Ramblers Headed to the Cayman Islands

Editor: The following is part of a press release from caymanislandsclassic.com.

(George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) — Caymax Sports Ltd. announced today that five teams which advanced to 2019 post-season play headline the field for the third annual Cayman Islands Classic college basketball tournament November 25-27.

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

Colorado State, George Mason and Washington Stateround out the tournament field which will be held at John Gray Gymnasium, just minutes away from world famous Seven Mile Beach.

“We’re excited that our tournament director Maury Hanks has put together another strong competitive tournament, featuring several teams that college basketball fans will be hearing about during the upcoming season,” said Cayman Sports chief executive officer Joe Wright.  “We’re happy that the Cayman Islands Classic is gaining a strong reputation. Coaches who have played here continue to talk about the great Cayman Islands hospitality and how well organized our three-day event has been.”

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 straight. Behind head coach Chris Jans, the Aggies are the two-time defending Western Athletic Conference regular season and post-season tournament champion. The Aggies are coming off a school-record 30-5 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.

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 center 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 looks 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.

Nebraska and Washington State are opening new chapters in program history with first-year coaches Fred Hoiberg and Kyle Smith, respectively.

Hoiberg inherits a Nebraska program 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 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.

Colorado State, under the guidance of second-year coach Niko Medved, is led by 6-foot 11-inch senior center Nico Carvacho who ranked No. 1 in the NCAA in rebounding this past season with a 13.2 average.

Smith was named the new head coach at Washington State March 27 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, is among the top returnees for the upcoming season for the Cougars.

Participating coaches are eager to play in the three-day affair which has developed into one of the top preseason 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 event 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.”

Ticket information will be announced later this summer.

Editor: Two former Missouri Valley Conference coaches, Chris Jans (assistant at Wichita State) and Niko Medved (Drake head coach) are a part of this three-day tournament.