Photo by Derek Redd Fans wait in line in the WesBanco Arena lobby for the gates to open for the evening session of The Basketball Tournament.

WHEELING — The Basketball Tournament — also known as TBT — is taking over Wheeling and WesBanco Arena this week, with net gains expected for area businesses.

Although her city isn’t hosting this year, Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin — a Wheeling native — does plan to be in the Friendly City on Saturday and take in TBT play. She is coming in early for the West Virginia Municipal League conference, happening next week at Oglebay Park.

“It’s a huge economic impact for any city,” Shuler Goodwin said of TBT. “For the city of Charleston, it brought in about $4.5 million last year.”

Charleston did not host this year, Shuler Goodwin said, because the International Table Tennis Federation was holding Pan-Am and world championships the same week.

TBT brings in about 150 athletes and staff to a host city, with half going home following the first day of the elimination tournament. The TBT host city can expect to attract 15,000 supportive fans from the region with an enthusiasm for high level basketball, according to organizers.

“TBT is phenomenal,” Shuler Goodwin said. “It’s professional-level basketball competition, and it also turns out great alumni from WVU and Marshall.

“ESPN covers it, and that means your city gets national coverage. It’s something that every mayor wants — positive international exposure for their city.”

Frank O’Brien, executive director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitors Bureau, also sees the value in TBT coming to Wheeling.

“We’re pretty excited to have that event in Wheeling,” O’Brien said. “It was very successful in Charleston, and I think we have as good a venue here as they do down south.”

He noted there are many basketball fans in the Northern Panhandle — as in East Ohio, Southwestern Pennsylvania and even North Central West Virginia — who will make the trek to Wheeling to see top athletes compete.

“It’s an opportunity to see some high quality basketball being played,” O’Brien said. “The $1 million prize (to the overall winner) would incentivize anyone. It’s a pretty big motivator.”

Adding to the excitement is that there are teams involved featuring alumni from West Virginia University and Pitt, among others, he continued.

“It’s going to be of interest to the people in the area, as well as those who just like basketball,” O’Brien said. “Combine this with other events happening this week, it’s a chance to showcase what we have to offer in the area.”

He acknowledged visitors will be greeted by traffic and a host of construction projects happening as part of the downtown streetscape project. But O’Brien said the work hasn’t kept the public away from other events happening this summer.

“Most people have been able to overcome the inconvenience for the benefit,” he explained.

And businesses in the area also will share in the excitement and money spent in the area this week.

“Anytime you have an event — especially a multi-day event – that will bring people from out of town, you will see them booking hotel rooms, eating in local restaurants and buying gas. When you look at all those things, there is always a positive economic impact.”

O’Brien added that WesBanco Arena also has experience in setting up for high-end college basketball contests as host facility for the Mountain East Conference championship tournament, and that was what brought TBT organizers to Wheeling.

“They came in and they could see how it was set up … and that all the seats are great seats,” he said. “People at the arena do a great job preparing for events — from monster trucks to high end college basketball. They are great at making that transition.”