Boys basketball state tourney moving to Hilton in 2027
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A century after playing championships inside State Gym, the Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) and Iowa State University (ISU) enter an exciting new era together as the IHSAA State Basketball Tournament will move to James H. Hilton Coliseum starting in 2027.
An initial five-year agreement with support from Discover Ames will place the five-day, 32-team boys’ tournament inside Hilton Coliseum as the first-of-its-kind multi-use CyTown district is developed at the Iowa State Center and slated to come online in 2027.
“We couldn’t be more excited about what this opportunity will offer our student-athletes, schools, and supporters as they experience an elite basketball environment at Hilton and an awesome new tournament community in CyTown and Ames,” IHSAA executive director Tom Keating said. “Our sincere appreciation goes to everyone who has helped make this possible at Iowa State University, Discover Ames and Cyclone Athletics.”
Lauded as one of the nation’s finest college basketball venues, Hilton Coliseum boasts consistently strong attendance for the Cyclones’ men’s and women’s basketball programs with a capacity of 14,267, and the programs annually rank among the national leaders in home attendance.
ISU will make facilities at Hilton and the attached and updated Scheman Building available for the IHSAA event. Opened in 1971, ISU Athletics installed a new state-of-the-art video board, LED ribbon boards and an audio system ahead of the 2024-25 season, and has also completed upgrades to its team locker rooms within the facility. The Scheman Building is in the midst of a significant renovation which has created new hospitality spaces for Cyclone contests as well as other special events that the facility attracts.
The surrounding CyTown district – announced in 2022 and expected to be up and running in 2027 – will feature space for retail, food and beverage, common areas, and a 200-room Marriott hotel, The Cardinal.
“On behalf of Iowa State University, thank you to the IHSAA board, Tom Keating, and Tom’s staff for deciding to bring the Athletic Association’s state basketball tournament to Ames to experience Hilton Magic,” Iowa State Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “We are excited to host this great event and our staff looks forward to working with the IHSAA to make this special for the athletes, coaches and fans whose teams reach the state tournament each year.”
“This is a major win for Iowa State University and our communities’ hotels and restaurants,” he added. “It is a great example of the new economic opportunities that CyTown can bring to the Ames community. This will be the first of many such opportunities our community will have in future years, because of Iowa State University’s investment in CyTown.”
IHSAA basketball brings eight qualifiers across four classifications to the state tournament. Since moving to a five-day format in 2018, the event has averaged nearly 50,000 paid attendees with full capacity available.
Ames already hosts over 100,000 youth sports visitors annually through the Iowa Games, Special Olympics of Iowa’s Summer Games, and more.
“We are super excited to partner with Iowa State Athletics and the IHSAA to bring the State Basketball Tournament to Ames and Hilton Coliseum starting in 2027,” said Discover Ames President and CEO Kevin Bourke. “This weeklong event will expose teams and fans from across the state to Iowa State University, as well as create a huge economic impact to Ames while showcasing our wonderful community.”
Ames played host to the IHSAA’s basketball tournament six times between 1917 and 1926, all inside then-Iowa State College’s State Gym. The most recent edition featured a small-school round robin, with Irwin topping Keystone, Grandview, and Lake View for the 1926 Class B title.
The IHSAA concluded its 2025 championships on Friday at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, where the tournament has been hosted since 1963.
“We have great relationships in Des Moines and at Iowa Events Center, and we thank them for all their years of support and their continued work in hosting our events,” Keating said.
