Conference USA is moving on from the Star.

C-USA Commissioner Judy MacLeod announced Thursday the 2024 and 2025 Conference USA Men’s & Women’s Basketball Championships will be hosted at Propst Arena in Huntsville, Ala., in partnership with the Huntsville/Madison County CVB, the Huntsville Sports Commission and Knight Eady.

The multi-year agreement is for two seasons with an opportunity to extend.

The new venue announcement officially ends C-USA’s run of holding its annual basketball championships at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas, since 2018 (the tournament was canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic). That sprawling complex, which serves as headquarters of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, allowed C-USA to hold the men’s and women’s tournaments simultaneously on adjacent floors but was generally disliked by coaches, players and fans.

With C-USA reconfiguring after the 2022-23 school year as current members Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, UTSA depart to join the AAC and new members Jacksonville State, Liberty, New Mexico State and Sam Houston State set to join current members Florida International, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and WKU next year – with Kennesaw State joining the following year – the conference had been seeking an new tournament location that better suited the future league membership.

“We are very excited to have our men’s and women’s basketball teams compete for a conference championship and berth in the NCAA tournament at Propst Arena in Huntsville,” MacLeod said in a news release. “We can’t wait to get started partnering with the team from the City, Sports Commission, CVB and Knight Eady to put on a first-class event for our student-athletes, universities and fans while enjoying all Huntsville has to offer.”

The 2024 C-USA Basketball Championships are scheduled for March 12-16 at Propst Arena. The conference champions receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.

“We are proud to welcome the Conference USA men’s and women’s basketball championships to Huntsville and our renovated Propst Arena,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said in a news release. “March Madness will be starting in the Rocket City next year and we can’t wait to showcase our great city to all the student-athletes, coaches, fans, and alumni attending the event.”

Huntsville will be the ninth location to host the C-USA Men’s Basketball Championship and the 14th host city for the C-USA Women’s Basketball Championship. Both championships have been held in Alabama previously, from 2015-17, in Birmingham at Legacy Arena (men’s and women’s) and Bartow Arena for the women’s championship in 1996.

“Providing an exciting and enjoyable championship atmosphere for the student- athletes is our top priority, and I believe all of the teams traveling to the rocket city will love their experience here,” Mark Russell, executive director of the Huntsville Sports Commission, said in a news release. “Huntsville is a great destination – not just to visit, but for sports – and I’m thrilled Conference USA is entrusting our team to host a high caliber event like the C-USA Basketball Championships here. We can’t wait!”

Ticket information will be announced this fall and more information will be available at www.ConferenceUSA.com.

“Bringing a piece of March Madness to Huntsville has been a goal for our community and this is a great opportunity to have the road to the Final Four start here,” Joel Lamp, sports manager for the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a news release. “Conference USA has a national brand that will provide a larger platform for Huntsville to shine. This has been a tremendous team effort from all of our partners and we appreciate the confidence the Conference USA leadership has in our vision to provide a championship experience at Propst Arena.”{&end}