The Basketball Tournament, Winner-Take-All $1,000,000 Event, Selects Midwest, South, Northeast Sites

BOSTON - May 21, 2015 - PRLog -- The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a single-elimination, five-on-five winner-take-all, open-application tournament launched in 2014, today announced sites for the Super 17 and opening rounds of the 2015 event. DePaul University’s McGrath-Phillips Arena in Chicago will host the Midwest Regional July 17-19 as well as the Super 17 July 23-25, during which the final 17 teams will travel to Chicago to compete in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. Philadelphia University will host the Northeast Regional July 17-19 and Clayton State University, just outside of Atlanta, will host the South Regional July 10-12. These three facilities join Cal State Los Angeles, which will host the West Regional July 10-12, and Fordham University in New York, which will host the semi-finals and $1 million, winner-take-all championship August 1 and 2.

“DePaul is the perfect host for our Super 17 event. Not only is it in the great neighborhood of Lincoln Park, but it also has a perfectly sized arena to host our Notre Dame Play-In Game, round of 16 and quarterfinals,” said Jonathan Mugar, Founder of The Basketball Tournament. “I’m confident that those in attendance at McGrath-Phillips Arena for our Super 17 will witness the best basketball being played anywhere in the world that weekend.”

Clayton State’s Athletics & Fitness Center underwent a major renovation in 2012 and can seat 1,400.  Philadelphia University’s state-of-the-art, 1,000-seat Gallagher Athletic, Recreation and Convocation Center will be hosting games for the second straight year, after serving as the opening round site in 2014. DePaul’s Lincoln Park campus will host two consecutive weekends of play at McGrath-Phillips Arena, the home of the Blue Demons’ women’s basketball and volleyball teams.  McGrath-Phillips Arena opened in 2000 and seats close to 3,000 fans.

Opening rounds begin July 10-12 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 lowest-remaining seed from Chicago in the opening game of the Super 17 from DePaul, televised live on ESPNU. ESPNU will also carry all four Quarterfinal games on Saturday July 25, in marathon coverage, live from McGrath-Phillips Arena. 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 live on ESPN.

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 several players with NBA experience, including Los Angeles Clipper Dahntay Jones), 72-68, to win the event and the $500,000.

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