The Great American Conference basketball tournaments for 2025 and 2026 will be contested in Fort Smith.
The Southside and Northside high school arenas will play host to the men’s and women’s basketball championships for the NCAA Division II conference, which includes six Oklahoma and six Arkansas schools including the University of Arkansas at Monticello. UAM won the 2021 men’s tournament on its home court when the tournament was held on various campus sites due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Hosting the GAC Conference Championship not only brings visitors and spending to the Fort Smith area, it also showcases the community to potential workforce talent for future recruitment,” said Ashleigh Bachert, executive director of the Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau, in a news release. “Events like this are more than sports. They raise the perception of the community in the eyes of thousands of people who are looking for places to play, work and live. It’s also a great opportunity for our local community to experience high-quality sports in their own backyard.”
Both high school arenas in Fort Smith opened in 2021 and seat 2,300 people, according to the conference.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Fort Smith is a midway point in the conference map. Arkansas Tech University in Russellville is the closest GAC campus to Fort Smith, just 84 miles to the east. Shawnee, Okla., home to Oklahoma Baptist University, is 149 miles to the west.
The tournaments were originally held at Bartlesville, Okla. High School from 2012-20. FireLake Arena in Shawnee hosted the GAC tournaments the past three years.
“The hospitality shown by the CVB and Fort Smith Public Schools on our site visit blew us away,” GAC Commissioner Will Prewitt said. “That energy, paired with the amenities that the city offers, will make Fort Smith a great place for GAC basketball fans to experience postseason basketball in 2025 and 2026.”
The 2025 tournaments are scheduled for March 6-9.