The highly anticipated exempt basketball tournament, which would
bring some of the best men?s collegiate basketball teams the city
of Corpus Christi has ever seen, is now a reality when Texas
A&M-Corpus Christi hosts the Corpus Christi Challenge on Nov.
27-28.
The six-team tournament will feature Florida State, TCU, Kent
State, Old Dominion, Shawnee State (Ohio) as well as TAMUCC.
Florida State finished with a 19-14 last season and had an RPI
rating of 53, the highest in the Corpus Christi Challenge. The
Seminoles have been touted as having one of the top five recruiting
classes in the country.
TCU, the Islanders opening opponent finished the 2003-04 season
with a 12-17 record and had an RPI rating of 120.
Kent State returns after an impressive 22-9 season a year ago and
a trip to the National Invitational Tournament.
Old Dominion, who has all five starters returning from a 17-12
campaign a year ago, will take on the Islanders at 5 p.m. on
Sunday, Nov. 28.
Chris Spencer, who is the tournament director for Worldwide
Basketball, credits Corpus Christi with its facility and climate as
a plus for some of the schools to play in an exempt tournament such
as the Corpus Christi Challenge. ?As far as where we have held our
exempt tournaments in the past, the AmericanBank Center is one of
the best I have seen and I think some of the schools participating
will agree,? Spencer said. ?I think we achieved what we wanted to
with the teams we have coming to Corpus Christi in just the first
year of the tournament. We are sure the people of Corpus Christi
will embrace this tournament with the teams we have coming in so we
can continue to have the tournament here year in and year out.?
The tournament will open at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday with Shawnee
State taking on Old Dominion followed by Florida State facing Kent
State at 5 p.m. TAMUCC will finish out the opening day with a 7:30
p.m. tipoff against TCU.
On Sunday, Shawnee State will take on Kent State at 2:30 p.m.
followed by TAMUCC and Old Dominion tipping off at 5 p.m. TCU and
Florida State will play the final game of the tournament at 7:30
p.m.
TAMUCC head coach Ronnie Arrow is excited to have such an event in
the city for having a program that is one of the youngest in the
NCAA Division I ranks. ?In bringing this tournament it is a win-win
situation for the city and the university. Something of this
magnitude can only bring good things to our program.?
Ticket prices will be $13 for Island seats and $22 for courtside
seats and a single ticket will be valid for all three games per
day. TAMUCC season tickets are now on sale at the Islander ticket
office. For more information, call 825-2255.
2004 Corpus Christi Challenge Schedule
Saturday, Nov. 27 2:30 p.m. Shawnee State vs. Old Dominion
5 p.m. Florida State vs. Kent State
7:30 p.m. TAMUCC vs. TCU
Sunday, Nov. 28 2:30 p.m. Shawnee State vs. Kent State
5 p.m. TAMUCC vs. Old Dominion
7:30 p.m. TCU vs. Florida State
