TAHLEQUAH — Northeastern State’s basketball programs are about to get a huge boost. As a matter of fact, so is all of Tahlequah and Cherokee County.



After drawn-out discussions and lengthy deliberating, Northeastern State is set to begin construction on a new event center. The new arena will not only give the local and area athletic communities a shot in the arm, but it will also be a welcome addition to those who are fans of everything from fairs to forums.



Yet, with no name attached to it right now, the new event center can simply be known as The Crown Jewel of Cherokee County.



“It’ll be a great centerpiece for the university and northeast Oklahoma,” NSU men’s basketball coach Larry Gipson said.



While Tahlequah and Sequoyah house outstanding indoor athletic facilities (the TMAC at Tahlequah and The Place Where They Play at Sequoyah), NSU’s new basketball arena — which will occupy a permanent seating capacity of 3,000 — will likely double those in size. It will also feature the amenities of other premier college venues: a video screening room, countless numbers of offices for athletic coaches and an athletics shop for those need green and white apparel.



While NSU faithful will likely only get geared up for RiverHawk basketball games in the new facility, I have high hopes for other sporting events.



For instance, with the digs, NSU could host national sporting events in volleyball, wrestling or basketball.



When the NSU women’s basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the South Central Regional rankings in March of 2011, there was some question as to whether Jack Dobbins Field House — the current home of RiverHawk basketball — was large enough to host an event involving eight schools. It was — but barely.



That question will not be a topic of conversation if either NSU basketball team is up for hosting such an event again.



“There is going to be a multitude of opportunities out there for different types of tournaments,” NSU’s Chief Athletic Office Tony Duckworth said. “...This facility will have a lot of the amenities that will allow us to host those types of events.”



If NSU wants to get involved in hosting national championships, it will have the facility to do so. Here are the types of arenas it will go up against for those honors:



• Bill Greehey Arena in San Antonio, the host of this year’s women’s Division II basketball championship. The home St. Mary’s basketball games, which was opened in 2000, holds 3,800 people.



• Massari Arena in Pueblo, Colo., the site of this year’s Division II national wrestling tournament. After reopening in 2008, the home of the Wolfpack seats 3,900 fans.



• Coussoulis Arena in San Bernardino, Calif., which hosted the women’s Division II volleyball national championship. The 17-year old facility can occupy 4,141 for big events.



Clearly, NSU will have the ability to be a major player in the Division II postseason landscape, if it so desires.



Beyond top-notch college events, NSU could also toss its hat in the mix to host high school sports.



While any chance of hosting any type of state tournament seems beyond remote, there could still be possibilities to host regional venues in volleyball and wrestling and regional and area tournaments in basketball.



“Postseason high school opportunities will be out there, provided it doesn’t interfere with what we’re doing in relation to NSU athletics,” Duckworth said. “I think the facility is going to be very visible and represent Tahlequah and eastern Oklahoma, without a doubt.”



Heck, with the luxury of a new facility, NSU could team up with Tahlequah, Sequoyah, Keys or Hulbert — or any combination of those four or other northeastern Oklahoma schools — to host an annual basketball tournament — or two or three.



For example, Tahlequah could transform the Tahlequah Invitational — which will return this December — into a two-site tournament if it were to get NSU involved. Or better yet, combine the Cougar Classic in Keys with the Tahlequah tournament and form a small-school and large-school bracket — much like the Shrine tournament in Muskogee. And NSU’s event center could serve as the championship site, much like the Civic Center does in the Shrine tournament.



If Tahlequah and Keys could pair up — and somehow get Sequoyah involved — you would have three fantastic high school venues — and toss in NSU’s new palace — to form a monopoly on high school tournaments in all of northeastern Oklahoma.



Probably best to do it in early December to avoid conflict with the Shrine tournament in early January and the Old Fort Classic in Fort Gibson — and other traditional tournaments — in late January.



Whether the high school basketball tournament pans out or not, at least the options will be there now that NSU will a premier venue.



That’s the beauty of having such a magnificent facility in our part of the neighborhood: it allows the mind to wonder and think of all the possibilities.



I know I personally can’t wait until NSU opens the doors for business in the new event center. But until then, let the countdown commence.