October 29, 2015

ST. LOUIS – The Midwest Professional Basketball Association 2016 post-season tournament will be held on familiar ground in the heart of the league’s territory—the two-day event will be hosted at U. S. Cellular Coliseum in downtown Bloomington, Illinois on Friday, April 1 and Saturday, April 2, 2016. The tournament will include both semi-final games on Friday and the MPBA championship game on Saturday. The MPBA held its inaugural championship tournament at the Coliseum in April, 2015, with the Champaign Swarm defeating the St. Louis RiverSharks 115-106.

“We were really impressed with what the MPBA was able to accomplish in just its first year of operation,” said Bart Rogers, general manager for U.S. Cellular Coliseum. They operate at a high level, and we have no doubt they will put on another exciting post season tournament next spring,” Rogers said.

“We love the Bloomington-Normal market and want to brand our product in Central Illinois,” said C. Edward “Ed” Schumer, commissioner and chief executive officer of the MPBA.  “With a new team in Pontiac, Illinois, it’s clear there is a ton of support and interest with our league. The fans have shown that if you put a quality product on the floor, they’ll come out and support us.”

League officials expect to release the 2016 schedule on Monday, November 2.