By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
Following the success of the Division II Women's Elite Eight this past March, more high-profile women's college basketball will be coming to St. Joseph.
The St. Joseph Sports Commision has announced the Inaugural Bill Snyder Classic will be played on December 9th between Kansas State and Missouri.
Sports Commision Director Brett Esely says this event took a lot of planning but came to be thanks to local connections with people at Kansas State University.
"In leveraging some relationships, gauging interest on whether or not playing a game in St. Joe would ever be a possibility, knowing where teams are playing non-conference games these days, goodness they're playing everywhere," Esely tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "They're playing on aircraft carriers, hotel ballrooms, a number of neutral sites, and this just seemed like an opportunity especially given what was going on at Civic Arena, given our NCAA success."
Former Missouri Western women's basketball head coach and Hall of Famer Jeff Mittie is the current head coach for the Wildcats.
Some local talent will also return to the area this December when the Kansas State Wildcats come to St. Joseph.
Junior Serena Sundell played high school basketball in Maryville, before continuing her career at Kansas State.
Esely says it's very important for colleges to get their student athletes back in front of their home crowds
"And I think that was definitely a part of the motivation for Kansas State," Esely says. "Serena Sundell, you know Serena obviously had a great high school career at Maryville High, and she carried that right over to Kansas State."
Sundell in her freshman year was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman team and has scored in double digits both years starting for the Wildcats.
Esely says what's also important though is the experience provided to student athletes
"Even though these institutions will play in venues of all shapes and sizes, some are new, some have been around a number of years, some are state of the art, some are historic, it is about the experience that they play in," Esely explains
Kansas State and Missouri will play in the inaugural Bill Snyder Classic at Civic Arena on December 9th. Ticket information will be released this summer.
The inaugural women's basketball matchup will hope to bring an even bigger impact to St. Joseph than the city saw during the Division II Women's Elite Eight.
Brett Esely says this is truly a regional event that will have impacts on all the facets he looks at.
"Considering not only is there a tremendous fan base and alumni footprint of Kansas State and Missouri right here in St. Joe, but in northwest Missouri, northeast Kansas, this is a draw from the Kansas City area," Esely says. "This is really a two-hour regional draw given, I think, the uniqueness this game has."
Esely says when planning an event, he looks at how it would impact the community, the teams involved, and tourism to St. Joseph.
Ticket information will be released later this summer.
