Evansville, IN – The Evansville Sports Corporation and the University of Southern Indiana are teaming up with the newly formed Small College Basketball Hall of Fame and its founder, John McCarthy, to create the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic November 17 – 19, 2016 at The Ford Center in Evansville, IN.
“Evansville is proud of its rich tradition and history when it comes to college basketball and the creation of this Hall of Fame Classic will only add that great legacy by paying homage to the greats of the game while celebrating some fantastic college basketball programs competing in the Classic,” said Jason Sands, Executive Director of the Evansville Sports Corporation.
The weekend’s festivities will begin with the 2016 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony of the floor of The Ford Center Thursday, November 17. The Inaugural Class of 2016 will consist of 15 inductees from the NCAA Division II, Division III, the NAIA and the NCCAA.
“This is a monumental day for college basketball,” said John McCarthy, founder of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long, long time, and today we are proud to announce the creation of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame Classic. Through the Hall of Fame and Hall of Fame Classic, we will honor our game, past and present that is played at the small college level.
The SBC Hall of Fame Classic will take place on Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19 in Evansville, Indiana at the Ford Center. The following teams from the NCAA Division II will compete in one of the top collegiate tournaments in the country:
Friday, Nov. 18
Bellarmine vs. Alabama-Huntsville
Kentucky Wesleyan vs. Lincoln Memorial
Southern Indiana vs. Florida Southern
Saturday, Nov. 19
Lincoln Memorial vs. Alabama – Hunstville
Bellarmine vs. Florida Southern
Southern Indiana vs. Kentucky Wesleyan
“The University of Southern Indiana is very excited to participate in what we think will be one of the premiere basketball tournaments in the country,” said University of Southern Indiana Director of Athletics, Jon Mark Hall. “We hope that bringing these teams together to celebrate Small College Basketball will get people excited about the 2016-17 season as well as the history of the game at our level. We know the Evansville community will embrace this event and we hope that fans Small College Basketball across the country will do the same.”
Tickets go on sale at the Ford Center Ticket Office and online at Ticketmaster.com on Friday, February 19 at 10am CST. Fans may also get additional information and purchase tickets to both the Hall of Fame Induction and Hall of Fame Classic tournament at the following link, www.HoFClassic.com.
