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 Representative Council Elects 1st New President in Decade at Fall Meeting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 19, 2024
The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association received reports on the upcoming sponsorship of two recently-added sports, provided support for a study group to discuss the number of postseason divisions for several more sports, and elected a new president for the first time in a decade during its Fall Meeting on Dec. 6 in East Lansing.
Generally, the Council takes only a few actions during its Fall Meeting, with topics often introduced for additional consideration and action during its meetings in March and May. The Council took only one action at this meeting but began conversations on several topics that will be continued throughout the remainder of this school year.
The lone action regarded baseball and a previously-approved requirement for teams to submit their pitch counts online beginning with the Spring 2025 season. The Council approved a one-year delay in that requirement to allow more time for technology development and implementation.
The Council received reports on two sports set to begin with MHSAA sponsorship with the 2025-26 school year – girls field hockey and boys volleyball. The first Girls Field Hockey Committee has met and will be sending several proposals to the Council for action during its March meeting in preparation for the Fall 2025 season. The Volleyball Committee will meet soon with potential proposals for boys volleyball coming before the Council in March or May.
MHSAA staff led a discussion regarding the number of postseason divisions for baseball, basketball, Lower Peninsula cross country, softball, Lower Peninsula track & field and volleyball, which are all sponsored by at least 550 schools. The conversation included data from a 2023 Update Meeting poll question that addressed the topic and discussions that took place during MHSAA sport committee meetings during the 2023-24 school year. The Council discussed if adding fifth divisions to those sports is necessary or desirable and gave support for MHSAA staff to form a study group on the topic and provide a report to the Council during its May 2025 meeting.
Council members discussed social media issues that had arisen in the school sports community over the last several months, and how member schools should address these situations and the role the MHSAA should play in communicating with all schools involved in specific instances.
The Council also received updates from the MHSAA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and discussed several matters related to recently completed fall tournaments, broadcast partnerships, MHSAA Athletic Director Update Meeting and In-Service Programs and other administrative topics.
The Fall Meeting also saw elections of Council officers for the upcoming year. Midland assistant principal and athletic director Eric Albright was elected president, as retired Grand Haven Superintendent Scott Grimes completed his tenure on the Council and 10th and final term as president. Brighton High School athletic director John Thompson was reelected as Council vice president, and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, was reelected as secretary-treasurer.
Additionally, Westland John Glenn athletic director Jason Malloy was appointed for a second two-year term on the Council. Monica Merritt, superintendent for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, was appointed for a first two-year term.
The Representative Council is the legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
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 1.4 million spectators each year.