Men’s Tournament — The tournament directors at Basketball Travelers Inc. (BTI) have officially announced the 2015 fields of the Ezybonds Global Payments U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. The eight NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball teams participating in the 16th annual event include DePaul, Florida State, Indiana State, Hofstra, Norfolk State, Ohio, South Carolina and Tulsa. The men’s tournament takes place annually the week before Thanksgiving, and this year it will be held Nov. 20-23 at the University of the Virgin Islands on St. Thomas.
This year’s tournament features two alumni teams. Norfolk State makes its third trip back to the Virgin Islands. The Spartans fell just short of a championship in 2011, falling to Marquette in the championship, and placed 6th in the 2005 event. DePaul makes its second trip back to Paradise, placing 3rd back in 2009.
Women’s Tournaments — The following week will continue with the two women’s tournaments and feature four teams in each tournament. The eight NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball teams participating in the 16th annual event include Maryland, Old Dominion, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, South Dakota State, Tulane, Virginia and UW- Green Bay. Old Dominion and Rutgers both return to the V.I. for the fourth time.
About the Tournaments on Paradisejam.com Paradise Jam, held annually at the University of the Virgin Islands, has become one of the premier pre-season destination tournaments for men’s basketball. It is a multiple team event (MTE) tournament, counting only two of the three games against participants’ 29 allotted games. Hosted at the $11 million state-of-the-art UVI Sports and Fitness Center, Paradise Jam attracts thousands of tourists to the U.S. Virgin Islands each year while immersing participating fans and teams in the culture and travel experience that has made the U.S.V.I. one of the premier destinations in the Caribbean.
About Basketball Travelers Inc. Established in 1985, Basketball Travelers Inc. is the leading firm in the United States for organizing domestic and international basketball competition. Over 200 collegiate and high school teams participate annually in tours and tournaments run by BTI. It seeks to not only contribute to basketball’s worldwide development, but also to facilitate goodwill and understanding between nations and peoples of all backgrounds.