Paradise Jam
The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam is a NCAA college basketball tournament that takes place annually in late November. The men's tournament typically takes place the week before Thanksgiving, with the women's tournament occurring during Thanksgiving week. It is held in St. Thomas at the Sports and Fitness Center on the campus of the University of the Virgin Islands. Colorado State is the defending men's champion. Texas A&M and Arizona are the defending women's champions in the Reef and Island divisions, respectively.
 | |
| Sport | College basketball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 (women's), 2001 (men's) |
| Founder | Basketball Travelers, Inc. |
| No. of teams | 8 men's teams, 8 women's teams |
| Country | United States |
| Venue(s) | Sports and Fitness Center, University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Most recent champion(s) | Men: Drake Women: -Reef: Texas A&M -Island: Arizona |
| TV partner(s) | ESPN3 & ESPN+ |
| Official website | Paradise Jam |
Format
Paradise Jam began in 2000 as a women's basketball tournament; a men's tournament was added the following year. In its current format, both tournaments feature eight teams that each play three games.
Men's format
The men's tournament was introduced in 2001 with a six-team, three-game group play format. In 2006, the tournament was expanded to eight teams and a bracket format was adopted. All teams play three games in the tournament, with the final day's games determining the tournament standings: a championship game, third-place game, fifth-place game, and seventh-place game are all played.[1]
Women's format
The format of the women's tournament has changed multiple times throughout the existence of Paradise Jam. The first tournament in 2000 featured four teams that played two games each.[2] In 2001, the women's tournament was altered to include three divisions — St. Thomas, St. John, and St. Croix. The following year, the St. Croix division was dropped, and two divisions were used going forward. In 2008, the format was adjusted to its current form, which features the Reef and Island divisions with four teams playing in each division. All teams play three games in the tournament, with the final day's games determining placement in all positions, first through fourth in each division.[3]
Tournament history
View from the University of the Virgin Islands campus
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2009 tournament MVP, Purdue's E'Twaun Moore
2011 tournament MVP, Marquette's Darius Johnson-Odom
2015 tournament MVP, South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell
2017 tournament MVP, Colorado's McKinley Wright IV
Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., hosted the 2020 tournament as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 tournament champion Colorado State
Men's tournament
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up | Score | Third Place | Tournament MVP | Participating Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Miami | Clemson | 67–65 | La Salle (63-58 over UAB) | John Salmons, Miami | Clemson Eastern Michigan La Salle Miami Morris Brown UAB |
| 2002 | BYU | St. Bonaventure | 66–57 | Virginia Tech (58-45 over Toledo) | Marques Green, St. Bonaventure | BYU Kansas State Michigan St. Bonaventure Toledo Virginia Tech |
| 2003 | Boston College | Wichita State | 84–81 | Monmouth (64-52 over Hampton) | Craig Smith, Boston College | Appalachian State Boston College Hampton La Salle Monmouth Wichita State |
| 2004 | Arkansas | Eastern Michigan | 82–64 | Winthrop (52-36 over Austin Peay) | Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas | Arkansas Austin Peay Eastern Michigan Saint Louis Troy Winthrop |
| 2005 | Wisconsin | Old Dominion | 84–81 | Georgia (76-68 over Eastern Kentucky) | Alando Tucker, Wisconsin | Eastern Kentucky Fordham Georgia Norfolk State Old Dominion Wisconsin |
| 2006 | Alabama | Xavier | 63–56 | Villanova (89-60 over Iowa) | Alonzo Gee, Alabama | Alabama Charleston Iowa Middle Tennessee Toledo Xavier VCU Villanova |
| 2007 | Baylor | Winthrop | 62–54 | Georgia Tech (70-69 over Notre Dame) | Curtis Jerrells, Baylor | Baylor Charlotte Georgia Tech Monmouth Notre Dame UIC Wichita State Winthrop |
| 2008 | Connecticut | Wisconsin | 76–57 | Miami (80-45 over San Diego) | Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut | Connecticut Iona La Salle Miami San Diego Southern Miss Valparaiso Wisconsin |
| 2009 | Purdue | Tennessee | 73–72 | DePaul (58-51 over Saint Joseph's) | E’Twaun Moore, Purdue | Boston College DePaul East Carolina Northern Iowa Purdue Saint Joseph's South Dakota State Tennessee |
