East Tennessee State Joins 2012 Diamondhead Classic - Hawaii News Now - KGMB and KHNL

East Tennessee State Joins 2012 Diamondhead Classic

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HONOLULU - (Hawaii Athletics) East Tennessee State will join the 2012 Diamond Head Classic field, replacing Texas Tech. The tournament is set to be played on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, Dec. 22, 23 & 25, at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
 
Since taking over the program in 2003-04, ETSU head coach Murry Bartow's teams have averaged nearly 20 wins a year and made five postseason appearances – three NCAA Championship trips (2004, 2009, 2010), one NIT (2007) and one CIT (2011).
 
"We are very excited to be participating in the Diamond Head Classic next season," said Bartow. "This trip will give our program tremendous exposure and will be a fantastic experience for the student-athletes, especially because we will be playing some of the nation's great basketball programs."
 
The Bucs have enjoyed tremendous success in the last 10 seasons, collecting seven conference titles, and eclipsing 20 wins in six of those years (2002-03, 2003-2004, 2006-2007, 2008-2009, 2009-2010, 2010-2011).
 
Also competing in the 2012 Diamond Head Classic is NCAA Championship qualifying team San Diego State, along with Classic host Hawaii, Arizona, Indiana State, Miami (FL), Ole Miss and San Francisco.
 
Tournament Field
 

  • San Diego State earned a berth into the NCAA Championship, while Arizona, Miami and Ole Miss earned National Invitation Tournament (NIT) berths 
  • San Francisco competed in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament and Indiana State participated in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament

 
Tournament Information 
The 2012 Diamond Head Classic, an eight-team men's college basketball tournament, will feature 12 games over the three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in a championship match.
 
The Diamond Head Classic is owned and operated by ESPN Regional Television (ERT), a subsidiary of ESPN.
 
The University of Southern California won the inaugural tournament in 2009, followed by Butler in 2010 and Kansas State in 2011.