What were the factors in moving the Big East Tournament to a permanent site at Madison Square Garden 25 years ago?
Madison Square Garden was always the mecca of college basketball, and even though St. John’s and Seton Hall were here, this was as neutral a site as you could possibly get. It was smack in the middle of the conference, in the media capital of the world. I always felt if we ever grew to the point where we could bring our tournament here, with so many alumni of all nine schools, at that point, living in the metropolitan New York area, that it would be special. The fans would come. It’s worked out great. Q: Why was the move made in 1982-83? Was it anything to do with the arrival of Patrick Ewing and Chris Mullin in 1981? A: We came out of the gate a little faster than we could have imagined in those first three years (1980-82). The tournament was very successful in Providence, Syracuse and Hartford. But, all of a sudden, we had our own television package, and we were getting really good players — (Ewing and Mullin) being the headliners. It seemed like the time was right. Q: During your t
