Paradise Jam Relocated To Liberty University In Virginia
September 29, 2017 | Men's Basketball
LYNCHBURG, Va. – The men's 2017 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam will be hosted by Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., tournament directors announced Friday, after the event was forced to relocate from the U.S. Virgin Islands due to damage from Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria. After receiving several host proposals from participating universities, tournament directors selected Liberty to host the event.
Colorado will open against Quinnipiac on Friday, Nov. 17, at 4 p.m. MST, in the third game of the day. Drake and Wake Forest will follow in the final game of the first day at 6:30 p.m. The winners of those two games will play Saturday, Nov. 18, in the second semifinal game at 6:30 p.m. while the losers play in the consolation round at 12:30 p.m. Final games will be played on Sunday, Nov. 19, culminating with the championship game at 6:30 p.m. Liberty, Houston, Mercer and Drexel are the other four teams in the tournament, one of which the Buffaloes will play on the final day.
"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," said Jenn Ashby, the Paradise Jam tournament director. "We're incredibly thankful to all of the participating teams for their willingness to make adjustments during a difficult time, and we're 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 and look forward to returning to the territory next year."
All 12 games will be hosted at the Vines Center on the Liberty University campus and will be streamed live at www.FloHoops.com.
"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," said Liberty Director of Athletics Ian McCaw. "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, LUSend (humanitarian organization) will be collecting donation items from fans that will be delivered to those in need in the U.S. Virgin Islands."
Tournament directors have partnered with The Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands to accept donations to aid in hurricane relief efforts in the U.S. Virgin Islands. To contribute to the relief fund, please visit paradisejam.com. All money donated will be used directly for hurricane relief efforts in the territory and donations are tax deductible.
Liberty University is also coordinating on-site donation efforts 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.Â
"We're thankful to everyone involved and cannot wait for another great year of Paradise Jam," Ashby said. "While teams are eager to compete in the tournaments, they've also shown a strong desire to band together and provide support to the U.S. Virgin Islands. We're so proud and excited to have universities participating that are willing to open their hearts to a territory that has given so much happiness and fun to student-athletes and teams for the past 17 years."
The event, which has been held in St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for 17-straight years, was forced to relocate due to damage caused by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria in September. Despite efforts to keep the 2017 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands and continued efforts by tournament staff to work through solutions, the infrastructure damage cause by both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria did not allow for the tournament to be hosted in the territory.
Each participating university in the men's 2017 Paradise Jam was provided the opportunity to submit a bid to host the tournament. Tournament directors selected the host site based upon proposals submitted by several participating schools.
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.
Complete Schedule (all times MT)
Nov. 17, 2017
Mercer vs. Liberty at 10 a.m.
Drexel vs. Houston at approx. 12:30 p.m.
Quinnipiac vs. Colorado at 4 p.m.
Drake vs. Wake Forest at approx. 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 18, 2017
Loser #1 vs. Loser #2 at 10 a.m.
Loser #3 vs. Loser #4 at approx. 12:30 p.m.
Winner #1 vs. Winner #2 at 4 p.m.
Winner #3 vs. Winner #4 at approx. 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 19, 2017
7th Place Game at 10 a.m.
4th Place Game at approx. 12:30 p.m.
3rd Place Game at 4 p.m.
Championship Game at approx. 6:30 p.m.