Henderson NCAA Tournament Takes Action at 2026 Annual Meeting

Kramer Relieved of Duties as Midwest Director for ‘Conduct Unbecoming’

(Lead, South Dakota) – Amid a backdrop of rising tensions between the Eastern and Western regional brackets and escalating tariffs imposed on sports betting, senior Henderson NCAA Tournament Officials recently gathered at the luxurious Spearfish Canyon Lodge in late February to conduct its annual Board of Directors’ meeting and Silent Auction.

According to a press release issued by Tournament officials, the Henderson NCAA Tournament is the world’s leading basketball tournament focused exclusively on collegiate athletics, having retained this rank for six of the past nine years, according to its own internal polling.

Key actions taken by the Board of Directors include:

• Bestowed the Tournament’s prestigious Betty White Leadership Award on President Donald Trump for his “efforts to advance civility and peace”. The award marks a sharp departure from 2025, when the Tournament revoked the award from Trump.
• Announced a successful negotiation with the Trump Administration to reduce tariffs imposed on the University of New Mexico, New Mexico State and “other foreign nations and institutions” from 185% to 65%. Tournament officials denied any connection to this reduction and the awarding of the Betty White Leadership Award to Trump.
• Formally rejected findings from the Montana Department of Transportation that Henderson Tournament officials “were negligent and made false representations” regarding the Tournament’s litter cleanup sponsorship of Mile Marker 67. Montana officials alleged that Henderson Tournament officials merely “re-located litter and debris, including several household
  
  

  Rick Pitino Addresses the 2022 Henderson NCAA Tournament Annual Meeting

  
  appliances, to wooded locations removed from the highway.” Henderson Tournament officials countered that they “were given little if any guidance” by the Department and that “the right of way along Mile Marker 67 is, in fact, clear.”
• Announced that St. John’s University coach Rick Pitino will deliver the keynote address at the 2027 annual meeting of the Board of Directors. “We are extremely pleased to welcome the Godfather to next year’s event,” said Tournament President Matt Henderson. The Board also announced that it was rescinding its invitation to the Reverend Jesse Jackson, citing “logistics challenges”.