| 2010 | Old Dominion | Xavier | 67–58 | Clemson (64-58 over Seton Hall) | Ben Finney, Old Dominion[4] | Alabama Clemson Iowa Long Beach State Old Dominion Saint Peter's Seton Hall Xavier |
| 2011 | Marquette | Norfolk State | 59–57 | Ole Miss (80-69 over TCU) | Darius Johnson-Odom, Marquette[5] | Drake Drexel Marquette Norfolk State Ole Miss TCU Virginia Winthrop |
| 2012 | New Mexico | Connecticut | 66–60 | George Mason (74-58 over Quinnipiac) | Kendall Williams, New Mexico[6] | Connecticut George Mason Iona Mercer New Mexico Quinnipiac UIC Wake Forest |
| 2013 | Maryland | Providence | 56–52 | Northern Iowa (65-50 over La Salle) | Dez Wells, Maryland[7] | La Salle Loyola Marymount Marist Maryland Morgan State Northern Iowa Providence Vanderbilt |
| 2014 | Seton Hall | Illinois State | 84–80 | Old Dominion (56-48 over Gardner-Webb) | Sterling Gibbs, Seton Hall[8] | Clemson Gardner-Webb Illinois State LSU Nevada Old Dominion Seton Hall Weber State |
| 2015 | South Carolina | Tulsa | 83–75 | Indiana State (67-66 over Hofstra) | Sindarius Thornwell, South Carolina[9] | DePaul Florida State Hofstra Indiana State Norfolk State Ohio South Carolina Tulsa |
| 2016 | Creighton | Ole Miss | 86–77 | NC State (73-63 over Saint Joseph's) | Marcus Foster, Creighton[10] | Creighton Loyola Montana NC State Ole Miss Oral Roberts Saint Joseph's Washington State |
| 2017 | Colorado | Mercer | 79–70 | Drake (90-88 over Drexel) | McKinley Wright IV, Colorado[11] | Colorado Drake Drexel Houston Liberty Mercer Quinnipiac Wake Forest |
| 2018 | Kansas State | Missouri | 82–67 | Oregon State (74-58 over Penn) | Dean Wade, Kansas State[12] | Eastern Kentucky Kansas State Kennesaw State Missouri Northern Iowa Old Dominion Oregon State Penn |
| 2019 | Nevada | Bowling Green | 77–62 | Cincinnati (81-77 over Valparaiso) | Jalen Harris, Nevada[13] | Bowling Green Cincinnati Fordham Grand Canyon Illinois State Nevada Valparaiso Western Kentucky |
| 2020* | Belmont | George Mason | 77-67 | Queens (N.C.) (85-71 over Howard) | Luke Smith, Belmont[14] | Belmont George Mason Howard Queens |
| 2021 | Colorado State | Northeastern | 71–61 | Creighton (66–64 over Southern Illinois) | David Roddy, Colorado State[15] | Bradley Brown Colorado Colorado State Creighton Duquesne Northeastern Southern Illinois |
| 2022 | Drake | Tarleton | 71–64 | Boston College (59–48 over Wyoming) | Tucker DeVries, Drake | Belmont Boston College Buffalo Drake George Mason Howard Tarleton State Wyoming |
*The 2020 tournament was condensed and played at Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Women's tournament
The first ever Paradise Jam champion, the 2000 Texas Tech Lady Raiders
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2014 Reef tournament MVP, Kentucky's Makayla Epps
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2019 Reef tournament MVP, South Carolina's Aliyah Boston
| Year | Division | Champion | Runner-Up | MVP | Participating Teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | N/A | Texas Tech | Southwest Missouri State | Jackie Stiles, Southwest Missouri State | LSU Southwest Missouri State Penn State Texas Tech |
| 2001 | Saint Thomas | Texas | USC | Stacy Stephens, Texas | Texas USC |
| Saint John | Arizona State | Kansas State | Amanda Levens, Arizona State | Arizona State Kansas State | |
| Saint Croix | Florida State | Saint Mary's | Shinikki Whiting, Florida State | Florida State Saint Mary's | |
| 2002 | Saint Thomas | South Carolina | Boston College | Jocelyn Penn, South Carolina | Boston College Oregon South Carolina |
| Saint John | Duke | Arkansas | Alana Beard, Duke | Arkansas Duke Hampton Old Dominion | |
| 2003 | Saint Thomas | Virginia Tech | Mississippi State | Carrie Mason, Virginia Tech | Indiana Iowa State Mississippi State Virginia Tech |
| Saint John | Southwest Missouri State | West Virginia | Kari Koch, Southwest Missouri State | Georgia Tech James Madison Southwest Missouri State West Virginia | |
| 2004 | Saint Thomas | NC State | Louisville | Tiffany Stansbury, NC State | Hampton Louisville NC State Nebraska |
| Saint John | Rutgers | Kentucky | Michelle Campbell, Rutgers | Kentucky Oregon State Rutgers South Dakota State | |
| 2005 | Saint Thomas | Minnesota | Virginia | Jamie Broback, Minnesota | Alabama Minnesota Nevada Virginia |
| Saint John | Tennessee | Maryland | Candace Parker, Tennessee | Gonzaga Maryland Michigan State Tennessee | |
| 2006 | Saint Thomas | Arizona State & Rutgers† †The final game of the 2006 women's St. Thomas tournament was cancelled due to a family tragedy involving the death of a family member of one of the Arizona State players in Saint Thomas.[16] |
N/A | Arizona State Penn State Rutgers Western Kentucky | |
