GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS – Tournament officials have announced the field for the 2023 Cayman Islands Classic men’s college basketball tournament. The fifth edition of the event will tip-off Nov. 19-21 at The John Gray Gymnasium, just minutes away from world famous Seven Mile Beach.
Drake, LMU, Marshall, Oakland, Ole Miss, Stephen F. Austin, Utah State and Wake Forest will compete in the tournament announced by Caymax Sports Ltd.
“Our three-day tournament features an extremely competitive field and we are excited to watch these teams compete for the Cayman Islands Classic championship title,” said Joe Wright, Chief Executive Officer of Caymax Sports Ltd. “Our tournament has gained a reputation as a first-class event amongst the coaches that have played here. Visiting the Cayman Islands and enjoying the world-class beaches and hotels will be a great treat for the teams and fans.”
A Look At The Field
Drake and Utah State participated in the 2023 NCAA Tournament. Drake enjoyed a 27-8 record in 2022-23 — the school’s fifth straight 20-win season — while winning the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. Utah State posted a 26-9 record in 2023, while finishing second in the Mountain West Conference with a 13-5 mark.Ole Miss will open a new era in its men’s basketball program with first-year coach Chris Beard, who has been a four-time conference coach of the year and 2019 national coach of the year.
Wake Forest, under the guidance of coach Steve Forbes, went 19-14 this past season.
Marshall had one of NCAA basketball’s best turnarounds in 2022-23, winning the most regular season games (24) in 76 years while doubling its win total from its previous season. The Herd did so in its first year as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
LMU posted a 19-12 record, including a 9-7 mark in the West Coast Conference.
Greg Kampe will enter his 40th season at the helm of Oakland — the longest tenured active coach in NCAA Division I.
A Deep Dive Look At The Lumberjacks
Stephen F. Austin had a 19-13 record, including an 11-7 mark in the Western Athletic Conference. After the final games of the regular season, the Lumberjacks led the conference in field goal percentage with 47.4% and in turnovers forced per game with 18.10. Sadaidriene Hall, led the conference in field goal percentage with 59.6%. The whole SFA team shot 40% or better from the field on the year. The ‘Jacks remain the third best team in the nation when it comes turnovers forced per game, as seven Lumberjacks have recorded 20 steals on the season with AJ Cajuste leading the way with 45 steals.
Latrell Jossell has been the sharp shooter from deep for SFA all season long as he is 67-for-157 (42.7%) on shots beyond the arc this year. At one point in the year, Jossell was a top five deep shooter in the country.
SFA specific travel packages will be released shortly.
Cayman Islands Classic History
2022 — Kansas State, champion; LSU, runner-up
2019 — George Mason, champion; New Mexico State, runner-up
2018 — Creighton, champion; Clemson, runner-up
2017 — Cincinnati, champion; Wyoming, runner-up