JTB among major sponsors of US college basketball tournament
Homecoming for Jamaica-born NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing
IT WILL be a homecoming for Jamaicaborn NBA Hall of Famer Patrick Ewing who is set to lead the Fighting Hoyas of Georgetown as they battle for championship honours during the Second Annual Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic College Basketball event.
Set for November 16-18 at the Montego Bay Convention Centre in Jamaica’s tourism capital, the Georgetown Hoyas are among eight of America’s best college Basketball teams that will compete in this year’s tournament. The other teams are Loyola Marymount University, Ohio University, University of South Florida, Central Connecticut State University, Austin Peay, Campbell University, and Florida A&M. All games will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
This is the second consecutive year that the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB) is partnering with the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic. Through this partnership, the JTB will realise one of its core mandates of hosting worldclass events that showcase Destination Jamaica as a prime location for international events. According to Donovan White, director of tourism, “We are revved up to have the legendary Patrick Ewing, one of our own, perform his coaching exploits on home soil. Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic offers a win-win opportunity for the destination. We will enjoy hours of visibility on a US national TV station, we will welcome a significant contingent of basketball players and their families to the island. At the same time, we are establishing Jamaica as a venue for non-traditional sports. The Jamaica Tourist Board is very happy to be a sponsor for this event.”
Head coach of the Fighting Hoyas, Ewing, who was born in Kingston, Jamaica, in confirming his team’s participation, said, “I am really looking forward to bringing my Georgetown team to my birthplace, and we hope to bring some great basketball and excitement to Jamaica.” Georgetown’s roster has additional connections to Jamaica as guard Jagan Mosely’s father is from Brown’s Town and guard Jahvon Blair’s late father is from Montego Bay.
Executive director of Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic Jacob Ridenhour noted that they are excited to be back in Montego Bay. “A number of the teams that will participate have players of Jamaican heritage. While the tournament does boost tourism, it’s more about the scholarships and opportunities which are available through basketball so Jamaican youth can be motivated and aspire to play in college or become a pro like Ewing.”
This year’s tournament builds on the successes of the inaugural launch in 2017, which brought the games and the destination to the eyes of the 60 million CBS Sports Television viewers for 14 hours.