| Saint John | Marquette | Xavier | Christina Quaye, Marquette | Auburn Marquette Western Michigan Xavier | |
| 2007 | Saint Thomas | Connecticut | Duke | Maya Moore, UConn | Duke Old Dominion Purdue Stanford Temple Connecticut |
| Saint John | Wake Forest | Texas A&M | Alex Tchangoue, Wake Forest | Indiana Texas A&M Wake Forest Wichita State | |
| 2008 | Reef | California | South Florida | Ashley Walker, California | California Iowa South Florida Texas Tech |
| Island | Wisconsin | Baylor | Alyssa Karel, Wisconsin | Baylor UCF Villanova Wisconsin | |
| 2009 | Reef | Rutgers | USC | Brittany Ray, Rutgers | Mississippi State Rutgers Texas USC |
| Island | Notre Dame | Oklahoma | Skylar Diggins, Notre Dame | Notre Dame Oklahoma San Diego State South Carolina | |
| 2010 | Reef | Georgetown | Tennessee | Summer Rodgers, Georgetown | Georgetown Georgia Tech Tennessee Missouri |
| Island | West Virginia | Iowa State | Liz Rapella, West Virginia | Iowa State TCU West Virginia Virginia | |
| 2011 | Reef | Michigan | Washington State | Courtney Boylan, Michigan | Marquette Michigan Prairie View A&M Washington State |
| Island | Alabama | Seton Hall | Ericka Russell, Alabama | Alabama Louisiana Tech Old Dominion Seton Hall | |
| 2012 | Reef | South Carolina | DePaul | Aleighsa Welch, South Carolina | DePaul Florida Gulf Coast Hampton South Carolina |
| Island | Connecticut | Purdue | Breanna Stewart, Connecticut | Connecticut Marist Purdue Wake Forest | |
| 2013 | Reef | Syracuse | Texas | Brianna Butler, Syracuse | Memphis Syracuse Texas Texas A&M |
| Island | Duke | Kansas | Tricia Liston, Duke | Central Michigan Duke Kansas Xavier | |
| 2014 | Reef | Kentucky | South Florida | Makayla Epps, Kentucky | Illinois Kentucky Oklahoma South Florida |
| Island | Florida Gulf Coast | Wichita State | Whitney Knight, Florida Gulf Coast | Clemson Florida Gulf Coast Ohio State Wichita State | |
| 2015 | Reef | Maryland | South Dakota State | Brionna Jones, Maryland | Maryland Old Dominion Pittsburgh South Dakota State |
| Island | Rutgers | Green Bay | Kahleah Copper, Rutgers | Green Bay Rutgers Tulane Virginia | |
| 2016 | Reef | Florida State | Michigan | Leticia Romero,Florida State[17] | Florida State Gonzaga Michigan Winthrop |
| Island | Kansas State | UTEP | Kindred Wesemann, Kansas State[17] | Kansas State LSU NC State UTEP | |
| 2017 | Reef | Syracuse | Vanderbilt | Tiana Mangakahia, Syracuse[18] | George Washington Syracuse Vanderbilt Wisconsin |
| Island | West Virginia | Virginia Tech | Teanna Muldrow, West Virginia[18] | Butler Drexel West Virginia Virginia Tech | |
| 2018 | Reef | UConn | Purdue | Napheesa Collier, UConn[19] | Ole Miss Purdue St. John's UConn |
| Island | Kentucky | North Carolina | Rhyne Howard, Kentucky[20] | Kentucky North Carolina South Florida UCLA | |
| 2019 | Reef | South Carolina | Baylor | Aliyah Boston, South Carolina[21] | Baylor Indiana South Carolina Washington State |
| Island | Louisville | Oregon | Dana Evans, Louisville[21] | Louisville Oklahoma State Oregon UT Arlington | |
| 2020 | The 2020 women's tournament was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | ||||
| 2021 | Reef | Texas A&M | Northwestern | Jordan Nixon, Texas A&M[22] | Northwestern Pittsburgh South Dakota Texas A&M |
| Island | Arizona | DePaul | Cate Reese, Arizona[23] | Arizona DePaul Rutgers Vanderbilt | |
| 2022 | Reef | Arkansas Clemson Kansas State Northern Arizona | |||
| Island | Georgia Seton Hall VCU Wisconsin | ||||
Tournaments held outside of the Virgin Islands
2017
The 2017 men's and women's tournaments were moved to the U.S. mainland due to heavy damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The tournament organizers decided to solicit hosting bids from all participating teams in both tournaments, with each tournament intended to be hosted by a participating school.[24][25] The substitute venue for the 2017 men's tournament was Vines Center at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia.[26] The 2017 women's tournament took place in two different venues, with the Reef division playing at the Charles E. Smith Center on the campus of George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and the Island division at the neutral Titan Field House at Eastern Florida State College in Melbourne, Florida, presumably after no school in the Island division submitted a bid.[27] The tournament moved back to the Virgin Islands in 2018.[28]
2020
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 men's tournament was relocated to Washington, D.C., as travel restrictions prevented the tournament from being held in the U.S. Virgin Islands as normal. The tournament took place November 26–28, 2020 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C.[29] The tournament was condensed from the typical eight teams to just four teams — Belmont, George Mason, Howard, and Queens (N.C.). Belmont went undefeated, beating the three other teams to win the 2020 men's tournament. The 2020 women's tournament was cancelled.[30]
