renovations to the facility.

"We're excited about heading back to Santa Clara for a second year," said Commissioner Gilleran. "Athletics Director Cheryl Levick and her staff did an exceptional job of hosting the 2004 event and created an enjoyable environment for both the student-athletes and WCC basketball fans."

In 2002, the league voted to rotate the championship site regionally. After Santa Clara hosts the 2005 event, the two-year Bay Area site rotation will be complete and the WCC tournament will move to the Pacific Northwest in 2006 and 2007. The 2008 and 2009 basketball tournaments will be held in Southern California.

"We are pleased that we could step in and host this event for the second-straight year," said Levick, SCU's Director of Athletics and Recreation. "The league basketball championships are a premier event for our institution and our local community. We look forward to having everyone back in the Leavey Center in March, 2005."