For the past several years, more than one third of teams playing in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division 1 Men’s Basketball Championship have had to stay in hotels outside of Reno County for the tournament in Hutchinson, as there weren’t enough appropriate blocs of hotel rooms. LeAnn Cox, vice president of operations and tourism with Visit Hutch, said the contract with the NJCAA requires 10 rooms each with two beds per team. Since the closure of the Atrium Hotel in 2019, nine teams have had to stay in McPherson, Maize, or elsewhere, she said. But since the opening of the Hilton Garden Inn last fall, the number of teams staying outside of Hutchinson will be reduced to three when the tournament tips off Saturday.
Read more: The Hutchinson Tribune
