Caymax Sports Ltd.,
organisers of the Cayman Islands Classic Basketball Tournament, today
announced the eight US college teams that will compete in the third
annual tournament scheduled for 25 to 27 November at the John Gray
Gymnasium. Loyola-Chicago, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Old Dominion
and University of South Florida – five teams which advanced to 2019
post-season play – will headline the event along with Colorado
State, George Mason and Washington State.

New Mexico State and
Old Dominion advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament, while Loyola of
Chicago and Nebraska played in the National Invitation Tournament
(NIT) and South Florida captured the 2019 College Basketball
Invitational championship.

"We're thrilled
that our Tournament Director Maury Hanks has put together another
competitive tournament, featuring several teams that college
basketball fans will be hearing about during the upcoming season,"
said Caymax President Victor ‘Voot’ O’Garro. “The Cayman
Islands Classic is gaining a strong reputation. Coaches who have
played here in the last two tournaments continue to talk about the
warm Cayman Islands hospitality and how well organised the event is.
We plan to build on that momentum."

“The Cayman
Islands has earned a reputation for being a premier destination for
sporting events and I am very pleased that we will once again have
the opportunity to host the prestigious CI Classic for the 3rd
consecutive year,” said Hon. Moses Kirkconnell, Minister for
District Administration, Tourism & Transport. “This tournament
brings some of the leading US Men’s College Basketball teams to our
shores and also delivers significant economic and promotional
benefits to our Island. Last year over a billion active users were
able to tune in via Facebook’s extensive streaming network,
providing the Cayman Islands with tremendous global exposure.”

He added, “As well
as providing excellent facilities at the John Gray gymnasium, we look
forward to extending our unique brand of Caymankindness to the
visiting teams to ensure their time with us will be productive and
memorable.”

New Mexico State has
a rich basketball tradition having played in the NCAA Tournament
eight times in the past 10 years, including the last three
consecutively. Behind head coach Chris Jans, the Aggies are the
two-time defending Western Athletic Conference regular season and
post-season tournament champion. They are also coming off a
school-record 30-4 overall mark this past season.

Old Dominion posted
a 25-6 record en route to winning the Conference USA regular-season
and tournament titles while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the
first time since 2011. Guard Xavier Green, the C-USA tournament most
valuable player, is among the top returning players. Jeff Jones just
concluded his sixth year as head coach of the Monarchs being named
the Conference USA Coach of the Year. During his 27 years as a
collegiate coach Jones has taken teams to the NCAA Tournament eight
times, including previous stints at Virginia and American.

Loyola of Chicago is
the two-time defending Missouri Valley Conference regular season
champion under coach Porter Moser. The Ramblers’ run to the NCAA
Final Four in 2018 was one of the great college basketball stories of
this decade en route to posting a school-record 32-6 mark. Junior
centre Cameron Krutwig, who finished third in the Missouri Valley
Conference Player of the Year balloting, will lead the Ramblers
fortunes this upcoming season.

South Florida is
looking to ride the momentum from this past season when it posted a
school record 24 victories (24-14 mark), which was the top
improvement turnaround in the NCAA winning 14 more games than in
2017-18. Second-year head coach Brian Gregory has three top players
to continue the Bulls’ rise in the American Athletic Conference
headed by junior guard David Collins, who was named the most valuable
player in the College Basketball Invitational.

South Florida guard
Laquincy Rideau set a league single-season record with 101 steals and
was one of three players in the NCAA with 100 assists and 100 steals.
Forward Alexis Yetna was named the American Athletic Conference
Freshman of the Year after averaging 12.3 points and a school
freshman record 9.6 rebounds.

Nebraska and
Washington State are opening new chapters in programme history with
first-year coaches Fred Hoiberg and Kyle Smith, respectively.
Hoiberg inherits a Nebraska programme that went 19-17 this past
season while advancing to the second round of the NIT. He led Iowa
State to four NCAA Tournaments from 2010-15, including a trip to the
Sweet 16 in 2014, before becoming head coach of the NBA’s Chicago
Bulls from 2015-18.

George Mason, under
coach Dave Paulsen, posted an 18-15 record this past season while
winning the most conference games (11) since joining the Atlantic 10
Conference in 2013-14. Senior guard Justin Kier, named the Atlantic
10 Most Improved Player, will be the Patriots’ top returning player
after leading the team in scoring (14.2 avg.) and rebounding (7.6
avg.) while earning all-league honours.

Colorado State,
under the guidance of second-year coach Niko Medved, is led by 6-foot
11-inch senior centre Nico Carvacho, who ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in
rebounding this past season with a 13.2 average. Carvacho earned U.S.
Basketball Writers Association All-District honours as well as
first-team All-Mountain West Conference honours, while being named to
the league’s All-Defensive Team.

Kyle Smith was named
the new head coach at Washington State on 27 March after a successful
coaching tenure at San Francisco where he guided the Dons to three
straight 20-plus victory campaigns. Forward CJ Elleby, who was named
to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team after averaging 14.7 points and 7.1
rebounds, is among the top returnees for the upcoming season for the
Cougars.

Participating
coaches are eager to play in the Cayman Islands Classic which has
quickly become one of the top pre-season college basketball
tournaments.

“We are very
excited about participating in the Cayman Islands Classic,” said
Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg. “I have spoken with multiple
coaches who played in the tournament in recent years and all have
said it is a first-class event held in a beautiful location. We
believe this will be a tremendous experience for our team and our
fans.”

“The Cayman
Islands Classic is without a doubt one of the nation’s premier
holiday tournaments,” said Old Dominion head coach Jeff Jones.
“Maury Hanks has put together an extremely competitive field and we
are thrilled to be a part of it. Visiting the Cayman Islands and
enjoying the world class beaches and hotels will be a great treat for
our team and fans."

“We are thrilled
to be a part of the Cayman Islands Classic,” added South Florida
head coach Brian Gregory. “It has quickly grown into a premiere
early season event. We are excited to be a part of such a
high-quality field.”

For more information
about the Cayman Islands Classic visit www.caymanislandsclassic.com
or email Coach Voot O’Garro at victor@caymanislandsclassic.com.