References
- "Men's Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament". Basketball Travelers Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- "Paradise Jam Pairings Set; LSU to Face SW Missouri". LSU Athletics. November 6, 2000. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- "Women's Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament". Basketball Travelers Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- "Monarchs Reign at This Year's Paradise Jam". St. Thomas Source. November 24, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "No. 16 Marquette edges Norfolk St 59-57 to win Jam". The Columbian. November 20, 2011. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "New Mexico Holds Off UConn Surge For Paradise Jam Title". Hartford Courant. November 20, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Dez Wells delivers down the stretch, earns MVP honors after Paradise Jam championship". Washington Post. November 26, 2013. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Seton Hall Holds off Illinois State, Wins Paradise Jam". NJ.com. November 25, 2014. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "South Carolina earns 2015 Paradise Jam championship". SB Nation. November 24, 2015. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Creighton continues hot start to season, wins Paradise Jam tournament". KETV. November 21, 2016. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Buffs Top Mercer For Paradise Jam Title". Colorado Athletics. November 19, 2017. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Wildcats Claim Paradise Jam Title with Win Over Missouri". SB Nation. November 19, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Nevada wins Paradise Jam Championship, Harris earns MVP honors". Nevada Athletics. November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "2020 Paradise Jam Concludes, All-Tournament Team Announced". Basketball Travelers Inc. November 29, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Colorado State Rams Win Their In-Season Tournament, Off To Best Start Since 2014-15 Season". CBS Denver. November 23, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Paradise Jam Called Off After Death". Oklahoman. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- Gardner, James (2016-11-27). "Kansas State, FSU Win Paradise Jam Women's Tourney". St. Croix Source. Retrieved 2018-02-09.
- "Syracuse women's basketball sweeps Paradise Jam by beating George Washington". syracuse.com. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
- "UConn women roll past Purdue 86-40 in Paradise Jam finale". Hartford Courant. November 24, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- "UConn, Kentucky Women Win Paradise Jam Division Championships". St. Thomas Source. November 25, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- "2019 Women's Paradise Jam Results". Basketball Travelers Inc. Retrieved November 16, 2021.
- "Jordan Nixon scores 25, wins Paradise Jam". The Battalion. November 28, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Arizona women's basketball demolishes Rutgers to go 3-0 in Paradise Jam". SB Nation. November 27, 2021. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- "Storm damage forces Paradise Jam from Virgin Islands; host site to be named next week". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 22, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- "Paradise Jam Relocated" (Press release). Basketball Travelers, Inc. September 22, 2017. Archived from the original on September 24, 2017. Retrieved September 23, 2017.
- "Men's 2017 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Relocated to Liberty University" (Press release). Basketball Travelers, Inc. September 29, 2017. Archived from the original on September 30, 2017. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- "Women's 2017 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Sites Selected" (Press release). Basketball Travelers, Inc. October 4, 2017. Archived from the original on October 10, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- "2018 Paradise Jam Schedule Set For Men's Basketball - University of Pennsylvania".
- "Nearly lost to coronavirus, Paradise Jam found its way to D.C. Convention Center". New York Times.
- "Paradise Jam won't hold women's tourney this year". The Virgin Islands Daily News.
External links
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