2019 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic Field Revealed

The field for the 2019 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic will feature Ball State (Mid-American), Boise State (Mountain West), Georgia Tech (ACC), tournament host school Hawai’i (Big West), Houston (AAC), Portland (WCC), UTEP (Conference USA), and Washington (Pac-12).  The 11^th annual event will be played at the Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu. Dates and times will be announced at a later date.

 

Three teams in the 2019 field were a part of the postseason last season – Boise State (NIT), Houston (NCAA) and Washington (NIT). Meanwhile, five teams will make their first-ever appearance in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic.

 

• Ball State has earned a share of the Mid-American Conference West Division title two of the last three years.

 

• Boise State was selected to the 2018 Postseason NIT after reaching the 20-win mark for the sixth consecutive season.

 

• Georgia Tech has advanced to the postseason two of the last three seasons.

 

• Hawai‘i will host the tournament for the 11th straight year.

 

• Houston advanced to the Second Round of the 2018 NCAA Championship as a No. 6 seed.

 

• Portland makes its first appearance in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, becoming the sixth member of the West Coast Conference to participate in the event.

 

• UTEP will make its second appearance in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (2011).

 

• Washington earned a berth in the 2018 Postseason NIT after posting a 20-win season in Coach Mike Hopkins’ first year.

 

The Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic, an eight-team men’s college basketball tournament, will feature 12 games through three days. Each team will compete in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. The two teams that remain undefeated throughout will face off in the championship game on the final day of the tournament.

 

Previous tournament champions of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic include USC (2009, 2017), Butler (2010), Kansas State (2011), Arizona (2012), Iowa State (2013), George Washington (2014), Oklahoma (2015), and San Diego State (2016).

 

Additional information for the family-friendly tournament and resort destination of Honolulu, Hawai‘i, including travel packages, can be found on the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic web site at hawaiianairlinesdiamondheadclassic.com.

 

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Hawaiian Airlines

Hawaiian® has led all U.S. carriers in on-time performance for each of the past 14 years (2004-2017) as reported by the U.S. Department of Transportation. Consumer surveys by Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure and TripAdvisor have placed Hawaiian among the top of all domestic airlines serving Hawai‘i.

 

Now in its 89th year of continuous service, Hawaiian is Hawai‘i’s biggest and longest-serving airline. Hawaiian offers non-stop service to Hawai‘i from more U.S. gateway cities (12) than any other airline, along with service from Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, American Samoa and Tahiti. Hawaiian also provides approximately 170 jet flights daily between the Hawaiian Islands, with a total of more than 250 daily flights system-wide.

 

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.

 

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Hawai‘i Tourism Authority

The Hawai‘i Tourism Authority is responsible for strategically managing the State of Hawai‘i’s marketing initiatives to support tourism, the leading industry for the Hawaiian Islands. HTA’s goal is to optimize tourism’s benefits for Hawai‘i, while being attentive to the interests of travelers, the visitor industry and general public. HTA annually supports a wide range of Hawaiian cultural celebrations, community festivals and sports events to perpetuate Hawai‘i’s legacy and showcase the islands’ natural resources.

For more information about HTA, please visit www.hawaiitourismauthority.org. Follow updates about HTA on Facebook, Twitter (@HawaiiHTA) and its YouTube Channel.

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