Country United States Venue Sports and Fitness Center | Official website Paradise Jam | |
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Founded 2000 (women's), 2001 (men's) Founder Basketball Travelers, Inc. No. of teams 8 men's teams, 8 women's teams Most recent
champion(s) Men Creighton
Women Maryland (Reef)
Women Rutgers (Island) TV partners CBS Sports Network, SportsNet New York Instances 2016 Paradise Jam Tournament | ||
The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam is a preseason college basketball tournament that takes place in late November of each year, with the men usually playing the week before Thanksgiving and the women playing Thanksgiving week. It takes place in St. Thomas at the Sports and Fitness Center on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands.
Contents
Creighton is the defending men's champion. Maryland and Rutgers are the defending women's champions in the Reef and Island divisions, respectively.
Format
The tournament began in 2000 as a women's tournament. In 2001 a men's tournament was added and both have been played every year since 2001. In its current format both tournaments feature eight teams playing three games.
Men's format
The men's tournament was introduced in 2001 with a six-team, three-game format. In 2006, the tournament was expanded to eight teams playing in a predetermined bracket. All teams play three games with the final day's games determining placement in all positions, first through eighth.
Women's format
The original women's format was a six-team tournament with teams divided into two groups of three for a round-robin competition. Group standings following the conclusion of the three games decided the entrants to the fifth-place, third-place, and championship games. In 2001, the women's tournament was altered to include three divisions - St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. The following year the St. Croix division was dropped leaving two divisions. Over the years the women's tournament has featured anywhere from six to 10 teams. In 2008, the format was altered to its current form, featuring the Reef and Island divisions with four teams playing in each division. All teams play three games with the final day's games determining placement in all positions, first through fourth in each division.