March Madness in the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ: Cool things to know

The NCAA men’s basketball tournament East Regional will take place in the Prudential Center in Newark with the games Thursday and Saturday.
Dylan Wanagiel from Middletown, Vice President of Sport Properties and special events for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, monitors the event and hopes to make a good impression on the NCAA.

Dylan Wanagiel has made some reading, and not the airy species that Middletown’s resident could bring to the beach in summer. It is pushed through the 300-page manual of the NCAA for the hosting of March Madness.

It has been 14 years since New Jersey organized the Big Dance, and when the NCAA tournament in East Regional tips on Thursday in the Prudential Center of Newark – semi -finals by Alabama vs. Byu, followed by Duke vs. Arizona, with a trip to the final on Saturday.

From the uniform drinking cups to the field of the NCAA brands, from the shooting clock with a decimal point to the methodology, to place four fan contingents at the same time, everything is in the manual.

“This is in a nutshell: the devil is in detail,” said Wanagiel.

The 53-year-old, who grew up in Monmouth County and played several sports at Mater Dei Prep, is Vice President for Sports Properties and Special events for Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, which the Prudential Center manages with 18,700 seats.

Alternatively, known as “The Rock” or sometimes “The Pru”, it was opened in 2007 and was the East Regional to Good Reviews in 2011 (Kentucky defeated North Carolina in the title game). But then it was banished from the NCAA event rotation when the garden state legalized sports betting, a ban that later faded.

“The NCAA does a great job to drive through various markets through various markets from 2011 to 2025, which is a long time,” said Wanagiel. “We hope to deliver an A-Plus event for the NCAA and bring it back here in Newark. But I think you just saw it-this market is ripe.”

Remarkable nuggets

The official NCAA dish: The brand new, uniform NCAA hardwood site traveled to Newark via truck and was installed late Monday evening after the game of the New Jersey Devils. It couldn’t actually work.

“We have discussions about it, is it time for us to buy a new dish?” Said Wanagiel. “So we discuss the opportunity to buy the court that is used here for this event. If we don’t buy it, someone else buys it for use and loop the logos.”

Courts have about 20 years of life expectancy, said Wanagiel.

Seat arrangement: Each team receives a certain allocation for its most connected fans, and during the semi -final doublehead the two remaining seeds (in this case Duke and Alabama) will sit behind its benches.

For BYU and Arizona, their allocations will sit about the court from their respective benches.

Police Eskorte: Seton Hall, which Prudential Center calls home, is the guest school for this event. Part of it means that an escort for the state police for the teams for the duration of their stay started, starting with their arrivals at Newark Airport.

“It is equipped for minute,” said Wanagiel.

Fanzone: All over the country, some March Madness event locations offer a huge official tailgate outside the arena. The “Fanzone”, as it is called, comes to Newark and begins two hours before the arena doors (at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday) are opened on the corner of Edison Place and Mulberry Street. There will be food trucks, a DJ and a cornhole and other games. It will reappear on Saturday.

What’s next for Prudential Center

A jersey “Big Eight”? The “Never forgotten Tribute Classic” is a college basketball in December, which has taken place over the years in the Prudential Center. Wanagiel would like to see that it affects an event with four games with eight teams with all eight New Jersey Division I basketball programs for men.

“I’ve been an admirer of the Big Five for a long time,” he said about Philadelphia’s annual Six Team Showcase of the city’s D-1 teams. “Since I’ve been here, I have almost been from people from every single area of life with” Hey, why doesn’t New Jersey have that? “

You may not ask much longer.

“I would say that this is something that we actively look at here next month and say:” Can we ideally do it with all eight New Jersey teams? “, Said Wanagiel,” that has to happen. Why Philly and why not New Jersey? Why not we? That is a goal of mine, personally and professionally. “

He has some permutations in mind how it would work. The most important thing is to buy from the high major coaches-pikiell from Rutgers and Shaheen Holloway from Seton Hall. The way to do this is a significant publication fee that is now much more important than before the Nile.

“Suggestions will be sent in the near future and we will see,” said Wanagiel. “I am not a big fisherman in real life, but in the business world, that’s what we do. We will throw our network out there and see if we can appear in the big fish. At least we have to try it. It’s time.”

NCAA wrestling: Before his current station, Wanagiel took over the bookings in the Madison Square Garden, and the NCAA wrestling tournament included in New York City in 2016.

“This, in my 32-year career in the live event business, was a highlight and hopefully this weekend will surpass it,” he said. “I decided that I could not withdraw until I get this event in Newark. Fortunately, Jersey has a very passionate (wrestling) fan base. We love our tires, we also love our wrestling, so we will see what the future is doing.”

Regional return: March Madness Sites will be determined until 2028. Can Newark appear more regularly in the rotation in the future? The Madison Square Garden is now getting the East regionally every four years, and although this is expected too much, the goal is to close the gap.

“This is really the only measure of success,” said Wanagiel. “We will probably have some incredibly competitive games and hopefully a game with one-surding moment, a Summer-Beater game. But the measure of success will really be: can we get back here in less than 14 years? It is difficult to say, but we will bring our best foot forward.”

Jerry Carino has dealt with the sports scene in New Jersey and College basketball since 2003 since 1996. Contact him with him [email protected].

(Tagstotranslate) Prudential

March Madness in the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ: Cool things to know

ByAmelia Journalton

Remarkable nuggets

What’s next for Prudential Center

By Amelia Journalton

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