New to the bdG Sports family of events is the Naples Invitational, an eight-team, mid-major holiday tournament that will be played Nov. 22-24 at the Community School of Naples.
The field consists of Kent State, James Madison, Wright State, George Washington, East Tennessee State, Murray State, Missouri State, and Long Beach State. Seven of the eight teams have made NCAA Tournament appearances in the last decade, including East Tennessee State in 2020, Murray State in 2019, Wright State in 2018, and Kent State in 2017.
“While we have been running the Gulf Coast Showcase up at Hertz Arena since 2013, the interest in coaches having their teams play in Southwest Florida has continued to grow,” said Brooks Downing, President & CEO of bdG Sports, which owns and operates the event. “We found an incredible partner in the Community School of Naples who had a terrific gymnasium with a college-length floor, a hotel partner in the Naples Grande who we have worked with in the past and a destination that everyone one to travel to in Naples. This will be a terrific event with very good teams.”
The Naples Invitational tips-off on Monday, Nov. 22 at noon ET with Kent State squaring-off with James Madison. Wright State and George Washington follow at 2:30 p.m., then the evening session begins at 5:30 p.m. and has games between East Tennessee State and Murray State, as well as Missouri State vs. Long Beach State. The same game times will be followed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the championship game tipping off at 8:00 p.m. Wednesday night.
All games will be broadcast on FloHoops (flohoops.com). A one-month, all-access pass can be purchased for $29.99 and can be cancelled at any time following the event.
Ticket and Fan Travel Information
Tickets for the 2021 Naples Invitational are on-sale now at NaplesInvitational.com under the “fan information” tab. All-Tournament passes for the tournament are available for $75. Single day tickets can be purchased at the Community School of Naples for $25.
Fan travel information, including preferred hotel rates at the official tournament resort hotel – the Naples Grande Beach Resort – is available on www.NaplesInvitational.com.
The event will require patrons to wear a mask indoors. Attachments area