RYERSON UNIVERSITY’S KICK-OFF FOR THE 2015 ARCELORMITTAL DOFASCO CIS MEN’S BASKETBALL FINAL 8 CHAMPIONSHIPS
MARCH 12 – 15 IN TORONTO AT THE MATTAMY ATHLETIC CENTRE. #TOisBball
SINGLE SESSION TICKETS AND TOURNAMENT PACKAGES NOW ON SALE!!!
Thursday, November 13, 2014, Toronto: The 2015 Arcelormittal Dofasco CIS Men’s Basketball Final 8 will be held in Toronto for the first time since the tournament began in 1963, and Ryerson University, home to the Ryerson Rams, is the first Toronto university to host the event.
“We are very excited and proud to host student-athletes from across the country for the 2015 CIS men’s basketball championship,” said Dr. Ivan Joseph, Director of Ryerson Athletics. “We believe the basketball support in the Toronto area is second to none. The fan engagement coupled with our historic venue will provide a memorable championship experience.”
The championship will be staged in Canada’s most iconic sports venue, the former Maple Leaf Gardens, now known as the Mattamy Athletic Centre. The heritage building has been given a new life by Ryerson since the restored building opened in 2012. It’s fitting that the building that hosted the first NBA game in 1946 – between the Toronto Huskies and New York Knickerbockers – will again make history as Ryerson hosts the championships for the first time.
“All of us at Ryerson look forward to sharing with university athletes and fans the thrill of experiencing everything the Mattamy Athletic Centre and Toronto have to offer,” says Sheldon Levy, President of Ryerson. “The quality and excitement of Canadian university basketball will get a national platform at Ryerson in 2015 in a superb venue.”
At the official kick-off event on Thursday, emcee and Toronto sportscaster Paul Jones introduced the list of event speakers: Levy, Joseph, CIS chief executive officer Pierre Lafontaine, Ryerson Rams head coach Roy Rana and the Hon Michael Coteau, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport.
Special guest, collegiate and professional basketball legend, Bill Walton highlighted the event with a keynote address to those assembled at the Coca-Cola Court in the Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Canada’s top eight men’s university basketball teams including the Ryerson Rams will fight it out for the coveted W.P. McGee Trophy in the Mattamy Athletic Centre arena, which will be expanded to 4,000 seats for the championship, March 12 – 15, 2015.
Forty-seven teams from four regional conferences across Canada compete in over 950 games during the season for a spot in the Final 8, where 11 games will be played to establish the winner of the 2015 championship.
Joseph announced that single session tickets for the Final 8 are now on sale through ticketmaster.ca, any Ticketmaster outlet or the Mattamy Athletic Centre box office. Single session tickets include two games for under $25. Exclusive VIP courtside seating and full-event packages went on sale in the summer.
Ryerson also announced details regarding The Downtown Yonge Final 8 Fan Fest. Presented in partnership with the Downtown Yonge BIA, Fan Fest is free for fans to attend and runs Thursday, March 12 – Sunday, March 15 coinciding with the tournament. Fans can test their dribbling skills in the Action Zone, meet Legends in the Celebration Zone, spark their fire for basketball and walk away with a ton of new memories.
Ryerson University also acknowledged the support of the Province of Ontario through the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s Celebrate Ontario program, a hosting stream that supports hosting costs for major one-time events.
TICKET + BOX OFFICE INFORMATION:
Tickets are available via Ticketmaster:
By Phone at 1-855-985-5000
Online at ticketmaster.ca
At any Ticketmaster Retail Outlet
At the Mattamy Athletic Centre Box Office, 50 Carlton St. (on event days)
Single tickets range in price from $23.50 – $33.50 (additional charges may apply)
For further information:
www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/CIS_SIC
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/cissports
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/universitysport
Twitter: hashtag #TOisBball
