Tournament Officials Mourn the Loss of Angela Lansbury, Queen Elizabeth II

Meghan Markle’s Keynote Address Still a Go

(Paradise Valley, MT) – Henderson NCAA Tournament Officials today paused to recognize the passing of two more legends this past year that have been synonymous with college basketball since its earliest days.

“Our spotlight this year is a bit duller with the loss of these extraordinary luminaries of the game,” Henderson NCAA Tournament President Matt Henderson said. “From the Queen’s early work to authorize zone defenses – the “French” defense as she called it – to Ms. Lansbury’s groundbreaking work on booster recruitment and retention, each has made an indelible mark on this game we all love.

Tournament officials noted the significance of these losses coming on the heels of losing two other giants of the game last year: Wilford Brimley and Betty White. “They are our past. They are our foundation,” said Patrick Henderson, Henderson NCAA Tournament Vice President for Environmental, Social, Governance, Environmental Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ESG, EJ, DEI).

To commemorate their loss, Henderson NCAA Tournament Officials announced that all officials for this season’s games will wear black stripes. In addition, all United Kingdom flags flown at the Henderson NCAA Tournament Global Headquarters outside of Bozeman, Montana will fly at half-mast “as soon as we receive shipment of them.”

Tournament officials blamed supply shortages with their main contractors in China, which originally shipped the incorrect flags, for the delay in lowering the flag. “They sent us New Zealand flags the first time. Those will never fly. Not on our watch. Not on our land,” said Henderson.