Slam Dunk
UD plays role in return of top-flight basketball tournament to Lewes
11:39 a.m., Jan. 15, 2015--The Slam Dunk to the Beach Tournament that in years past featured current NBA stars such as LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwight Howard returned to Lewes, Delaware, after a 13-year absence and University of Delaware students, alumni, faculty and staff played an integral role in making it happen, according to Matthew Robinson, professor and director of the sport management program in the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics.
The three-day event drew over 10,000 spectators and generated national media exposure for the state and Sussex County through the broadcasting of one of the tournament’s games on ESPN3, said Robinson, who chairs both the tournament and the Delaware Sports Commission (DSC).
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Slam Dunk to the Beach, which was last held in 2003 after a decade of competition, was revived by the DSC, a non-profit organization consisting of leaders from the sport and tourism industries and state and local government. The commission was created in 2008 by Robinson in collaboration with the Delaware Tourism Office and Linda Parkowski, the state tourism director.
The tournament drew leading high school teams from across the nation and top players, including junior Rawle Alkins of Christ the King in New York, University of Kentucky signee Isaiah Briscoe and Salesianum School’s Donte DiVencenzo, who plans to continue his collegiate career at Villanova University.
“It is very likely we will be hearing these names in the future,” said Robinson. “Along with the team and individual performances, the event itself went off without a hitch and brought visitors to the state and Sussex County while generating economic impact and increasing awareness in what is normally a down time.”
DSC and its mission
The primary mission of the DSC is to generate economic impact and create awareness for the state of Delaware through the hosting of sporting events, Robinson said.
Since its inception, the DSC has played a role in bidding for, attracting and assisting in sporting events that have generated over $30 million in economic impact for the state of Delaware between 2011 and 2014.
“I am very proud of the accomplishments of the DSC since its inception,” Robinson said. “When created, the DSC was in perfect alignment with the vision put forth in UD’s Path to Prominence in regard to creating innovative partnerships for economic and community development that serve the critical needs of the state. I would like to think that the DSC has contributed in a meaningful and significant way to making that vision a reality. Reviving Slam Dunk to the Beach is another example.”
David Arthur, a 2006 UD sport management graduate, was named the DSC’s first fulltime executive director in 2011. While in that position he played an important role in attracting several major sporting events to the state, including the NCAA Division I women’s basketball and men’s lacrosse tournament games, the Chicago Sky exhibition game and the USA Basketball women’s national team scrimmage.
He strengthened the relationship between sport and tourism leaders and also executed the preliminary research and work on the feasibility of bringing back the Slam Dunk tournament.
“While we worked with our DSC partners to bid on and host events, it was a stated goal of the DSC to host its own event and we continually heard about the desire to bring Slam Dunk to Beach back,” said Arthur, now an assistant director of athletics at UD. “We did the research and determined it was a viable option and we went from there.”
Work included securing funding from the Delaware General Assembly as well as a grant from the Sussex County Council.
“Having both the assembly and the county council providing funding enabled the tournament to get off the ground,” Arthur said. “We could not have done it without their support.”
DSC also hired Dover Motor Sports and TSC Publishing to secure corporate partnerships that included Grotto Pizza, Pepsi, AAA and ATI Physical Therapy.
These parties were recognized at a tournament opening reception that featured UD men’s basketball coach Monté Ross as the featured speaker. “Monté set the tone for the event with some humorous stories and as always his class and humility,” said Robinson.
Arthur left the DSC in the summer of 2014 to assume the position of assistant director of athletics at UD but stayed on as an executive committee member for the tournament. Chris Giacomucci, a 2012 UD sport management graduate and current UD MBA student was selected to replace Arthur.
“Dave had been mentoring Chris while Chris was serving as a graduate assistant with UD’s Center for Applied Business and Economic Research (CABER), so that led to easy transition,” said Robinson.
Position Sports involves students
When the DSC announced the return of the Slam Dunk event in 2013, it hired Position Sports, a Phoenix-based event management company that specializes in basketball events, to identify the teams and oversee the tournament’s operations. Marc Steigerwalt, vice president of the company and a 2003 graduate of the UD sport management program, was the primary point of contact.
