• By The Associated Press
• Published: Oct 30, 2009

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SHREVEPORT — The Southwestern Athletic Conference Women’s and Men’s Basketball Tournament has moved to Shreveport, SWAC Commissioner Duer Sharp announced Thursday.

The 2010 Farmers Insurance SWAC Basketball Tournament will be played March 10-13 at CenturyTel Center. The tournament finals will be televised live on ESPNU.

“We are excited to bring our basketball tournament to the Shreveport-Bossier City community and the state-of-the-art CenturyTel Arena,” Sharp said of the three-year agreement. “We want to thank the mayors, City Council members, Shreveport Regional Sports Authority, and everyone involved in both great cities in helping bring our event to Northwest Louisiana.”

“We know our student-athletes and fans will enjoy the arena and amenities of the area and we look forward to outstanding community support of this championship event.”

It will be the first time the basketball tournament will be played in the Shreveport-Bossier City area.

“Bossier City is proud to serve as the host city for SWAC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships for the next three years,” said Bossier City Mayor Lorenz “Lo” Walker. “The Shreveport Regional Sports Authority has led an outstanding effort in bringing yet another quality sporting event for northwest Louisiana and adding to the wonderful quality of life that’s offered by our area.”

Shreveport Mayor Cedric B. Glover said, “I am indeed pleased and proud to have this opportunity to extend the hand of partnership to the Southwestern Athletic Conference and its member institutions. SWAC schools are an integral part of our community through both the colleges and universities and their fans.”

CenturyTel Center, which opened in the fall of 2000, has hosted numerous world-class concerts, sporting events, and family shows. Seating capacity will be about 8,000.

“It has been a great experience working with the commissioner and his staff to this point and I look forward to our staffs working closely over the next couple of months planning and executing one of the most successful tournaments in SWAC history,” said Mike Cera, general manager of the CenturyTel Center.”