UIL May Move State Basketball Tournaments
AUSTIN (AP) - High school athletic officials in Texas are close to moving the state basketball tournaments after 93 years in Austin.
The University Interscholastic League also is adding competitive cheerleading.
The UIL Legislative Council cleared the way Wednesday for officials to work on a deal to move the boys' and girls' basketball championships to the Alamodome in San Antonio next year.
UIL officials have been concerned in recent years about the growth of the South By Southwest festival, making it difficult to hold the tournament events on consecutive weekends in early March.
The first state championship was held in Austin in 1921, when El Paso beat San Antonio for the boys' title. The first girls' tournament was in 1951.
There are now 48 teams — four in each of six divisions for boys and girls. The event has been held on the home court of the Texas Longhorns.
The council also voted to create competitive cheerleading as a pilot program in 2015-16. Any continuation of the pilot program will require another vote.
A UIL committee approved a pilot program that would give district champions in Class 6A, the state's highest classification, a home game in the first round of the playoffs. If approved in October, the plan would be in effect for the 2015 season.
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