“Marc was in the very first sport management class I taught back in 2001,” said Robinson. “He impressed me then and even more so when I had a chance to work with him on a project with the NBA in Senegal in 2006. It was a no-brainer hiring Position Sports because they have an incredible national reputation working with clients such as Nike and the Jordan Classic. Their reputation and relationships were the primary reason that we were able to attract top teams the first year back.”
To provide Position Sports an operations team for the event, the UD sport management program offered an elective course for 10 students this past fall where the main focus was the planning and execution of the Slam Dunk tournament. Responsibilities included social media, marketing, activating corporate partnership, media relations, in-game promotions, sale of licensed products, team liaisons, practice facility supervision and in-game operations.
The class also had the opportunity to be involved with UD and the DSC in hosting the ESPN2-televised USA Basketball women’s basketball scrimmage held at the Bob Carpenter Center on Sept. 11, 2014.
Through both experiences, students were able to gain practical hands-on experience with high-profile national events and interact and network with professionals in the field.
Bryan Hill, a senior sport management major, said, “It was a great experience because it allowed me to use the skills and lessons that I've learned in the classroom over the last several years and apply it directly to the industry. The sport industry is a very hands-on learning environment and there is no better way to educate students, in my opinion, than by putting them in the center of the action.”
Sophomore Brandon Tuozzolo added, “I met some incredible people during my four days down in Lewes. It was the networking opportunity in itself that provided me with some important connections for my career in the future. The knowledge and hands-on experience that I gained from this tournament is something that I will cherish for a long time.”
Kristen Carr, a UD MBA corporate associate with the DSC, said the position of associate has allowed for an invaluable opportunity in the sporting world. Carr managed the tournament’s Twitter and Facebook accounts and posted video on YouTube, and also oversaw VIP credentialing at the event.
“The DSC has worked diligently with Cape Henlopen High School, Slam Dunk sponsors and a University of Delaware undergraduate class to put Slam Dunk to the Beach basketball tournament back on the map,” Carr said. “All individuals involved were pivotal in cultivating a teamwork mentality through hard work, commitment and a fun atmosphere, which made this tournament a fulfilling experience for us, as well as for the high school teams and spectators. It is truly one I will always remember."
The DSC also relied on many volunteers from Sussex County for important roles in the event. “The DSC was truly humbled by the commitment of the volunteers and the staff at Cape Henlopen High School,” said Arthur. “They took such pride in the event and the county. They were truly welcoming to the spectators and visitors and there is no way we are able to run the event without them.”
The UD connection did not end there. Kevin Linton, 2001 UD graduate and public address announcer for Blue Hen football and basketball, served as announcer for the event. Matt Janus did the radio broadcast and the ESPN3 telecast and Scott Klatzin, a 2007 UD graduate in communication and the radio voice for the Blue Hen football and basketball teams, served as media coordinator for the tournament and broadcast the game on ESPN3. Kevin Tritt, from UD’s athletic department, kept and prepared statistics for teams and media.
“Having those guys managing the media and announcing the games professionalized the event,” said Robinson. “Scott and Matt did an incredible job calling the ESPN3 game, the double overtime thriller between Gonzaga College High School and Roselle Catholic, and Kevin created an exciting atmosphere with his PA announcing.”
The final piece of the UD connection included the Center for Applied Business and Economic Research (CABER) conducting economic impact, marketing and operations evaluation studies. UD sport management students collected data on-site and the data is being analyzed by UD graduate students.
“We are glad to be a part in the revitalization of such a prestigious event and we look forward to sharing our findings with the organizers as they plan for the future,” said William Latham, CABER director and associate professor of economics.
“It was a true team effort,” said Robinson. “Everywhere I looked there was a UD connection. We can’t thank the undergraduate students enough for their efforts and I hope they grew from the experience. It was also great to see UD alumni who are such accomplished professionals serving as role models and mentors for the current students. That made an old professor proud.”