Ames, Iowa- 63 and 101, those are the big numbers of the day after the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) announced that the State Basketball Tournament will be played at James H. Hilton Coliseum in Ames starting in 2027.
The 14,267-capacity stadium agreed to a five-year deal with the IHSAA as their 2027-time frame coincided with the expectation that the CyTown District will be up in running, which will include retail, restaurants, common areas, and a Marriott hotel.
“We couldn’t be more excited about what this opportunity will offer our student-athletes, schools, and supporters as they experience an elite basketball environment at Hilton and an awesome new tournament community in CyTown and Ames,” IHSAA executive director Tom Keating said. “Our sincere appreciation goes to everyone who has helped make this possible at Iowa State University, Discover Ames and Cyclone Athletics.”
This agreement will conclude the partnership with the Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, who has hosted the tournament since 1963, marking 63 years of state tournament basketball in Des Moines.
“We have great relationships in Des Moines and at Iowa Events Center, and we thank them for all their years of support and their continued work in hosting our events,” Keating said.
It will also be a historic occasion when the 32 teams from all four classifications meet up from March 8th through the 12th in 2027 as it will have been 101 years since the last time the state tournament was held in Ames. State Gym hosted a tournament (from 1920-22 there were two tournaments held) in 1917, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, and 1926 for Class B—the only one officially under the IHSAA.
Three of our local teams would like to be welcomed back to Ames, including a former champion. Mt. Pleasant controlled the state for a two-year stretch, winning the title 28-22 in 1917 over Iowa City—they would repeat in 1918 over Iowa City 17-16, but that game was played at the University of Iowa Armory.
Fairfield attended in 1919 and 1921, getting tossed in the quarterfinals each time. They also made the tournament in 1924 but that was played in Boone, they would go 1-2 in the round robin. Lastly, Columbus Junction ventured out in 1922, losing in the quarterfinals.
The largest single-game score for a team was 40 points by Irwin, the last champion in 1926. The second highest score was 30 put up by six times and twice by Grinnell.
The lowest combined score at State Gym was a whopping 13 points as Mt. Pleasant downed Marshalltown 9-4 in the semifinals on their way to the 1917 state championship. The same year produced the second lowest combined score of 14 as Marshalltown bested Council Bluffs 9-5 in the first round.