Sanford Center Transforms from Hockey to Basketball for 218 Sports Showcase

Venue staff work quickly to convert the hockey arena into a basketball court for high school and college hoops tournaments.

Published on Feb. 15, 2026

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The Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota, which is primarily used for Bemidji State University hockey, recently underwent a complex conversion process to host the 218 Sports Showcase basketball tournament. The conversion involved removing the hockey glass, laying down a basketball court, installing hoops, and setting up media and scorer's tables - all in just 6 hours, a significant improvement from the 12 hours it took the last time the arena hosted a basketball event. The article details the step-by-step process the Sanford Center staff went through to prepare the hockey-focused venue for basketball, highlighting the challenges they faced and the teamwork required to pull it off successfully.

Why it matters

The Sanford Center's ability to quickly and efficiently convert from a hockey to a basketball venue demonstrates the versatility and adaptability of the facility, allowing it to host a wider range of sporting events and serve the broader Bemidji community. This flexibility is particularly important for smaller markets like Bemidji that may not have multiple dedicated sports arenas.

The details

The conversion process involved laying down over 550 pieces of ice decking to cover the hockey rink, removing the tempered glass boards, installing the basketball court, setting up the hoops, media tables, and scorers' tables, and running all the necessary power and wiring. The crew was able to complete 90% of the work by midnight, a significant improvement from the 12 hours it took the last time they hosted a basketball event at the arena.

  • The conversion process began on Tuesday, February 10th, after Bemidji State men's and women's hockey practices had ended.
  • The crew worked through the night, with 90% of the work completed by midnight.
  • The final touches were added on the morning of the first day of the 218 Sports Showcase, which ran from Thursday, February 13th to Saturday, February 15th.
  • On Sunday, February 15th, the crew had to reverse the process and convert the arena back to a hockey venue.

The players

Rodney Anderson

The conversion manager at the Sanford Center, responsible for overseeing the process of transforming the hockey arena into a basketball venue.

Ryan Rude

The executive director of the 218 Sports Showcase, who worked with Bemidji High School boys basketball coach Steve Thompson to bring the basketball tournament to the Sanford Center.

Steve Thompson

The Bemidji High School boys basketball head coach, who helped conceive the idea of hosting the 218 Sports Showcase at the Sanford Center.

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What they’re saying

“We had both known that they played basketball in here, but it was a long time ago. We were trying to figure out how we could make that work. We just wanted to have one big community thing where both the high school and the college could play here.”

— Ryan Rude, Executive Director, 218 Sports Showcase (Yahoo Sports)

“Our ice decking, it's right around 550 pieces. I generally do the math on how many people that we have and how many pieces there are to move. That's that many less pieces per person.”

— Rodney Anderson, Conversion Manager, Sanford Center (Yahoo Sports)

What’s next

The Sanford Center staff and the organizers of the 218 Sports Showcase are already planning for a similar event to be held at the arena in future years, building on the success of this year's showcase.

The takeaway

The Sanford Center's ability to quickly and efficiently convert from a hockey to a basketball venue, despite the challenges of the facility being primarily designed for hockey, demonstrates the value of having a versatile and adaptable sports arena that can serve the diverse needs of a community. This flexibility allows the Sanford Center to host a wider range of events and better serve the Bemidji area.