TAMPA - The Tampa Bay area and the St. Pete Times Forum are taking another shot at the Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament and recent history suggests it's not a halfcourt heave.
"I feel real good about the package we've presented," said Rob Higgins, the executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, who flew to Birmingham Friday to deliver the bid.
The next available years are 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
SEC associate commissioner Brad Davis said Wednesday his office also has received bids from Atlanta, the tournament's semi-permanent home of late, New Orleans and Nashville. He anticipates Birmingham, Memphis and Little Rock will submit proposals by Wednesday's deadline.
The league's athletic directors will review the bids on Aug. 17 and could pare the list, make final recommendations, which would have to be approved by the executive committee during its October meeting, or request more information from the hopefuls.
"The facilities there are absolutely top-notch," Davis said. "To have an arena that seats 21,- 22,000 next to a big Marriott and then have the convention center and the hotels (right there) ... is just a great setup. It's a very good bid, very solid. I think it will get very strong consideration."
If the SEC continues its pattern of choosing to be in Atlanta for two years and then another site the next year, the issue for the bay area will be if the league wants to go so far away from its geographical center.
"Most people feel the tickets will be sold, but the concern is would there be bodies in the seats as the weekend went on," Davis said.
That proved to be the determining factor against Tampa Bay's bid a few years ago for the 2006 or 2008 tournament. Nashville, a drive for many SEC schools, was named the host for 2006. Atlanta is host for 2007 and 2008.
But that was also a concern for the Atlantic Coast Conference, which ultimately decided to play the 2007 men's tournament at the Times Forum and try to expand the sport beyond the usual stops.
"There's a high level of local interest (in college basketball) here," Higgins said.
Unlike the failed bid in 2001, the Times Forum has a recent history of support. More than 58,500 fans came out for NCAA first- and second-round tournament games in 2003.
The NCAA took note, awarding the Times Forum the 2008 women's Final Four and, more recently, NCAA Tournament men's first- and second-round games that same year.
Many of the local fans also have SEC ties, so much so that Davis said the league counts the area as "SEC territory."
Regardless of the local support, Higgins said the out-of-towners might not leave as soon as their team lost, not with the lure of beaches and attractions such as Busch Gardens.
"We think the SEC institutions will start looking for a destination after being at the same cities over and over," Higgins said. "It's exciting; it's exciting for us to continue to be included in these bid processes."
WILLIAMS PRACTICES WITH USC: Former Plant High star Mike Williams, an All-American wide receiver who declared for the NFL draft and left school last spring, joined USC in opening practice. He has asked the NCAA to restore his eligibility so he can return for his junior season with the defending national champion Trojans. Williams is enrolled in summer school and expects the NCAA to issue its ruling after classes end Tuesday.
RECRUITING CHANGES PROPOSED: Colleges will have to file recruiting policies with their conferences, and could be sanctioned for violating them if the Executive Committee approves an emergency proposal today. The legislation would take effect immediately and require schools to file recruiting policies before potential players make on-campus visits this year. A final policy would have to be filed by Dec. 1. Violators would face school-imposed sanctions and could face NCAA penalties if the governing body determines the infraction is "fundamentally contrary" to the stated policy.
FULMER SUIT: An Alabama attorney still plans to subpoena Tennessee coach Phillip Fulmer despite a Tuscaloosa judge's decision to dismiss a defamation lawsuit filed against Fulmer by former player Kenny Smith. Tommy Gallion said he has spoken to lawyers in Tennessee willing to subpoena Fulmer in the defamation case, if it is refiled, and a separate suit against the NCAA that is pending.
COLORADO SCANDAL: A victim's counselor and a sex assault prevention expert have resigned at Colorado, saying they were weighed down by the sex scandal involving athletes. Nine women since 1997 have accused football athletes of rape, though no charges have been filed.
INSTANT REPLAY: The Big Ten will use instant replay in football games this fall, the first conference in the country to do so. If the one-year experiment goes well, other conferences are expected to adopt it.
Information from other news organizations was used in this report.
