IRVINE, Calif. (Oct. 13, 2021) – The Big West announced today a new multi-year agreement with Hercules Tires, a wholly owned subsidiary of American Tire Distributors, one of the largest independent suppliers of tires in North America, to become the title sponsor of The Big West Basketball Championships in Henderson, Nev. The conference also released the logo for the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championships, presented by The Hawaiian Islands.  

The marquee basketball event is slated to tip off March 8-12, 2022 as the first ticketed event in the brand-new Dollar Loan Center.  

“Our official partnership with The Big West gives us both a national platform and an outstanding opportunity to engage with Big West fans on a grassroots level,” said Joshua Simpson, Senior Vice President of Hercules Tires. “This partnership gives Hercules Tires the ability to have an on-site presence at events throughout the year allows us the opportunity to create an authentic relationship and be on people’s minds when it’s time to make a tire purchase.” 

“As we work every day to strengthen The Big West brand and the competitiveness of Big West men’s and women’s basketball, it is outstanding to add a strong brand such as Hercules Tires as the preeminent sponsor of our basketball championships,” Big West Commissioner Dan Butterly said. “Their strategic support of these premier championship events will have a positive impact on the student-athletes who will compete for Big West titles, as well as elevating the fan experience at each of our postseason events.” 

The 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championships, presented by The Hawaiian Islands, will christen the Dollar Loan Center as its first publicly ticketed event. The five-day championships will feature 10 women’s and 10 men’s teams vying for The Big West basketball championship trophies and automatic bids to the NCAA Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships. 

The Big West also released championship details and ticketing information for the 2022 Hercules Tires Big West Basketball Championships, presented by The Hawaiian Islands. The first game of the championships will be Tuesday, March 8 at noon when the #8 and #9 seeds in the women’s draw face off. The women’s #7 and #10 seeds follow at 2:30 p.m. The men’s #8 and #9 seeds tip off the evening session at 6 p.m., with the #7 and #10 seeds closing out the day at 8:30 p.m. The full listing of game dates and times can be found at BigWest.org/2022.  

All men’s and women’s games in the championships will be telecast on ESPN Networks.  

Reserved seat all-session tickets for all 18 games of the championships are available for $275, which includes the 9% local live entertainment tax. Tickets can be purchased through each Big West institution’s ticket office.  

Should tickets remain after all-session ticket sales at the institutional level, beginning February 15, single-session reserved seats will be available to the general public for $20 for all rounds on the women’s side and $50 for first round and quarterfinal action in the men’s draw. Single-session tickets to the men’s semifinals and championship game will be $60 apiece. 

Student pricing on single-session tickets it $10 apiece for all women’s action, $20 for men’s first round and quarterfinal matchups and $30 for the men’s semifinals and championship game. Student tickets also provide reserved seating. 

“Although Hercules Tires has been around since 1952, we are continuously working to grow brand awareness with our target audience, and felt this partnership was a great way to support our initiatives,” said Hercules Tires Director of Marketing Nakia Medlin. “Not only do we get to engage with passionate college basketball fans during championship season, this unique partnership allows us to integrate our brand and engage with Big West institutions throughout the year to build a connection with not only the young fan base, but also alumni, faculty and the local community as well.” 

The broad-based, multifaceted agreement was negotiated by The Big West’s multi-media rights partner Van Wagner. To follow Hercules Tires activations, search @HerculesTires on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

About The Big West Conference 
The Big West is an NCAA Division I member with 11 members with the shared goal of empowering every student-athlete in competition and in life and uniting its university communities through championship experiences. Formed in 1969, The Big West membership consists of Cal Poly, CSU Bakersfield, Cal State Fullerton, CSUN, Hawai‘i, Long Beach State, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Riverside, UC San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. The Big West is united in the pursuit of boundless opportunities, enduring integrity, bold activism, fearless innovation and the pacific spirit of freedom, exploration and progress. 
 
The Big West sponsors 18 sports at the NCAA Division I level: baseball, softball, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field and women’s water polo. For more information, visit BigWest.org or follow The Big West on Twitter @BigWestSports. 

 
About Hercules Tires 
Hercules Tires is widely recognized as the industry's premier value brand with a comprehensive selection of passenger, UHP, light truck, medium truck and specialty tires.  Since 1952, independent tire dealers and distributors have trusted Hercules to deliver outstanding quality, exceptional support, and unsurpassed value. 
 
Hercules is a wholly-owned subsidiary of American Tire Distributors, Inc.  American Tire Distributors is one of the largest independent suppliers of tires in the North American replacement tire market. The company offers an unsurpassed breadth and depth of inventory, frequent delivery and value-added services to approximately 80,000 customers across the U.S. and Canada. 

 
About Van Wagner 
Van Wagner, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Van Wagner Group LLC, creates, advises, and sells on behalf of world-class teams, leagues, brands, properties, and colleges. An innovator in the sports and media business, Van Wagner is a global leader in high-impact broadcast visible signage throughout the MLB, NBA, NCAA, and the highest levels of international soccer, sponsorships sales, premium ticketing, college multi-media rights, and in-venue content production at the world’s biggest sporting events. www.vanwagner.com. 

For more information, please contact: 
Jessica Lantz 
949.570.9565 
jlantz@bigwest.org