2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Field Unveiled

2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Field Unveiled

The ESPN Events men’s college basketball tournament will be at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu

The eight-team field for the 2023 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will feature Georgia Tech, Hawai’i, Nevada, Old Dominion, Saint Mary’s, Temple, TCU and UMass. The 14^th edition of the ESPN Events men’s college basketball tournament will be at the SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu on December 21, 22 and 24 with times to be determined.

Tickets are expected to go on sale in October. Exclusive airfare offers from Hawaiian Airlines, title sponsor of the tournament and special hotel rates from OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels, the official hospitality sponsor, can be found at https://espnevents.com/hawaiian-airlines-diamond-head-classic/travel/. Visit the tournament website at hawaiianairlinesdiamondheadclassic.com to sign up for special email offers, and for more information.

Field Highlights

Georgia Tech (Atlantic Coast) joins the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic field for the second time in the last four years under the new direction of former NBA star and college and pro coaching veteran Damon Stoudamire.
Tournament host Hawaiʻi (Big West) will defend its 2022 title after winning 22 games last season and capturing the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic for the first time in program history.
Nevada (Mountain West) had one of the best turnarounds in college basketball this past season, finishing with 22 wins and earning a postseason bid under head coach Steve Alford, who became just the fourth coach to take five different teams to the NCAA Tournament.
Old Dominion (Sun Belt), which won eight of its final 10 regular-season games and finished 19-11 in 2022-23, will be the first Sun Belt team to compete in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.
Saint Mary’s (West Coast) will make its third appearance in Honolulu and first since 2013 after claiming a share of the WCC regular-season title and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Temple (American Athletic) welcomes new head coach Adam Fisher who has been to five NCAA Tournaments in the last seven years as a member of the Miami and Penn State coaching staffs. This past season he helped the Nittany Lions to their first NCAA men’s tournament win since 2001.
2018 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic champion TCU (Big 12), returns to Honolulu after advancing to the second round of the NCAAs in each of the last two seasons under Jaime Dixon, a former University of Hawai‘i assistant coach.
UMass (Atlantic 10) makes its first-ever appearance in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic under the direction of Frank Martin who has also coached two other schools in the holiday tournament (South Carolina and 2011 champion Kansas State).

Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket over three days for a total of 12 games. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in the championship game on the final day of the tournament.

Previous Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic tournament champions include USC (2009, 2017), Butler (2010), Kansas State (2011), Arizona (2012), Iowa State (2013), George Washington (2014), Oklahoma (2015), San Diego State (2016), TCU (2018), Houston (2019), Vanderbilt (2021) and Hawai‘i (2022).

About ESPN Events

ESPN Events, a division of ESPN, owns and operates a portfolio of collegiate sporting events nationwide. In 2023, the 32-event schedule includes four early-season college football kickoff games, 17 college bowl games, 10 college basketball events, and a college softball event, in addition to a new a college gymnastics event coming in 2024. Collectively, these events account for over 400 hours of live programming on ESPN platforms, while reaching 60 million viewers and attracting more than 650,000 annual attendees. Each year, the portfolio of events features more than 20 Division I conferences and hosts over 4,000 participating student-athletes. With satellite offices in more than 10 cities across the country, ESPN Events builds relationships with conferences, schools and local communities, as well as providing unique experiences for teams and fans. For more information, visit the official website, Facebook, Twitter or YouTube pages.

Hawaiian Airlines

Now in its 94th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawaiʻi’s biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers approximately 150 daily flights within the Hawaiian Islands, and nonstop flights between Hawaiʻi and 15 U.S. gateway cities – more than any other airline – as well as service connecting Honolulu and American Samoa, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Tahiti.

Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler and TripAdvisor have placed Hawaiian among the top of all domestic airlines serving Hawaiʻi. In 2022, the carrier topped Travel + Leisure’s 2022 World’s Best list as the No. 1 U.S. airline and was named Hawaiʻi’s best employer by Forbes. Hawaiian^® led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for 18 consecutive years (2004-2021) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The airline is committed to connecting people with aloha by offering complimentary meals for all guests on transpacific routes and the convenience of no change fees on Main Cabin and Premium Cabin seats. HawaiianMiles members also enjoy flexibility with miles that never expire. As Hawai‘i’s hometown airline, Hawaiian encourages guests to Travel Pono and experience the islands safely and respectfully.

Hawaiian Airlines, Inc. is a subsidiary of Hawaiian Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: HA). Additional information is available at HawaiianAirlines.com. Follow Hawaiian’s Twitter updates (@HawaiianAir), become a fan on Facebook (Hawaiian Airlines), and follow us on Instagram (hawaiianairlines). For career postings and updates, follow Hawaiian’s LinkedIn page.

For media inquiries, please visit Hawaiian Airlines’ online newsroom.

OUTRIGGER Resorts & Hotels

For 75 years, OUTRIGGER has charted a journey of discovery – expanding from Hawai‘i to premier resort destinations including Fiji, Mauritius, Thailand and the Maldives. The privately held hospitality company invites guests to ‘Come Be Here’ with authentic Signature Experiences and the OUTRIGGER DISCOVERY loyalty program. OUTRIGGER’s multi- branded portfolio also includes OHANA Hotels by Outrigger®, Hawaii Vacation Condos by Outrigger® and Kapalua Villas Maui while also managing select properties from top international hotel brands including Embassy Suites by Hilton®, Best Western® and Hilton Grand Vacations®. Find out more at OUTRIGGER.com or visit @OUTRIGGERresorts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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Media Contacts:

Neal Iwamoto at 808-956-7506 or [email protected]

Amy Ufnowski at 860-766-3017 or [email protected]