NIU’s basketball contract with the Rockford Metrocentre terminates June 30, 1988. The big question is whether or not NIU renew its contract with the MetroCentre after this year’s basketball season.

The actual five-year agreement was made between NIU and the MetroCentre Nov. 27, 1982. The contract states NIU has to play a minimum of three basketball games at the Rockford facility during the course of a season. Due to decreasing attendance, the MetroCentre is allowing NIU to play one game instead of three this year.

Due to the changes in the NIU athletic department the past few months, talks about NIU playing at the MetroCentre in the future have not begun.

Brad Walsh, general manager of the Rockford MetroCentre, said, “The last time we have talked with NIU was before their athletic department was going through changes. I am pretty sure that when an athletic director is appointed, some talk will go on about a foreseeable future game played at the Metro.”

Even though the attendance level has been down for NIU games played in Rockford, Walsh said, “The MetroCentre would still be interested in hosting NIU games if a specific interest in caliber arised.”

NIU interim athletic director, Jim Mellard, would only comment that the contract runs out June 30, 1988, and that there have not been talks on whether to renew it or not.

NIU men’s basketball coach Jim Rosborough said he likes this year’s situation of only having one game scheduled there.

“I do not mind playing one game at the MetroCentre as opposed to playing three to four games,” Rosborough said. “The MetroCentre is a great facility, but I want to keep solid fan support here at NIU.”

Rosborough said he wishes NIU would build a similar building on campus in the future.

“It is a beautiful facility, with a great floor, but we are at a disadvantage,” he said. “It is a home game, but we do not get the crowd support due to the distance from NIU.”

osborough’s main reason for playing all the games at NIU is to build a winning tradition at home. He said the best chance to win is right here at NIU with big crowds.

“We played really well at the MetroCentre last year; three of the four games we lost there were by two, three and four points. (But) with little fan support it is like playing on a neutral court. Who knows, if we played those close games at home, we could have possibly pulled them out.”