Breslin Center Entrance Protocols Announced
March 20, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
To provide for the convenience and safety of spectators attending the Michigan High School Athletic Association Boys Basketball Finals at Michigan State University’s Breslin Student Event Center in East Lansing, March 22-24, attendees are being advised of a variety of items related to tickets and security – including new policies regulating types of bags allowed into the arena.
Class C and D Semifinals will be played March 22, followed by Class A and B Semifinals on March 23 and all four championship games March 24. In a scheduling change from past seasons, the first Semifinals on March 22 and 23 will begin at noon, followed by the next games at 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively. Breslin Center doors will open one hour before the start of each session – 11 a.m. before the Class C and A games and 4:30 p.m. prior to the starts in Class D and B – and the arena will be cleared after the conclusion of the 2 p.m. Semifinals each day.
For the Finals on March 24, doors will open at 9 a.m. for the Class D championship game beginning at 10 a.m. The arena will be cleared at the conclusion of the 12:15 p.m. Class A championship game, and doors will open again at 3:30 p.m., an hour prior to the start of the Class C Final. The Class B Final is the day’s last game and scheduled for tip-off at 6:45 p.m.
Tickets are priced at $10 per session, both for reserved seats in the lower bowl and general admission seats in the upper deck. Tickets include admission to two games per session – both games for each Class during the Semifinals, and then either the Class D/A or Class C/B Finals on March 24. The option to buy tickets online will remain open through the start of each session; tickets purchased online may be printed off or picked up at the Breslin Center will call.
Security measures also will be in place to help assure spectator safety. Upon arrival in the building, fans will be subject to metal detector screening, and Breslin Center personnel reserve the right to request patrons open their coats and any item-carrying vessels for visual inspection and deny entrance to individuals who do not cooperate.
Items which fans will be prohibited from bringing into the building include, but are not limited to, the following:
• Purses or bags of any size
• Weapons
• Containers of any kind – including aerosol and spray cans
• Umbrellas, flags, flagpoles
• Alcoholic beverages
• Food of any kind
• Coolers, thermoses
• Cups, bottles, cans, flasks
• Bottled water
• Camcorders, tripods, selfie-sticks, large cameras, cases
• Chair backs
• Projectiles and other potentially dangerous objects
• All tobacco products
The following items will be permitted after inspection:
• Binoculars (but no cases)
• Pagers and cell phones (but not selfie-sticks)
• Small cameras and radios (but no cases)
• Strollers – These must be checked with Guest Services or platform attendant after entry.
Prohibited items discovered during security inspections at arena entrances must be returned to the owner's vehicle or discarded. Items will not be held for later pickup.
Fans are reminded that all image taking (still and video) may be only for personal, non-commercial use.
MHSAA, MHSFCA to Provide Spring Evaluation Camps for College Football Hopefuls
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 27, 2023
The Michigan High School Athletic Association, in partnership with the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA), will be hosting first-ever Spring Evaluation Camps to provide athletes with aspirations of playing college football opportunities to show their skills and abilities to college coaches at one of five locations.
The one-day camps will take place between May 15-18 at Jenison High School, DeWitt High School, Jackson High School, Brighton High School and Detroit Country Day High School. The MHSAA’s involvement will allow for the opportunity for Division I college coaches to attend, and representatives from college football programs at all levels are expected.
Athletes who will be juniors or seniors in Fall 2023 may register to participate via a link on the Football page.
“This is an attempt by the MHSAA to help our athletes get exposure during the spring evaluation period in a way that does not intrude on spring sports,” said Brad Bush, an MHSAA assistant director and past high school and college football coach. “We are working with the MHSFCA to help put together a first-class experience for the athletes and college coaches.”
Cost is $20 per player, and each registrant will receive a shirt to wear based on the athlete’s graduation year and registration number so college coaches in attendance can monitor their camp performance. College coaches also will receive registration information for each athlete in attendance.
All athletes must have a coach from the athlete’s school staff present at the camp, and that coach must be a member of the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association.
MHSFCA executive director Andrew Pratley called the Spring Evaluation Camps a tremendous opportunity for high school athletes in Michigan.
“We are very excited with the partnership with the MHSAA that allows our kids the opportunity to wear a helmet and do drills in front of college coaches in the spring at a minimal cost,” Pratley said. “College coaches are thrilled, and it's a unique opportunity to have the rules waived by the MHSAA at these events only in order to showcase the tremendous talent all over the great state of Michigan.”
The Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA) has been devoted to the promotion of high school football since its inception in March 1972. The MHSFCA has more than 2,500 members and provides several educational and development opportunities for members and their athletes, including an annual coaching clinic, an annual leadership conference for coaches and potential team captains, and the annual summer East-West All-Star Game for graduated seniors. Additionally, the MHSFCA’s Leadership Development Alliance is in its third year of training coaches and offering veteran members of the association as mentors.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.3 million spectators each year.