The Florida High School Athletic Association and RP Funding Center (formerly The Lakeland Center) have announced a two-year extension for the 2018 and 2019 Boys and Girls State Basketball Championships.
“We are thrilled to return to Lakeland as we continue our goal of providing our student-athletes with a quality championship experience,” FHSAA Executive Director George Tomyn said, in a release. “The current renovations and new partnership with the Orlando Magic make the RP Funding Center an even stronger venue for our basketball state championships.”
The tournament will now run Monday through Saturday. The format will remain the same with four-team single-elimination tournaments conducted in each of the nine classifications for both the girls and boys events, as well as the Special Olympics Unified Sports State Championships.
“We’re very excited about continuing our relationship with the FHSAA,” said Tony Camarillo, executive director of the RP Funding Center. “We look forward to providing a top-notch facility for the student athletes of the State of Florida, and providing a great event for our community and visiting guests to come out and support Florida Basketball.”
Currently undergoing $14 million in renovations, the RP Funding Center is home to the Lakeland Magic, the Orlando Magic’s NBA G-League team set to begin play in November.
Dates for the 2018 girls basketball state finals are Feb. 26 through March 3, and the boys tournament runs March 5 through March 10. The girls 2019 tournament is slated Feb. 25 through March 2 and the boys tournament is slated to take place March 4 through March 9.
