THOMASTON — The Georgia High School Association announced Thursday that a refurbished Macon Centreplex will be the site of four classes of state basketball championship games as well as the entire Traditional State Wrestling Tournament for the 2017-18 school year.
The Dual State Wrestling Tournament was already scheduled for the Centreplex on January 11-13, 2018, but will now be joined at that venue by the Traditional tournament on February 8-10, 2018.
The basketball finals return to Macon after a one-year absence with four classifications holding their title games on March 7 & 8, 2018. Championships in the other four classes will be held at Georgia Tech on March 9-10. Which venue will host which classes will be determined at a later date in an effort to minimize travel for the participating teams and fans.
The 2017 basketball finals were held two days at Stegeman Coliseum on the University of Georgia campus and two days at Georgia Tech.
The Macon Centreplex is now under a new management firm (Spectra), which has promised significant renovations in time for the wrestling and basketball events. The promise of a new basketball floor, new basketball standards, new lights and other improvements that fans will notice made the return to the centrally-located facility an easy decision for GHSA officials.
“We are very excited about the ongoing improvements that are being made to the Macon Centreplex,” said new GHSA Executive Director Robin Hines. “The enthusiasm level that Macon-Bibb County officials have shown in bringing back GHSA events has been phenomenal. We expect our fans to be very pleased with the renovations and to again enjoy their experiences at the Centreplex.”
One change that fans will enjoy is that there will not be a charge to park at future GHSA wrestling and basketball events in the Centerplex.
“This is a great day for Macon-Bibb and to get these flagship events back to Macon is a big win," Spectra General Manager David Aiello said. "We’re looking forward to working with Dr. Hines and his staff to continue to make this a successful partnership for years to come.”
