Coaches from the eight schools in the 2001 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals will gather Monday (March 19) at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis for the pre-tournament meeting and press conference. The organizational meeting for school personnel will begin at 10 a.m. (EST) in the Best Locker Room on the event (playing floor) level. The coaches will be available for interviews at 11 a.m. in the interview room of the Indiana Pacers, also located on the event level.

Updated statistics, rosters and other team information as submitted by the schools will be distributed at the press conference.

Outlets that have not made a credentials request for the 2001 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals should do so this weekend via fax at 317-575-4244. Requests received by Monday, March 19 will be mailed. If application for credentials depends on having a team from the outlet's coverage area in the state finals, please indicate on the form. The priority system for credentials is listed below.

All credential requests must be in writing on company letterhead. Radio stations who plan to originate broadcasts should make their request through Joe Pate at Associated Sports Productions, 225 S. East Street, Indianapolis, 46202. The phone number is 317-633-1462. The fax number is 317-633-1461. Radio stations that need to order a phone line should contact Ameritech at 877-766-2393. For ordering purposes, please note the address for Conseco Fieldhouse is 125 S. Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis and the contact person is Dave Teepe at 317-917-2768.

Please note the 2000-01 IHSAA State Finals Media Pass (black and laminated), issued earlier this school year, will NOT BE ACCEPTED for the boys basketball state finals.

Credentials should be requested for working personnel only. Children will not have access to the press area or the playing floor. Abuse of these privileges will result in the immediate revocation of the credential and the possible denial of credentials to future IHSAA events to the media outlet. Your cooperation is appreciated.

Credential requests for the 2001 IHSAA Boys Basketball State Finals must be received at the IHSAA office by 3 p.m. (EST) on March 19 to be considered within the priority list described below. Requests that are granted will be mailed by March 19 unless the outlet prefers a Media Will Call pickup at Conseco Fieldhouse. Requests, except for live radio, should be made to the attention of Jim Russell, IHSAA sports information director. Requests must be on company letterhead and sent by mail or FAX. E-mail requests will not be considered. All requests must be in writing on company letterhead. As outlined in the IHSAA Bulletin of January 2001, requests for live radio broadcasts should be made to Joe Pate, Associated Sports Productions, Inc., 225 S. East Street, Indianapolis, 46202. The FAX number is 317-633-1461.

The following order of priority will be in affect for credentials to the event:

1. Newspapers (daily and weekly) and radio stations from a marketing area representing one of the eight competing schools, along with the IHSAA Network, the Associated Press and the metropolitan Indianapolis radio stations and newspapers. Among radio stations, those requesting broadcast rights for all four games will receive first consideration. Radio stations originating a broadcast will receive a maximum of two working spaces.

2. Television stations from the Indianapolis market and others representing a marketing area of a competing school who are covering the tournament on a spot news basis. Stations will be granted a maximum of one working seat and two production passes.

3. Other Sunday newspapers, which will be granted a maximum of two seats.

4. Other daily newspapers with no Sunday edition, which will be granted one seat.

5. Other weekly newspapers, which will be granted one seat as space allows.

6. Working space for out-of-state publications and broadcast outlets will be granted on an individual basis as space allows. Outlets covering Indiana schools on a regular basis have priority (example: Louisville Courier-Journal).

7. Working space for monthly and other specialty publications will be granted on an individual basis as space allows.

8. Working space for non-originating radio stations will be granted as space allows and limited to one seat.

8. 9. Working space seats for student radio stations will be limited to those representing a competing school, with a maximum of two seats.
9. 10. Working space for websites will be on a space available basis only.
10. 11. Working space for student publications will not be available.
11. 12. Working space for recruiting publications will be not be available.

1. Priority will be given to the Associated Press, Indianapolis Star, and newspapers representing marketing areas from a participating school. A maximum of two passes will be granted.
2. Photo passes for daily newspapers that do not have a participating school from their marketing area will be limited to one.
3. There will be no photo passes for weekly newspapers except from those representing a marketing area of a participating school.
4. As mentioned above, television stations covering the events on a spot news basis will be granted a maximum of two non-seated production passes. Stations from an area without a competing school will be granted credentials on a space-available basis.
5. Photographers representing a student publication from one of the competing schools will receive a maximum of one photo pass per school to be used only when their school is playing its game in the finals.
6. Video photographers representing one of the competing schools will receive a maximum of one photo pass per school to be used only when their school is playing its game in the finals.