(Columbus, March 14, 2019) – Basketball returned to Battelle this past weekend as the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) Central District Basketball Tournament Division I and Division III Finals were held for the first time at the SMG-managed Greater Columbus Convention Center in Battelle Grand (GCCC) on March 8-9.
Six tournament games were played in 74,000-square-foot Battelle Grand — the largest multipurpose ballroom in the state of Ohio — on the same basketball court utilized in the 2018 Women’s Final Four basketball tournament at Nationwide Arena last year. The GCCC now owns the court, which heightens the ability to host and produce future basketball tournaments within the facility.
“Our facility has a rich history of hosting high school, intercollegiate and professional basketball events, including the Mid-American Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournaments, Columbus Quest championship team of the American Basketball League, Harlem Globetrotters, Columbus Horizon, Wendy’s Classic and more in the former Battelle Hall, which underwent a $40 million transformation in 2010 to become Battelle Grand,” said GCCC General Manager John R. Page. “We look forward to hosting future OHSAA and similar basketball tournaments in Battelle Grand and are thrilled with the positive feedback we received from the basketball community about our new court and our facility.”
To view a time-lapse video of the GCCC team building the new basketball court for the first time, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjuh2cdRccA.