UAF cancels Top of the World basketball tournament due to economic challenges
Published Wednesday, July 2, 2008
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FAIRBANKS -- Sad was a word repeated often Wednesday afternoon in the Nanook Lounge of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Patty Center, where it was announced that the BP Top of the World Classic men’s basketball tournament has been cancelled.
Changes in NCAA rules and the economic challenge of competing with similar Division I tournaments that offered higher appearance fees for teams were the reasons cited by UAF athletic director Forrest Karr and Brian Hove, tournament director for the past four Classics, as the main reasons for the cancellation of the 2008 and 2009 tournaments. The tournament had been scheduled for Nov. 20-23 at the Carlson Center.
Before 2006, the Top of the World was among only 10 certified preseason basketball tournaments. An NCAA rule change in 2006 opened the door for any school to play host to a multiple-team event.
Last year, there were 45 such NCAA tournaments around the country and at least five more were scheduled for this season.
The increase in the tournaments made it hard for UAF to compete with colleges that were offering appearance fees in the $60,000-$100,000 range compared to the $30,000 offered for each Top of the World team.
“It’s sad, it’s hard for a lot of people that have put a lot of time, a lot of effort and a lot of energy,” Karr said in the media conference in the Nanook Lounge. “It’s unfortunate for kids and families in town that have gotten used to going to this event, looking up to these players and model student-athletes year after year in November.”
For the past 12 years, the tournament featured the Alaska Nanooks, an NCAA Division II program, in a field with seven Division I teams. The Nanooks defeated the Weber State (Utah) Wildcats in the 2002 championship game, marking the first time in NCAA history that a D-II program won a predominately D-I basketball tournament.
Steve Cobb expressed remorse 360 miles south of the Patty Center. Cobb is the athletic director for the University of Alaska Anchorage, a fellow D-II school which is entering its 30th year of playing host to its Great Alaska Shootout, which was a model for the Top of the World Classic.
“We’re sick about it. We’re disappointed for UAF, disappointed for our state and the Fairbanks community,’’ Cobb said in a telephone interview. “It’s not good for anybody. Some of us thought we saw this coming.
“With the challenges we have to overcome, it’s been much harder to do business in these last few years.’’
George Roderick, a former Alaska Nanooks men’s basketball coach who now lives in New Braunfels, Texas, was the first director of the Top of the World Classic when it began in 1996.
“It’s a sad day for basketball, as far as Fairbanks is concerned, and it even goes a little bit farther back than the birth of the Top of the World,’’ Roderick said in a conference call.
The Top of the World evolved from the Ford Credit Tournament of Champions, an event that featured the Nanooks in a field with the reigning Division II, Division III and NAIA national champions.
Discussions among Broderick, then UAF athletic director Kelly Higgins and Nels Hawkinson, executive director of Seattle-based Basketball Travelers led to the formation of the Top of the World.
“It just got rolling from there with a lot of momentum and a lot of tremendous help from volunteers,’’ Roderick said.
“No one’s done anything wrong,’’ Roderick reflected on the Top of the World cancellation. “The university has done a great job of trying to support this from their vantage point and Forrest has done a tremendous job, especially these last six months trying to wheel the life raft back in. It’s just a matter of economics.’’
Over the last dozen years, the Top of the World attracted college basketball powerhouses like Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Gonzaga, Washington, Washington State, Butler, Clemson and California. This year’s field was scheduled to feature Stanford, with new head coach Johnny Dawkins, a former Duke assistant coach and point guard.
Community Discussion
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BP only posted a 40 billiondollar net profit last quarter so we shouldn't expect them to pony up the additional couple hundred grand. Great sponsors. What.
That stinks! We had a great time last year.
Holy crap! Hard times in the oil bidness too? I feel your pain BP. No, really, I feel it!
cool - maybe the school can concentrate on education now....
Great comment, akguy! I agree.
How about that? I always thought the game was the reason they played. I guess the message the kids looking up to them for would be "no pay, no play".
This by no means is the fault of the University.
They are not a Division 1 school therefore really have no say in their bylaws.
This is really a shame and hopefully we can see a new tournament within a few years.
Sad, Sad, Sad; that we could not find a way to keep it going despite the NCAA rules. It's all about the money. The NCAA is suppose to protect the student from being exploited. Who protects the student from the NCAA?
I agree with sprtsgrl11 this time. It's not the university's fault. The new rules and changes in economic conditions are to blame. But maybe some new tournament can rise from the ashes in a few years. In the meantime, we have the men's and women's basketball programs to support. Go Nanooks!
With the cost of flying going out of sight, how long before hockey takes the hit. I wonder why no one saw this coming. Maybe action is needed now before the Nanooks become endangered, doomed for extinction.
akguy... the graduation rate in athletics is higher than the rest of campus. Just thought you should know
c'mon guys. Everyone who saw the NCAA rule change saw this coming. It has nothing to do with title sponsor BP or any of the other session sponsors. But, when a team can travel by bus for a couple of hours and get $100,000 instead of traveling by air for a day each way for $30,000, which way should ANY athletic director go? How hard would you be on UAF if they made a decision that lost the school $70,000? Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico schools had a sweet deal for a long time before other schools caught on and got the rule changed so they could have pre-season tournaments too. NOW let's concentrate on the pre-season hockey tournament UAF and UAA are putting together and make that a wonderful community event. Times change with no one at UAF or on the sponsor list is to blame! But, as so many people have said, let's move on and make lemonade out of lemons.
Bring back the Tournament of Champions
NCAA Div II, NAIA and NCAA Div III
Those teams will more than likely be willing to come up and compete
It will still be good basketball
A winning situation for everyone involved
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