University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The Real Deal on the Hill, an annual basketball tournament in Fayetteville that draws more than 200 teams annually, will be moved to Little Rock and UALR’s Jack Stephens Center.

Mayor Mark Stodola said the Stephens Center will be main venue for what is being called Real Deal in the Rock. Bill Ingram, founder and director of the tournament once centered in Fayetteville, said 55 venues in central Arkansas will be involved.

Ingram said he hopes to bring more than 350 teams, more than 5,000 players, and 10,000 fans to Central Arkansas during the tournament, scheduled for April 17-19.

Ingram said he decided to move the event from Northwest Arkansas to Little Rock because of travel expenses and because the tournament has grown so much over the past four years that there were not enough venues to play games.

This year, the tournament drew 261 teams and had 281 other teams on a waiting list, he said.