This year’s Cayman Islands Classic will welcome women’s basketball to the court at the John Gray High School Gymnasium for the first time since the tournament was launched in 2017.
The fifth edition of the preseason tournament (COVID forced the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 events) will feature the men’s teams as usual but will also include eight NCAA Division I women’s teams, an addition in which executive tournament director Joanne McCallie takes great pride.
“The eight teams will have the very best Cayman Islands experience,” McCallie said in an article on the Cayman Islands Classic website. “We will showcase the incredible talents of the teams, student-athletes, and coaches on a global level on one of the most beautiful islands in the world.
“This is an incredible time for women’s sports… I am thrilled that [event organiser] Caymax Sports has the vision to create an exciting and premium [multi-team event] tournament for women’s basketball.”
The men will open the tournament, with teams from Utah State, Marshall, Akron, Florida International, Drake, Oakland, Stephen F. Austin and Loyola Marymount competing from 19-21 Nov.
Drake will face Oakland in the opening game at 10am, followed by Stephen F. Austin meeting LMU at 12:30pm. In the first game of the evening session at 4pm, Utah State will play Marshall. Akron and Florida International will take the court in the final matchup of the day starting at 6:30pm.
Based on the results of the first day’s games, the men’s teams will be divided into consolation and winner’s brackets, with the semi-finals taking place on 20 Nov., and the third-place playoff and the finals to follow on 21 Nov.
“Our three-day tournament features an extremely competitive field, and we are excited to watch these teams compete for the Cayman Islands Classic championship title,” Joe Wright, chief executive officer of Caymax Sports Ltd, said on the Cayman Classic website.
The inaugural women’s teams – Virginia Tech; University of Connecticut; University of California, Los Angeles; Niagara; Tulane; Virginia; Louisiana State University; and Kansas – will close the tournament, playing from 24-25 Nov.
Virginia will face Tulane in the opening game at 10am, followed by LSU taking on Niagara at 12:30pm. The evening session will feature Virginia Tech playing Kansas at 4pm, with UConn meeting UCLA in the final game at 6:30pm.
Saturday’s action starts with Virginia Tech playing Tulane at 10am, followed by UCLA against Niagara at 12:30pm.
Then LSU will face Virginia at 4pm, with UConn playing Kansas in the last game of the women’s tournament at 6:30pm.
Previous winners of the Cayman Islands Classic were Cincinnati (2017), Creighton (2018), George Mason (2019) and Kansas State (2022).
Related Videos
