Cal State L. A. To Host Opening Round Of The Basketball Tournament, Winner-Take-All $1 Million Event

BOSTON - May 14, 2015 - PRLog -- The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a single-elimination, five-on-five winner-take-all, open-application tournament launched in 2014, today announced that California State University, Los Angeles will host opening round games in the West Region of the 2015 event. Games at “The Eagles Nest” will be held the weekend of July 10-12, with the four teams from the region advancing to the Super 17 in Chicago.

“After receiving national interest in the event last year, we knew we wanted to add a West Region. We quickly identified Cal State L.A. as a perfect venue to host our preliminary rounds,” said Jonathan Mugar, Founder of The Basketball Tournament. ”We have a diverse array of teams that have applied thus far into the West, from such places as Drew League, the Air Force Academy, Seattle, and even a team from Alaska. We also have a team of all women that have applied from motion pictures called the Pistol Shrimps.”

Located in the East LA neighborhood, The Eagles Nest seats just over 2,100 fans at full capacity, with 800 chairback seats. It is home to the Division II Cal State L.A. basketball and volleyball teams and in 1984 hosted the judo competition for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Opening rounds begin July 10-12 at regional sites in Atlanta and LA, and continue July 17-19 in Chicago and Philadelphia. Play continues on Thursday, July 23, when defending champion Notre Dame Fighting Alumni meets the lower-seeded Chicago entrant in the opening game of the Super 17 from Chicago, televised live on ESPNU. ESPNU will also carry all four Quarterfinal games on Saturday July 25, in marathon coverage, live from Chicago. Whoever makes it out of Chicago will then travel to Fordham University in New York City for the Semifinals and the winner-take-all, $1 Million, Championship Game.

Additional tournament venues outside of those already announced in New York and LA will be announced shortly.

Team applications into TBT began on April 1 and will run until 12p ET on June 1. Entry is free. The only way for teams to qualify is to organize themselves and recruit votes via TheTournament.com. Teams must consist of a General Manager (GM), at least seven players, and have 100+ fan votes to be eligible. Applicants must be 18 or older.

Philadelphia University and Boston University played host to the first tournament in June of 2014. In the championship game, the Notre Dame Fighting Alumni (led by former All BIG EAST players Torin Francis, Chris Thomas, and Russell Carter) defeated tournament favorite Team Barstool (led by Ross Burns, Dave Portnoy, Dan Katz and several players with NBA experience, including Los Angeles Clipper Dahntay Jones), 72-68, to win the event and the $500,000. The Notre Dame Fighting Alumni will be back to defend their title in 2015.

ABOUT THE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Conceived by CEO Jonathan Mugar as the ultimate opportunity for fans, athletes and social media mavens to create teams and then participate in a high-stakes, professionally run and organized sporting event, The Basketball Tournament is a winner-take-all, single elimination, open competition for players 18 years of age or older.  In its first season, The Basketball Tournament drew over 100 team entries from around the country with 32 teams ultimately making the field.  Participants ranged from professional players and recent college talent to local legends and pickup basketball stars.  An overwhelming success in its launch year, the event is expanding nationwide in 2015, and doubling its prize. Among the advisors for the event are sports industry veterans Tony Ponturo of Ponturo Management Group, Andy Dolich of Dolich Consulting, and Len DeLuca of Len DeLuca & Associates, LLC. For more details visit http://www.thetournament.com/

Media Contacts:

Fran Kirmser fran@kirmserponturo.com
Joe Favorito, Kirmser Ponturo Group fatherknickerbocker1@yahoo.com 201-746-0005

Bill Hofheimer/ESPN bill.hofheimer@espn.com 860-766-9589