Tournament directors for the 2017 Paradise Jam announced on Friday the event will be relocated to the Liberty University Vines Center, Nov. 17-19. The Paradise Jam was relocated from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands due to Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
In conjunction with the tournament, Liberty University will donate all of the tournament gate receipts to the humanitarian relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands in order to assist with the recovery due to the hurricane destruction.
All donation efforts will be coordinated through LU Send Now, the university’s quick response team for urgent disaster relief and humanitarian needs. Since the beginning of the academic year, LU Send Now has dispatched students to help with hurricane relief efforts in Texas and the islands of Antigua and Barbuda, plus currently has students working in Mexico following a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Central Mexico.
The tournament received several proposals to host from the participating schools with the tournament directors ultimately selection to host the 12-game event in Lynchburg. The eight-team tournament includes Colorado, Drake, Drexel, Houston, Liberty, Quinnipiac and Wake Forest.
The 2016 tournament had two postseason qualifiers in Ole Miss, earning a No. 5 seed in the NIT, and last year’s champion, Creighton, qualifying as a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The 2017 Paradise Jam field features four teams that played postseason basketball this past year including the Flames, who advanced to the quarterfinals of the CIT. Wake Forest appeared in the NCAA Tournament, while Houston and Colorado qualified for the NIT.
The Paradise Jam has been held on St. Thomas for 17-straight years, but once the disaster hit the U.S. Virgin Islands, the tournament directors selected host sites based upon the proposals submitted by several participating schools.
Fans can stream all the games live at www.FloHoops.com. With a FloPRO subscription, fans can watch all 24 games of the men’s and women’s 2017 Paradise Jam and all 12 games of the 2017 Junkanoo Jam, in addition to having unlimited access to FloHoops’ extensive scouting and live streaming coverage of college and high school basketball and recruiting.
Fans who purchased travel packages and tickets directly through the Paradise Jam website have been fully refunded. For more information about the 2017 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, visit www.paradisejam.com.
2017 Paradise Jam Ticketing Information
– All-Session Tickets (12 games): $70
– Individual Session Tickets (Two games each session): $20
– College students (with a valid college ID) and younger admitted free with a Hurricane Relief donation
- There will be two game sessions per day, with each session consisting of two games (four games per day)
- Tickets will go on sale on Tuesday (Oct. 3) at 9 a.m. and can be purchased through the Flames Ticket Office
o Email: [email protected]
o Phone: (434) 582-SEAT (7328)
Comments: Paradise Jam moving to Liberty
Paradise Jam Tournament Director Jenn Asby
“We received several strong proposals from participating universities and ultimately made the decision based off of feasibility for traveling teams, hotel availability, flight availability, associated costs and practice and competition venues. We’re incredibly thankful to all of the participating teams for their willingness to make adjustments during a difficult time, and appreciative of the Liberty program for their desire to contribute to the hurricane relief efforts as part of their proposal to host the Paradise Jam. We’re looking forward to hosting an event that matches the standard we have come to expect in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
Liberty University Director of Athletics Ian McCaw
“We are honored and thrilled to host the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam at Liberty University. This event is one of college basketball’s most prestigious tournaments and we look forward to Wake Forest, Colorado, Drexel, Houston, Mercer, Quinnipiac and Drake competing on our campus. All of the tournament gate receipts will be donated by Liberty to humanitarian relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands to assist in their recovery from the hurricane destruction. Moreover, LU Send Now will be collecting donation items from fans that will be delivered to those in need in the U.S. Virgin Islands.”
Liberty University Head Men’s Basketball Coach Ritchie McKay
“We consider it a great privilege to partner with Basketball Travelers, our faculty, staff, and student body in supporting the relief effort in the Virgin Islands. I know by experience how hospitable the residents of these islands are who have contributed in hosting the many teams that have participated in this prestigious event in the past. In my 29 years of coaching, the Paradise Jam has been one of my all-time favorites, so we are elated that we will have the opportunity to be an extension of this event and hope that our guests feel the same type of warmth and hospitality during their stay. It speaks volumes about our leadership to support an effort not only to host this event for our community, but also to turn over the proceeds to support the relief effort in the Virgin Islands. It is again another reason why Liberty is such a special place.”
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