DAYTONA BEACH, Fla -- Sport Tours International, the leader in arranging college basketball tournaments throughout America and the Caribbean, has added a new tournament for the 2007-08 season. The inaugural Glenn Wilkes Classic will be held over a span of two weeks and will feature eight Division I men's basketball teams-four of which come from the state of Florida.
"It's a tough field and it's important for us to focus in one game at a time," said USF head coach Stan Heath. "Our home opener against Cleveland State is a part of the tournament and in my opinion is the most important game. I like having a pre-set field and also playing close enough for our fans to to see our team. We'll find out a lot real early."
Four schools (Florida State University, University of Rhode Island, University of Alabama- Birmingham, and the University of South Florida) will serve as hosts for first round games on Nov. 9 or 10. Following the first round games the four traveling teams (Georgia Southern University, Florida Atlantic University, Stetson University and Cleveland State University) will join the four hosts in Daytona Beach, FL, for three days of basketball on Nov. 16, 17, and 18. The Classic, which falls under the NCAA's Multiple Team Event format, will feature four games each day at the sparkling, 8,000-seat Ocean Center in Daytona Beach.
The event is named after longtime Stetson University head coach Glenn Wilkes. Wilkes, respectfully known as the Godfather of Florida basketball, coached for 36 seasons at Stetson and ranks 41st all-time on the NCAA Division I coaching victories list.
Wilkes won 552 games at Stetson and posted 27 winning seasons during his tenure. An author of five basketball-related books, Wilkes is still actively involved in the game of basketball. In 1958 he founded the Glenn Wilkes Basketball School, the south's first and most popular basketball school. Wilkes is currently the director of the Shooting Stars Basketball Camp, Assistant Director of the Michael Jordan Basketball Camp, Michael Jordan Fantasy Camp, and LeBron James Basketball Camp, while being heavily involved in various Nike basketball camps. Wilkes has been honored extensively for his accomplishments and is a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame, the Stetson and Mercer University Hall's of Fame, and the Nike Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Game times and dates for the first round games will be determined by each individual host instititution and will be announced when they are made available. Please note that the game schedule for the three days of play in Daytona Beach is subject to change.
Fans can purchase both single session and all tournament tickets by visiting any Ticketmaster location, calling Ticketmaster at 407-839-3900 or by visiting www.ticketmaster.com. The Glenn Wilkes Classic will feature two sessions each day with two games per session, and 12 games total for the weekend.
Lower bowl tickets are priced $20 and $15 per session and $100 and $75 for an all tournament ticket. Tickets in the upper bowl are $12 per session and $60 for the entire tournament. Students can purchase single session tickets for $12 and $10 per session or $60 and $50 for a tournament pass. However, student ticket purchases must be made at the Ocean Center Box Office and students must present a valid school ID. Please note that applicable service charges can be added to purchases.
The first session each day is set to begin at 12 p.m. with the second game set to tipoff at 2:15 p.m. The second session each day begins at 6 p.m. with the final game of the day set for 8:15 p.m. Fur further questions about tickets please call the Ocean Center Box Office at 386-254-4545 or Sport Tours International at 414-228-7337.
2007 Glenn Wilkes Classic Participants: Univeristy of South Florida, Florida State, Rhode Island, UAB, Georgia Southern, Florida Atlantic, Stetson, Cleveland State
