July 27, 2005
Denver, Colo. (July 21, 2005)-The Metro Denver Sports Commission (MDSC) announced today a new three-day, eight-team high school Boys basketball invitational tournament which is slated to launch in December 2005. This annual event, titled the CollegeInColorado.org Tournament of Champions, includes high school teams from across the state of Colorado representing a variety of classifications.
The tournament will be played at the University of Denver, starting Tuesday, Dec. 20 and ending on Thursday, Dec. 22. The championship game on Dec. 22 at 7:00 p.m. MST will air live regionally on Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain. The broadcast can be seen in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, southern Idaho, western Kansas, western Nebraska and northeastern Nevada, and is available to satellite subscribers across the country.
The tournament is made up of eight high school teams from different classes and leagues in Colorado. Each school was selected by a tournament committee based on team accomplishments from previous seasons, extraordinary players, a legendary coach or a defending state champion. The eight schools participating in the inaugural CollegeInColorado.org Tournament of Champions include:
Fountain-Fort Carson Harrison Gateway Kent Denver Grandview Pueblo Centennial Jefferson Academy Thomas Jefferson
"Through the support of DPS and our corporate partners, the Tournament of Champions will become a premier basketball event for the state. The multi-class format offers the schools a chance to test their mettle against the state's top teams. The tournament will give two teams the special opportunity to play on live regional television," MDSC Executive Director Jon Schmieder said. Schmieder also noted that the organizing committee was excited about the ancillary events during tournament week which include a free youth basketball clinic, a luncheon for participants and sponsors, and a seminar on college eligibility for the student-athletes conducted by the Mountain West Conference. MDSC is also exploring the possibility of hosting a college fair in conjunction with the event.
The format for the tournament is pool play with two pool winners facing each other in the title game. Each team is guaranteed to play four games.
For this event the MDSC is partnering with Colorado In College.org, Colorado High School Activities Association, Denver Public Schools (DPS), Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain, Rotary Clubs of Denver and Sage Hospitality. The MDSC and DPS Athletics are the beneficiaries of the event. The tournament is scheduled to take place in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
"FSN Rocky Mountain is excited to be a long-term partner of the new Colorado High School Tournament of Champions," says Tim Griggs, Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain Vice President and General Manager. "We believe this event could grow into one of the top annual amateur sporting events in Denver."
"Denver Public Schools is very excited to be a part of the CollegeInColorado.org Tournament of Champions," Leslie Moore of Denver Public Schools said. "We feel that we are creating a great partnership. This is an excellent opportunity for all of the high schools in Colorado. The tournament will provide the schools involved with great exposure and competition."
