TICKETS – General admission tickets are $10.00 Wednesday through Friday. On Saturday general admission tickets are $12.00.
MEDIA – All media should contact Matthew Gillespie at the TSSAA office phone number (615-889-6740) or fax number (615-889-0544) to request press credentials.
A live telecast/videostream or tape delay broadcast of any state tournament game is NOT permitted. Live video coverage of every state tournament game will be provided by the TSSAA Network.
PARKING – Due to construction, there will be no bus parking along Middle Tennessee Blvd. Buses must enter campus by turning on Champions Way from Greenland Drive. Buses carrying the participating teams will drop-off and park along Faulkinberry Drive. Any additional buses carrying spectators, bands, or non-participating teams will drop-off on Faulkinberry and then be directed to park on the east side of campus near Rutherford Blvd. Please refer to the map for more information. Additional vehicles may park in the Greenland lot at the northeast corner of Murphy Center. Each participating school will receive three parking passes for this area. Only cars or vans that can park in a single parking place may use the Greenland lot area.
TEAM ENTRANCE – The teams that are participating in a particular session will enter Murphy Center on the ground level at the southwest corner. After being dropped off on Faulkinberry Drive, participating teams and cheerleaders will enter down the set of stairs across from the Alumni Memorial Gym (AMG). Please refer to the map for more information.
For teams in the tournament that are not participating in that session, please enter at the upper-level area on the south side at Gate S-6.
TOURNAMENT PASSES & COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS – All teams participating in the Basketball State Tournament will receive 22 passes for their official team party. These passes are for players, coaches, managers, medical personnel, bus driver, etc. In addition, each school will receive 18 complimentary tickets for the tournament session in which they are participating and will be given to the principal, athletic director, or coach. Please remember that everyone must have a ticket or a punch pass in order to enter the facility.
All teams who win their first game will be given the 18 complimentary passes for their next game immediately following the contest in which they participate and win.
LINE-UP SHEETS – Line-up sheets must be completed and turned in at the team entrance gate when you arrive at the tournament site. Please make enough copies for use in all games in the tournament. List all players in numerical order. The starters should be listed first, followed by the non-starters.
The line-up sheet must be turned in at the team entrance gate prior to each game.
DRESSING ROOMS – Upon entering Murphy Center at the team entrance gate on the lower level at the southwest corner, you will be taken to your dressing room. Even though your dressing room will be locked, we would strongly advise all valuables to be kept in a valuable bag and nothing left in the locker rooms that is of any value to participants or coaches.
FLOOR PASSES – Upon entering at the southwest corner on the lower level at the team entrance area, you will be given floor passes for anyone who is on your bench who is not in uniform. All coaches, managers, medical personnel, statisticians, etc. must have a floor pass in order to move up and down the ramps from the locker room to the playing area and vice versa. These floor passes are good during your game only and are not tickets for admission. They will allow you only to move up and down the ramps.
BENCH AREA – There will be 16 chairs on each bench. Fifteen players may dress for the game. Chairs in the bench area are for the following only: players not participating, coaches who are full-time employees of your local board of education or are non-faculty coaches who are registered with TSSAA, students who are serving as managers or statisticians, and medical personnel. No one else will be allowed in your bench area. There will be one additional seat at the scorer’s table for your scorekeeper.
Water will be provided at each bench. However, you should bring your own towels for the bench area and also for use in the dressing room.
TEAM BENCH LOCATION & BRACKETS – The top team in each bracket is the home team and will wear white jerseys. The bottom team in each bracket is the visiting team and will wear dark jerseys. As you stand at mid-court and face the scorer’s table, the home team bench will be on the right the visiting team bench will be on the left. The game ball for the Girls State Basketball Tournament is the Wilson NCAA Official Game Ball WTB0701 and the game ball for the Boys State Basketball Tournament is the Wilson NCAA Official Game Ball WTB0700.
STARTING TIMES & WARM-UPS – Please refer to the tournament bracket, which gives you the starting times for each game. No game will start earlier than the posted starting time.
Teams participating in the first game of each session may warm-up with basketballs no earlier than 30 minutes prior to the starting time. Each team is guaranteed a minimum of 15 minutes warm-up time.
Balls for warm-ups will be furnished. Only the two teams participating in a game may warm up prior to the game or at half-time of that game.
There is no warm-up in the auxiliary gyms at Murphy Center.
GAME ADMINISTRATOR’S MEETING, NATIONAL ANTHEM, STARTING LINE-UPS – Twelve minutes prior to the starting time, there will be a game administrator’s meeting at the mid-court area with both head coaches, referee, head of security, and the game administrator. The game administrator will be responsible for the meeting. At five minutes prior to the starting time, the teams will go to the bench area and there will be the National Anthem and introduction of starting line-ups.
The National Anthem will be sung prior to the beginning of each session. In the championship games, the National Anthem will be sung prior to each game.
In all first-round games, all players will be introduced. Substitutes will be introduced first and they are asked to go to the free throw line. Following the introduction of the substitutes from both teams, the starters will be introduced on an alternating basis. Each starter is asked to go to the mid-court area where they will shake hands with the starter that is introduced from the other team. Both starters will then go to the free throw line. Following the introduction of starters, the head coaches will be introduced. They are asked to meet in front of the scorer’s table, shake hands, and then return to their team huddles.
