SYRACUSE -- For years the Carrier Dome has been the home for high school football's Section III and New York State Championships, and with great success. Now the effort is on to try and lure the basketball championships to the Dome.

As it currently stands the Section III Basketball Championships are held at the Utica Memorial Auditorium after years at Manley Field House. The State Championships are at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The contract with the Utica Aud. is up after this year, and the State Championship contract with Glens Falls is up within a couple years, so the Carrier Dome is trying to land both events.

The Dome in recent years has really opened its doors to new events, as evidenced by WWE making it here last December, and the Harlem Globetrotters are scheduled to come in February. Maybe, if negotiations go right, it could have two new events. "It'd be wonderful" says Pete Sala, Managing Director of the Carrier Dome. "It'd be a great shot in the arm for the community, the city of Syracuse and the University. It'd give kids the opportunity to play in the premiere basketball venue in the country, hopefully (if) we got Sectionals here we could take the next step and bid on States" Sala added.

There are some hurdles to clear, especially from Section III's prospective. The current championship weekend is held on the last weekend of the SU basketball regular season, which certainly if SU is home presents scheduling issues. Section III makes its schedule almost a year in advance while Big East and SU scheduling typically can't be completed until the late summer so it's difficult to tell if the Dome would be available. Certainly, some negotiations need to be done at that level, and on a fiscal level too.

Both Section III Executive Director John Rathbun and Sala agree that the Dome would provide a spectacular venue, and a special opportunity for the kids involved. No question that will be proven with the first ever Holiday Tip Off Classic to be held on December 12 at the Carrier Dome, featuring four high school basketball games.

Still the idea and the hope is there, all that needs to happen is some negotiating and potentially, the Carrier Dome could absolutely be the center of high school athletics in New York State.