ARLINGTON, Texas - The UTA women's basketball team has announced that they will travel to St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands to play in the 2019 Paradise Jam tournament during the Thanksgiving holiday season (Nov. 28-30), marking the first time the Lady Mavs will compete in the event. All games during the tournament will be played at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports and Fitness Center.
Â
The 20th edition of the Paradise Jam features two four-team tournaments (Reef Tournament, Island Tournament) competing in round-robin play for separate tournament championships. The Reef Tournament teams are South Carolina, Washington State, Indiana, and national champion Baylor, while UTA will be joined by Oregon, Louisville and Oklahoma State in the Island Tournament.
Â
The Lady Mavs open the event with a matchup against the Cardinals at 12:00 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 28, before battling the Ducks on Friday Nov. 29 (2:15 p.m. CT). UTA's final game will serve as the tournament's first mother-daughter rivalry as 2019 Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year
Krista Gerlich will face her daughter Bryn Gerlich and Oklahoma State for the first time in either of their collegiate careers. This matchup will take place on Sunday, Nov. 30 at noon CT.
Â
"We're really excited about this event," said Coach Gerlich. "It should be a great experience and an early test for our student-athletes as we get some great competition which includes a couple matchups against teams that will be ranked in the top-10 nationally. This event also give our fans the opportunity to take in beautiful St. Thomas and get to see the Lady Mavs play in a high-level tournament."
UTA is coming off of arguably the most successful season in program history. The Lady Mavs secured the program's first Sun Belt Regular Season championship, made their sixth postseason tournament appearance (WNIT) and won a postseason (excluding conference tournaments) game for the first time in program history with their WNIT First Round triumph over Stephen F. Austin (60-54; Mar. 21). UTA finished the season with 24 wins, which tied for the most in a single season with the 2006-07 squad (24-9 overall, Head Coach Donna Capps).
All games for the Paradise Jam will stream live on FloHoops at www.FloHoops.com. To access the live event coverage and replays of the tournament, users must sign up to become FloPRO subscribers on FloHoops.com.
Official 2019 Paradise Jam fan travel packages will be available for purchase online in June. For more information about the 2019 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, please visit
www.paradisejam.com.
For the latest news on UTA Women's Basketball, log on to
UTAMavs.com or stay connected to the Lady Mavs on social media. Follow the Lady Mavericks on Twitter
@LadyMavHoops, on Instagram
@UTALadyMavs and on Facebook at
Facebook.com/LadyMavHoops.
PARADISE JAM SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 28
Island Tournament
UTA (A) vs. Louisville (H), 12:00 p.m. CT
Oklahoma State (A) vs. Oregon (H), 2:15 p.m. CT
Reef Tournament
Washington State (A) vs. Baylor (H), 4:45 p.m.
Indiana (A) vs. South Carolina (H), 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29
Island Tournament
Louisville (A) vs. Oklahoma State (H), 12:00 p.m. CT
Oregon (A) vs. UTA (H), 2:15 p.m. CT
Reef Tournament
Baylor (A) vs. Indiana (H), 4:45 p.m.
South Carolina (A) vs. Washington State (H), 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 30
Island Tournament
Oklahoma State (A) vs. UTA (H), 12:00 p.m. CT
Louisville (A) vs. Oregon (H), 2:15 p.m. CT
Reef Tournament
Washington State (A) vs. Indiana (H), 4:45 p.m.
South Carolina (A) vs. Baylor (H), 7:00 p.m.
KNOW YOUR OPPONENTS
Oregon
#4 in final USA TODAY/WBCA Coaches Poll
2018-19 Record: 33-5, 16-2 PAC 12
Lost to eventual National Champion Baylor in NCAA Final Four (72-67)
Â
The Ducks return triple-double machine and the Wade and Wooden National Player of the Year Sabrina Ionescu, as well as starters Ruthy Hebard, Satou Sabally and Erin Boley from a squad that advanced to the program's first-ever Final Four in 2019.
Ionescu averaged 19.9 points, 7.4 rebounds and 8.2 assists per game last season, while shooting 40+ percent from the floor and behind the arc. She was the only player in the country to average 15+ points, 7+ rebounds and 7+ assists per game. Ionescu set an NCAA single-season record with eight triple-doubles in 2018-19, adding to her NCAA career record, for both men or women, of 18.
Â
Louisville
#6 in final USA TODAY/WBCA Coaches Poll
2018-19 Record: 32-4 overall, 14-2 ACC
Lost to UConn in NCAA Elite 8 (80-73)
Â
Last season the Cardinals won a share of the ACC crown for the second straight year and reached the Elite Eight. Since 2012, they've advanced past the second weekend of the tournament in six of the last seven years, and have played in the Final Four twice, including a runner-up performance in 2013.
Louisville loses three of its top four scorers, including All-American Asia Durr, who was drafted by the New York Liberty in the 2019 WNBA Draft. The senior guard averaged 21.2 points per game to repeat as ACC Player of the Year.
Oklahoma State
2018-19 Record: 14-16 overall, 5-13 Big XII
Oklahoma State missed out on the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years last season, but star forward Vivan Gray (20.2 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game) will be returning for her senior season.
ABOUT THE PARADISE JAM
The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam is an annual early-season basketball tournament for Division-I men's and women's basketball teams. Hosted at the University of the Virgin Islands Sports & Fitness Center on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, the tournament offers excellent early season competition in an exotic island setting. Founded in 2000, many of the nation's finest college student-athletes have converged on St. Thomas to test their skills and enjoy the tropical November weather.
Since 2001, the tournament has been played at the 3,500-seat UVI Sports and Fitness Center. Coaches and student-athletes alike have praised the venue for its custom hardwood floor, air-conditioning, and frequent sellout crowds.
The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam also provides an outlet for youth involvement. Local high school youth are recruited as junior staff members to assist tournament administrators in running the event. Students learn about service, sales, hospitality, media relations, and other skills working alongside experienced staff members. Other youth participate in steel pan bands during welcome receptions or in school bands performing during halftime presentations.
As the second-largest tourist event on the island behind Carnival, the Paradise Jam provides an important boost to the local economy and tourism industry. The two-week, 16-team tournament brings in an estimated 3,000 people to the islands who spend tourism dollars on hotels, restaurants, transportation, service, and island souvenirs.
Â