In the semifinals and finals we will follow the same procedure, with the exception that the substitutes will not be introduced.
CHEERING SECTIONS – The cheering sections for each school will be in the end zone closest to your bench. We will need all schools to inform their students and fans of this area.
Cheerleaders will be on the floor in front of your cheering section.
Please inform your fans that following the game the cheering section for the next game will be moving into this area. We will need help from the administration of both schools as we move students in and out of the cheering sections.
ITEMS NOT PERMITTED AT THE STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
- Noisemakers (examples are, but not limited to, air horns, cowbells, sirens, clackers, jugs or milk cartons filled with rocks or pennies, etc.)
- Balloons
- Confetti
- Electrical instruments
- Thundersticks
- Large signs or large flags (There is very limited space in Murphy Center for signs to be hung. The major area for the signs is at the top of the bleachers on the upper level. Signs may not be hung in any area that would interfere with the view of fans.)
- Powder
CHEERLEADERS – Sixteen cheerleaders, in uniform, will be admitted at no charge at the participating team entrance at sessions in which your team is playing. This is located on the lower level. Only 16 cheerleaders and one mascot may cheer on the floor. Any school bringing more than 16 cheerleaders should be prepared to purchase tickets for the additional cheerleaders.
Regardless of whether or not they are cheering for the game in which they are attending, the cheerleaders and the cheer coach should enter the gymnasium at the players’ pass gate.
The cheer coach and all cheerleaders are reminded that we expect them to set a positive tone for their cheering sections. A member of the TSSAA staff will meet with the cheerleaders and cheer coach prior to the start of their first game in the tournament.
If you wish to bring signs to be hung, you are reminded that there is a limited amount of space in the gymnasium for signs to be hung. They should be at the top of the bleachers on the concourse area and should, also, be taken down after every game. All signs should be of a positive nature.
In the cheering sections there can be no large hand-held signs or large flags, no confetti, no miniature basketballs to be thrown out, and no noisemakers.
The cheer coach and cheerleaders are reminded that a sportsmanship award will be given to the cheer squad that displays outstanding leadership during the tournament. This award is based primarily on the leadership given by the cheer squad, but also reflects the atmosphere as set by the coach, players, and fans.
PEP BANDS – Pep bands are permitted and are encouraged to attend. Each member of the band must purchase a ticket and a faculty representative must be present with the band. The band may play prior to the game, during time-outs, and between quarters. Electrical instruments may not be used.
Pep bands will be seated in the wooden bleachers behind and above their school’s cheer section. No pep bands will be permitted in the stands with seat backs.
VIDEOTAPING – TSSAA will not video tape games this year. Each school will be allowed to have one representative tape during their game only. Schools will be able to set up their video camera in the press box on the South side of the gymnasium during their game only. No tripods will be allowed in the stands or on the playing floor. Championship games will be broadcast on live television. No video taping will be allowed during the championship games.
PRESS AFTER THE GAME – Immediately following the game and congratulations to the opposing teams and coaches, please proceed immediately to your dressing room. This is a very critical time for coaches and their players to be together. We inform all radio stations that interviews will not be granted immediately following games at press row. After approximately four to five minutes, a member of our staff will bring you and the players requested to the press interview room. A member of our staff will notify you, as you leave the floor, of the players that have been requested by the media. In addition, you may bring any other players that you desire to the interview area.
Please recognize that this is a very important time in the educational process for all the student-athletes involved in our program, regardless of whether the team wins or loses. We ask all coaches to be aware that each coach will receive only a small amount of quotes in the morning papers, on radio, and on television. Please use the opportunity to say something positive about your student-athletes, your program, and high school basketball in the state of Tennessee.
We request that you wait until you get to the press area before granting any interviews. All media have been informed of this policy.
SPORTS MEDICINE – Vanderbilt Sports Medicine staff will be present at all games and will be of assistance to you prior to the game. If you need players taped or wrapped, please bring the necessary tape or wrap.
PRACTICE – There shall be no practice at Murphy Center prior to or during the State Basketball Tournament. There is to be no warm-up in auxiliary gyms at Murphy Center. Teams wishing to schedule practice times in Murfreesboro should contact Steve Wallace at 615-642-3736.
ADOPT A TEAM – The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce is happy to be co-hosting the Girls’ and Boys’ Basketball State Championships with Middle Tennessee State University. Our goal is to give the teams and fans a very enjoyable experience while they are in the Murfreesboro Community.
As in past years, the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring an “Adopt a Team” program. This program will match a chamber member with a team. The adopter will be available should his/her team need questions answered, directions or help of any kind. The adopters will be given their adopted team’s name and will be contacting them before the tournament begins. There will be a bag of information for each team to pick up at the hotel when they check in. In that bag will be the name and telephone number of your adopter. Please feel free to call on this person if you have any questions while you are in Murfreesboro. Should a team have any difficulties and cannot reach their adopter, they are encouraged to call the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce at (615) 893-6565 or (800) 716-7560. The chamber office is located at 3050 Medical Center Parkway, Murfreesboro, TN 37129.
