GEORGE TOWN, GRAND CAYMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS -- Caymax Sports Ltd., in conjunction with Global Sports Management, has announced that Illinois State, along with Clemson, Creighton, Georgia State and St. Bonaventure, which competed in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, will headline the second annual eight-team Cayman Islands Classic college basketball invitational Nov. 19-21, 2018.
Akron, Boise State, and Georgia also will play in the tournament which will be held at John Gray Gymnasium, just minutes away from world famous Seven Mile Beach.
The tournament bracket will be announced at a later date.
"We are excited to host the second year of this tournament in the Cayman Islands," said Moses Kirkconnell JP, the Honorable Deputy Premier and Minister for District Administration, Tourism and Transport. "Last year's tournament was a great success with over 1000 fans visiting our Islands and the feedback received from the teams and visitors alike was extremely positive. The organizers are working hard to create an even more amazing experience for this year's teams and visitors as they grace our shores to experience great basketball and a true Caymankind welcome."
Illinois State went 18-15 last season, and finished as the runner-up in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament. The team returns its top six scorers from last year, and 95.5 percent of its scoring from a season ago. Among the returnees are MVC Newcomer of the Year Milik Yarbrough (16.6 ppt, 6.6 rpg, 4.8 apg), second team All-MVC honoree Phil Fayne (15.6 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 1.0 bpg), and Keyshawn Evans (15.2 ppg, 3.6 apg, .419 3FG%).
Clemson, under the guidance of coach Brad Brownell, was ranked No. 15 in the final USA Today coaches poll while tying a school record with a 25-10 mark advancing to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time since 1997. The Tigers tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference this past season with a school-record 11 league victories. For his efforts, Brownell was recognized as Sports Illustrated College Basketball Coach of the Year.
Creighton posted a 21-12 record, finishing third in the Big East Conference, while advancing to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in the last seven years.
Georgia State went 24-11 this past season, while making its second NCAA Tournament appearance in the last four years under head coach Ron Hunter. The Panthers won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship after finishing runner-up during the regular season.
St. Bonaventure achieved a school-record 26-8 mark while advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament after beating UCLA in the opening round which was the program's first NCAA victory since 1970. The Bonnies finished second in the Atlantic 10 Conference with a 14-4 record.
Boise State went 23-9 last season, while playing in the NIT. The Broncos finished second in the Mountain West Conference with a 13-5 record.
Georgia, welcoming new head coach Tom Crean, was 18-15 overall last year. Akron, which plays in the Mid-American Conference, was 14-18 last season.
Located in the western Caribbean Sea, an hour from Miami, the Cayman Islands comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica.
For more information on the tournament including hotel accommodations visit the official website at www.caymanislandsclassic.com
