The PSAL will play its boys and girls basketball championship games at an NBA arena after all.
Barclays Center announced on Wednesday it will host the Class AA finals on March 8 after Madison Square Garden said last month a scheduling conflict prohibited it from hosting the games for the first time in 25 years.
The girls’ game will tip off at noon, and the boys’ will start at 2 p.m. Future plans for the PSAL’s championship games are unclear. Garden sources previously said they would be interested in hosting the games in the future.
“Many of Brooklyn’s all-time greatest players have played in the PSAL Championships so it’s only fitting for these celebrated games to be held at Barclays Center,” Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark said in a statement. “We are delighted to offer the city’s best teams the chance to show their talent on Brooklyn’s biggest stage.”
The new arena was seen as a likely destination since it hosted the Jordan Brand All-American Classic high school All-Star game last April. Brooklyn teams have dominated the boys’ side of the PSAL, winning the last eight titles and 11 of 12, and Coney Island’s Lincoln High is a heavy favorite to repeat as champion this year.
“It’s great to be going into a major, major modern arena,” Cardozo coach Ron Naclerio said. “We’ve lived at the Garden for a while. I loved going there with my team. It was a great, great event. Losing the Garden hurt, but going to Barclays takes away 99.9999 percent of the hurt, if not 100 percent of the hurt.
“It remains to be seen how it will be handled by Barclays. I know of the bigwigs at Barclays, and they will accommodate us very well. … I’m glad the powers that be at Barclays are giving us the chance to highlight the PSAL’s best players.”
Tickets go on sale Feb. 14 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased through www.barclayscenter.com or www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 800-745-3000. Beginning Feb. 15 at noon tickets can be purchased at the Barclays Center box office. American Express Card members can get tickets through a pre-sale that begins Feb. 12 at 10 a.m.