Virginia Tech, Seton Hall to Launch Event with Single Game in Mexico This Season on Jan. 2
ESPN Regional Television, Inc., a subsidiary of ESPN, in conjunction with Cancun Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and the state of Quintana Roo, announced today the creation of the Cancun Governor’s Cup, an eight-team men’s college basketball tournament to be played at the new ESPN Regional TelevisionTech, Seton Hall to Launch Event with Single Game in Mexico This Season on Jan. 2Juarez in Cancun, Mexico. The Cancun Governor’s Cup will place an emphasis on supporting youth basketball initiatives within Mexico.
In advance of the inaugural Cancun Governor’s Cup, which will occur in December 2010, during next year’s college basketball season, Cancun will host a single-game event in January with Virginia Tech facing off against Seton Hall. Tickets for the special tipoff game on Wednesday, Jan. 2, are on sale now.
The eight-team field for the December 2010 tournament, as well as the exact dates and television schedule, will be announced in the spring. Conference USA will serve as the event’s sponsoring conference.
“We are excited to host this event and showcase basketball in one of the world’s premier destinations,” said Clint Overby, senior director of events, ESPN Regional Television. “We want to be able to create an atmosphere in which we can highlight the area to players, coaches and fans as well as offer an opportunity to promote basketball to the youth of Mexico.”
“It is a privilege to work with ESPN Regional Television and we are honored to be hosting the Governor’s Cup in Cancun,” said Jesús Almaguer, CEO of the Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau. “We welcome the opportunity to showcase our majestic destination in conjunction with such an important event.”
The new tournament in 2010-11 will feature 12 games through three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through a bracket-tournament format. The two teams that remain undefeated will face off in a championship match.
The Cancun Governor’s Cup will support youth basketball initiatives in Mexico started by the Telmex Foundation and Mexican NBA star Eduardo Najera. The Telmex Najera Youth Basketball League is working to bring the game of basketball to the youth of Mexico. Since 2007, when the league was created, 60,000 kids from across Mexico have participated. The Cancun Governor’s Cup will annually offer tickets to the league for kids to experience collegiate basketball firsthand.
Cancun is a world-class vacation destination located on the coast of Mexico’s easternmost state, Quintana Roo. The area is known for its outstanding beaches, outdoor activities, dining and archaeological sites. December temperatures range from 68 to 82 degrees Fahrenheit.
The single game this season, as well as next season’s inaugural tournament, will be played at the Poliforum Benito Juarez, located on Boulevard Luis Donaldo S/N a few minutes from the Cancun International Airport. The arena was opened this year and is home to the Pioneros Quintana Roo, the basketball team of the state of Quintana Roo.
For ticket or travel information, visit: www.cancungovernorscup.com.
ESPN Regional Television/Event Ownership
The nation’s largest syndicator of collegiate sports programming, ESPN Regional Television (ERT) annually produces more than 1,000 telecasts of sporting events. Programming includes football, basketball, NCAA events, golf and NHRA events accounting for more than 2,200 live and/or original hours of programming. In addition to event ownership, ERT is the production headquarters for ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network; syndication rights-holder and producer of national, regional and local shows for college conferences (e.g. – SEC, BIG EAST, Big 12, Mid-American, Sun Belt, WAC).
ESPN Regional Television markets and/or owns several sporting events, including collegiate football events: the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth, Texas); MAACO Bowl Las Vegas; New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque); Papajohns.com Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.); Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl(Honolulu); St. Petersburg Bowl; the MEAC/SWAC Challenge presented by Disney (Orlando, Fla.); andThe Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards; collegiate basketball events: the 76 Classic(Anaheim, Calif.); Cancun Governor’s Cup; Charleston Classic (S.C.); DIRECTV SEC/BIG EAST Invitational; ESPNU Road to the Championship (Women; San Antonio); Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Honolulu); Old Spice Classic (Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Fla.); O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off (San Juan); SONIC All-College Basketball Classic (Oklahoma City) andBracketBusters; as well as the ESPN National Golf Challenge presented by Callaway. For more information, visit ESPNPlus.com.
About Cancun
Cancun, the gateway to Mexico and the Mayan world, offers luxurious hotel infrastructure with more than 28,000 rooms, and is Mexico’s most beautiful and stylish destination. Opportunities for new experiences are everywhere, as the setting brings you into contact with both nature and Mayan culture like nowhere else.
Top-level gastronomy and nightlife; warm beaches with soft, white sand; crystal-clear, turquoise seas; and a location opposite the Great Mesoamerican Reef System, in tandem with Mexico’s world-famous hospitality, make Cancun an entirely unique tourist destination.
Cancun Convention and Visitors Bureau: www.cancun.travel.
Telmex Najera Youth League
The Telmex Najera Youth League is an initiative of Telmex Foundation to boost the participation of Mexican youth in basketball. With its motto “Leave the streets for the courts”, in its second year of operations 60,000 kids are playing all over the country.
The Telmex Najera Youth League is the most important tournament of the country in its kind. For more information, visit www.ligatelmexnajera.org
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