Canes To Play in 2012 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic
Nov. 18, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s basketball team is one of eight teams selected to play in the 2012 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, the fourth annual holiday tournament to be held in late December, around the Christmas holiday, at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
“We are very honored to be included in ESPN’s exempt event in Honolulu, playing some of the best college basketball programs in the country, including Arizona, San Diego State and Ole Miss,” said Coach Larranaga. “It will be a great challenge for our program.”
Also competing in the 2012 tournament are NCAA Championship qualifying teams Arizona and San Diego State, Classic host Hawaii, Ole Miss, San Francisco, Texas Tech and one team still to be determined.
“We’ve always tried to develop a great working relationship with ESPN and love the idea of them hosting exempt events in some of the greatest venues in the country,” added Larranaga. “We are very excited because all of these games will be televised and we believe it is a wonderful way for our team to celebrate Christmas on EPSN in front of a national audience.”
Tournament Field
• Miami and Ole Miss earned National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berths, while Hawaii and San Francisco competed in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament
• Arizona was ranked No. 16 in the preseason ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
• The Wildcats reached the Elite 8 of the NCAA Championship and San Diego State advanced to the Sweet 16.
Tournament Information
The 2012 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, an eight-team men’s college basketball tournament, will feature 12 games over the three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match.
The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN.
The University of Southern California won the inaugural tournament in 2009, followed by Butler in 2010.
Travel information
The family-friendly tournament and resort destination of Honolulu, Hawaii will host the teams to three days of play, practices and the unique spirit of Aloha from the Hawaiian Islands. Teams will also have the opportunity to attend the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl played during the same week. Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Web site at www.diamondheadclassic.com.
About Hawaiian Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com.
ESPN Regional Television
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,200 sporting events. Content includes action from NCAA football, basketball and Olympic sports, NHRA and professional and amateur golf, accounting for more than 3,400 live and/or original hours of programming. ERT’s owned and operated events reach over a million fans a year and provides more than 200 additional hours of programming.
In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, WAC) and manages the Big 12 Corporate Partner Program.
ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events:
Collegiate Football
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg; Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Dallas-Fort Worth); BBVA Compass Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu); Meineke Car Care Bowl of Texas (Houston); MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.) and The Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards
Collegiate Basketball
76 Classic (Anaheim, Calif.); State Farm Champions Classic (Madison Square Garden; debuts 2011); DIRECTV Charleston Classic presented by Foster Grant (S.C.); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); 5-hour ENERGY® Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) and Sears BracketBusters
Collegiate Lacrosse
ESPNU Warrior Classic
Additional Events
Hawaiian Islands Invitational (Soccer) and ESPN National Golf Challenge
For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.
