NCAA changes
could hurt Hawaii
holiday basketball

Pending approval, a new rule
would hurt Christmas tourneys

By Dave Reardon
Star-Bulletin

You can still see the national champions play on Maui this Thanksgiving, but beyond that, the future of high-profile college basketball in Hawaii may have taken a big hit.

The NCAA approved a proposal yesterday that could hurt five college basketball tournaments played in Hawaii each holiday season.

It goes into effect Aug. 1, 2002, pending approval by a group of university presidents April 26. It eliminates exemptions that allow teams to play pre-season tourney games that do not count against the team's limit of games for a season.

An amendment proposed by the University of Hawaii to continue exemptions for tournaments hosted by UH was also voted down.

UH, Chaminade University, Hawaii Pacific University, Brigham Young University Hawaii and the University of Hawaii-Hilo all host holiday tournaments that consistently attract Top 25 teams.

Duke University, which beat the University of Arizona for the NCAA championship April 2, is scheduled to play in the Maui Invitational this year (Arizona won the Maui tournament last November).

A third 2000-2001 Final Four team, the University of Maryland, also played in the 2000 tournament.

The new rule will not affect this year's tournaments, but future holiday seasons might not be as fun for local basketball fans. Also, top-caliber basketball programs have brought thousands of their own fans to Hawaii, stimulating the island economy.

"It's something we'll have to wait and see about," Hawaii Pacific Athletic Director and coach Tony Sellitto said. "If there's no exemption, will they still want to use those games just to tell recruits they go to Hawaii? When you talk about a Michigan or Notre Dame, they could sell out three more home games and keep more money."

The Maui Invitational, one of the top pre-season tournaments in the nation, has existed since 1984. It is televised by ESPN and sponsored by Kemper Sports.

In addition to Duke, the University of Kansas, UCLA, University of South Carolina, Ball State University, Seton Hall University and the University of Houston are scheduled to join Chaminade on Maui this Thanksgiving weekend.

For 2002 -- the first season under the new rule -- Arizona State University, Indiana University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Virginia, the University of Utah, the University of Massachusetts and Gonzaga University have agreed to play.

Chaminade coach and Athletic Director Aaron Griess said it is too early to say the tournaments will not continue to attract top-notch programs or if any of the committed teams will try to back out.

"They haven't eliminated the tournaments," Griess said. "It might not be as negative as some people think. It's uncharted waters for everyone."

He said it may turn out that eight-team tournaments like the Maui Invitational and the Outrigger Hotels Rainbow Classic will continue while four-team tournaments do not.

To that end, Hawaii coach Riley Wallace said the four-team tournaments UH hosts -- the United Airlines Tip-Off and the Nike Festival -- could fall by the wayside after next season.

And that does not mean the Rainbow Classic, which has existed since 1964, is guaranteed to survive, he said.

"The Rainbow Classic was already in jeopardy," Wallace said. "It's getting harder. We've still got teams to fill for this year."

The University of Georgia, Boston College and the University of Portland have committed to this December's tournament. The University of Nebraska was in but pulled out.

At the very least, it appears the loss of the tournament exemption will make it more difficult for all Hawaii teams to schedule nonconference games.

"It's very unfortunate because people forgot the reason for the exemption. It started because of location," said Kathleen McNally, athletic director at Hawaii-Hilo.