CHAPEL HILL – The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is excited to return to Winston-Salem for the 2023-24 men’s and women’s basketball championships March 11-16.
For the first time ever, the NCHSAA basketball championships will be contested in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem. The LJVM Coliseum Complex has been host to multiple Western Regional Championships, most recently in 2018, but has never hosted a basketball state final.
“We are thrilled to be hosting the NCHSAA Basketball Championship in this exciting new format,” said Brandon Berry, General Manager of ASM Global, which operates the Coliseum for Wake Forest University. “Our staff is eager to provide a first-class experience for athletes and fans from across North Carolina.”
Also new in 2024, all of the East and West regional finals and the state championships will be held at the same site, creating a week-long NCHSAA basketball championship event.
The Regional Championship games will be contested Monday-Thursday, and the Championship Games will be held Friday and Saturday, with four games each day. Winners of games on Monday and Tuesday will play again on Friday and Wednesday and Thursday, winners will advance to Saturday. Game times and which classifications will play on which day will be announced later.
“The North Carolina High School Athletic Association is proud to partner with the City of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest University and the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum to stage our basketball championships,” said Commissioner Que Tucker. “This year’s new format should make for an exciting and excellent week of basketball and a great showcase of our student-athletes.”
While the NCHSAA Basketball Championships have never been in LJVM, the City of Winston-Salem has served as host multiple times. The first NCHSAA men’s basketball championship contested in Winston-Salem was in 1945 when Mineral Springs beat Sanford 41-30 for the Class B title. The Championships returned in 1953 for all three classifications, with the 3A remaining there in 1954. The 1A title was also contested there in 1959.
The 2A men’s basketball championships were held in Winston-Salem every year from 1960-80. 2024 will mark the first women’s championship contested in Winston-Salem.
Ticket information will be made available on the basketball championship page at a later date.
