Coaches seem to like the move of boys’ state basketball tournament from Des Moines to Ames

CEDAR RAPIDS - This is a huge change, but one that seems to be appealing to coaches.

The Iowa High School Athletic Association announced Tuesday it is moving its boys’ state basketball tournament from Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines to Hilton Coliseum in Ames, beginning in 2027. The agreement between the IHSAA and Iowa State University is for five years.

The tournament has been a Des Moines thing since 1963, with Veterans Memorial Auditorium hosting it prior to the construction of Wells Fargo Arena in 2005, right next door.

“I like the move,” said Cedar Rapids Kennedy Coach Jon McKowen. “Hilton is a basketball arena. The state has done a good job making Wells Fargo Arena look as basketball as possible, but they are working with an ice arena. Fan seating is further away from the floor than it needs to be. I look forward to the move.“

That seemed to be the consensus from coaches who reached out to The Gazette.

“Love the move to Ames,” said Adair-Casey/Guthrie Center head coach Lance Kading. “In my opinion, the atmosphere has been getting a little stale at The Well. Would have preferred (Drake University’s) Knapp Center, but I imagine parking and lack of concourse for ease of getting fans in and out between games were big obstacles there.”

“I think the move is great,” said Sioux City East Coach Ras Vanderloo. “Wells Fargo is a very nice place but a very corporate place. The people sit way too far away from the court. It’s basketball played in on a hockey rink. Hilton Coliseum is made for basketball. It puts the fans right down by the court, which will help with the atmosphere.. Sometimes change is good ... I would go back to old Vets Auditorium in a heartbeat.”

IHSAA Executive Director Tom Keating told The Gazette things were fine at Wells Fargo Arena, but the association wondered if a move to a slightly smaller venue, especially one made for basketball, would be a better fit. It reached out to Iowa State this past fall and found it had interest in hosting.

That the construction of the multi-purpose CYTown development between Hilton Coliseum and Jack Trice Stadium is scheduled to be completed by 2027 was a bonus.

“The move to Hilton is great,” said Huxley Ballard Coach Jeff Schertz. “It’s a basketball venue, not cavernous. Free parking, I hear. CYTown will be up and running. Student sections behind the baskets. It’ll be great.”

“Definitely will be different not being in Des Moines,” said Winterset Coach Josh Henry. “I enjoyed both trips to Wells Fargo Arena with our team in 2019 and 2022. Hilton is a great venue for basketball, though, and may have more of a Vets Auditorium feel to it. I think CYTown has a big impact on this with restaurants, a hotel and everything. It will be different but excited for a change. After the five-year contract, they could always go back to Des Moines or explore elsewhere. but this should be a good experience for teams and fans. Time will tell.”

Aplington-Parkersburg head coach Aaron Thomas formerly sat on the board of directors for the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association and said the group has had talks before with the IHSAA about Wells Fargo Arena.

“I think it’s a great move to get to a basketball venue,” Thomas said. “I don't think it will be just another event for Ames and Iowa State University. With Hilton being a basketball arena versus a hockey arena, it will create a better basketball atmosphere, I believe ... I think it will create new energy and excitement.”

“As far as state being at Hilton, being from an extreme corner of the state, I like it,” Lansing Kee Coach Jeff Cota. “Closer to us and more centrally located. My son liked the move, would rather play at Hilton. And we are Hawkeye fans.”

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