Basketball Tourney Slated for Yorktown

The USS Yorktown steamed the globe for nearly 30 years supporting troops in two major military conflicts. But come November, the 60-year-old aircraft carrier’s flight deck could be the scene of a different kind of showdown.

Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum is in final talks to bring a high-profile NCAA basketball tournament to the carrier’s flight deck, according to a resolution passed by the museum’s board of directors Wednesday.

University of Connecticut has committed to play at the game, and the promoters are in talks with five other schools, according to the Post and Courier. The event could potentially draw throngs of visitors to the Charleston area. The San Diego event, which was twice the size of the one planned for Mount Pleasant, dumped $12 million into the economy, the Post and Courier reports.

Atlanta-based Morale Entertainment Foundation put on the first Carrier Classic last year aboard the USS Carl Vinson in San Diego. President Barack Obama attended the North Carolina v. Michigan State game.

Women’s basketball teams at Ohio and Notre Dame have committed to play at Patriots Point, but details are still being sorted out. On Wednesday, Patriots Point’s board voted to move ahead with a contract for the tournament.

The Yorktown would be outfitted with stands able to seat 4,000 spectators on its two-acre flight deck, the newspaper reported.

“We’re excited about the possibility,” said Ashley Smith, a Patriots Point spokeswoman. “The event is still a bit away, so we’re working on all the details.”

Patriots Point has been beset in recent years by financial struggles and structural problems with the three Navy vessels that are the museum’s focal points. Last month, Patriots Point welcomed back the USS Laffey from a multi-year, $9 million refurbishment.

The Yorktown itself reportedly has more than $100 million in structural deficiencies caused by saltwater erosion. None of those issues — which are below water — will impact the vessel’s ability to hold the tournament, Smith said.

“We’re going to look at all of that … but the floor will be installed at the center of the flight deck, and it is very solid there,” Smith said.

Patriots Point has been in talks in recent months to bring forward an aggressive redevelopment plan that will pump millions into the facility. The tournament is seen as a national stage on which to promote the Mount Pleasant attraction, executive director Mac Burdette told the Post and Courier.