WINONA LAKE – To say the Grace College athletic department will be busy this coming week could be the understatement of the year.

Taking on hosting both the men’s and women’s NCCAA national basketball tournaments, Grace athletic director Chad Briscoe vows he’s not crazy. In fact, having both tournaments going on just down the steps from his athletic office is exactly where he wants all the action.

“This is a great opportunity for Grace College to impact our basketball programs as part of the tournament, but also to impact the community,” Briscoe stated. “To have both teams playing in the tournament is great for our campus, but allows our players and students to help out our community as well.”

Briscoe is not a stranger to hosting national tournaments at Grace, as he and the campus hosted the NCCAAs beginning in 2009 with the women’s tournaments and have contracts to continue to do so through 2017. Grace hosted just the women’s tournament from 2009-11, then adopted both men’s and women’s tourneys from 2012 through this year, and reupped the contract through 2017.

Briscoe noted that there are around 10 people at the top of the triangle in putting the tournament together, but nearly 100 people in total have a hand in helping make sure all the details, all the way down to just saying hello to fans at the door, are in place.

“It’s important that we have people in place that know the nuts and bolts of putting something of this magnitude together,” Briscoe said. “The feedback we have received from those who have played here have been fantastic. We are blessed to have provided a very positive atmosphere in the venue, and our community has responded well. I think teams from outside of the midwest like coming here. There is that Indiana, Mecca of basketball feel, to playing a tournament in Indiana, and we enjoy that aspect.”

Eight men’s and women’s teams will play in double-elimination games starting Wednesday and continue through Saturday. Those teams will also take part in community initiatives Tuesday throughout the Winona Lake and Warsaw communities. Grace will have its men’s team serving at Kiddie Kollege in Winona Lake and the women’s team at Washington Elementary, and initiatives will also include several of the area elementary schools, nursing homes, Combined Community Services and the Salvation Army. Both Grace programs will be at the respective locations from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday.

“This is really what we are about as a Christian institution,” Briscoe said. “We want the kids to see this tournament as more than just basketball. We are strongly in favor of giving back, and I think it really is neat to see how some of the teams that aren’t from around here see the response from the schools and places react to them. Anybody can host a basketball tournament, but I think the community service sets this tournament apart.”

Briscoe, a former college and semi-pro basketball player himself, does understand that hoops in the state of Indiana are still important. And having 24 games going on in the course of four days does carry a sense of responsibility from an athletic standpoint. But that responsibility also has its perks.

“Where else in the country can you go to one place and see this level of basketball?” asked Briscoe. “Other than maybe an AAU tournament, you can’t get a ticket and sit and watch eight games in one day, let alone see local teams and teams from places like Florida and California. It’s just a special thing to host, and we take that privilege serious. We want everyone to have a great time while they are here.”

The basketball tournaments will begin at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday with the men’s teams from Mid-American Christian (Okla.) versus Roberts Wesleyan (NY) square off. The women’s tournament opens with Oklahoma Christian and Roberts Wesleyan at noon Wednesday. Grace’s women play Lee (Tenn.) at approximately 5:15 p.m., followed by the Parade of Champions, with the Grace men taking on Colorado Christian at approximately 7:30 p.m.

The men’s and women’s brackets continue at 8:30 a.m. Thursday with games all day. The seventh and fifth place games for each bracket are set for Friday and the third place and championship games will conclude the week of action Saturday.

For more information and brackets for the tournament, visit gclancers.com.