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For decades, college basketball fans in Utah have dreamed, discussed and mostly endorsed the idea of playing their closest rivals in an early-season tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
On Thursday, the concept became reality.
At a press conference attended by all four athletic directors, Utah, BYU, Utah State and Weber State announced the creation of the Beehive Classic, starting on Dec. 9, 2017.
The event will consist of annual doubleheaders, with the schedule rotating so the Utes, Cougars, Aggies and Wildcats play each other once in a three-year span. A tournament format was decided against in order to avoid potential repeat bookings of opponents in a given year.
In the inaugural Beehive Classic, Utah will play Utah State and BYU faces Weber State. For the Utes and Aggies, it will be their first meeting since 2010-11.
Steve Starks is president of Larry H. Miller Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NBA's Utah Jazz and their home arena. He facilitated the meetings which resulted in creation of the event.
"We made phone calls to each of the athletic directors and laid out a concept that we had ... and there was immediate interest," Starks said. "… It was a very collaborative effort."
BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe said, "It's like the 16-team football playoff. It sounds great, but it's really hard to put together. I credit Steve and his team."
Holmoe admitted being "a little cynical" going into the first meeting, "but everything came together pretty quickly. Before you knew it, we were all in agreement and [said], 'Let's go.'
"It was just the right time," he added. "That's how it usually is in scheduling — and maybe in business and in life. Timing is everything, and this was the right time."
Some probably consider the timing odd, given the animosity that came to a head in the Utah-BYU rivalry last season.
According to Weber State athletic director Jerry Bovee, however, Holmoe and Hill worked together diligently for the betterment of the group and in-state basketball.
"In the process of setting this up, I never sensed that angst was there," Bovee said. "I think that was more [among] the public and the fans. I didn't get a sense from BYU or Utah that there was an issue. Obviously, they want to play and worked to get it done."
Said Hill: "We took a step back after our season and in all honesty said, 'How can we put something together that's a plan, rather than something that's just happenstance?' So that was part of it.
"My other motivation was, 'You know, we have basketball here in Utah but, right now, it doesn't really fly until January.' So I'm hoping this will be an opportunity to get people's attention. We'll see."
Utah State athletic director John Hartwell also believes the Beehive Classic should give college basketball an early-season boost, since all four schools will be finished with regular-season football.
"I've spent a lot of time in the south, where basketball is a total afterthought until January, after the bowl games are played," Hartwell said. "To me, this provides a great platform to promote basketball in what I can see is a basketball-crazy state."
Each of the four schools will receive an allotment of 4,500 tickets. Student sections will be provided in the lower bowl. So will areas for everyone's pep band. The schools will split the revenue evenly. TV rights are being discussed.
"With all four schools [playing] on one night, we're certainly anticipating a lot of buzz," Hill said. "I would be very disappointed if this didn't become a fun event and people didn't come downtown during the holiday season and be a part of it. It should be good stuff."
None of the schools' coaches attended the press conference, since they are working an open recruiting window.
Asked what Utah coach Larry Krystkowiak thinks of the Beehive Classic concept, Hill said, "Larry understands it. He understands the deal. He's a competitive guy and he's smart. We'll just put everything together and see what happens."
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Beehive Classic details
• It will match Utah, BYU, Utah State and Weber State in an annual doubleheader at Vivint Smart Home Arena.
• The inaugural event will be held on Dec. 9, 2017. Utah will play Utah State and BYU will face Weber State.
• The pairings for the games will rotate so the Utes, Cougars, Aggies and Wildcats play each other once every three years.