Danville Area Community College has won a three-year extension on hosting the NJCAA Division II Men’s National Basketball Tournament. The National Junior College Athletic Association Board of Regents approved the tournament for Danville for the 2026, 2027 and 2028 championships. Danville was already scheduled to host the tournament this year and again in 2025.
DACC President Stephen Nacco is among those excited about the news. “Brian Hensgen shepherds us through this process with support from the Danville Visitors Bureau and the City of Danville’’, said Nacco. Hensgen serves as the tournament director while getting lots of help – including an army of local volunteers who help during the games.
Hensgen recalled that last spring DACC was awarded the tournament for two more years, 2024 and 2025. But the bids for the next three years came up very quickly, because the NJCAA wanted to get the bids aligned for all of their sports.
AUDIO: The NJCAA wanted to put all of the bidding cycles on the same rotation. And so, when we found out that we had a two year cycle, and we were successful in that bid for the 2024 and 2025 bid, we knew that the next round of opportunity would be a three year bid. We just didn’t realize it was going to come upon us so quickly. And so we were made aware that bid requests were open, and we submitted our bid request and our response in August of 2023. And while I didn’t know that we would hear so soon, we are extremely excited about the fact that we know for the next five years we’ll have the tournament here in Danville.
And this year the tournament at the Mary Miller Center at DACC has been expanded to twenty teams instead of sixteen. Play begins March 18th and run through March 23rd.
Those who step forward to help Danville host the event have often expressed pride that the city is able to host a national tournament. And, of course, the tournament provides an economic boost to the city not only from the teams – but their fans, too.
The three-year extension also continues to spotlight the players. Each year dozens of college coaches have come to Danville to scout the talent that’s on the court.
