SAN DIEGO — There's a new tournament in town that will be showcasing some big-name NCAA basketball programs in San Diego every November. The San Diego Rady Children's Invitational will bring four college basketball teams to San Diego for two days of games on Thanksgiving Day and the day after.
Former Aztecs head basketball coach Steve Fisher says it will be a great event for the city. "No pun intended, but it's a slam dunk that this event will be one of the most spectacular ones in the country as it grows in its stature being part of the exempt events in our college basketball world."
UC San Diego will act as the host. To tip it off for the first event this fall there will be four teams from four conferences. The teams includes the Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten), USC Trojans (Pac-12), Seton Hall Pirates (Big East) and the Oklahoma Sooners (Big 12).
"These are name brands," Fisher said. "They're schools that everybody's heard of from Power 5 conferences that have had great success. It will bring an exposure to San Diego that will help grow our basketball culture."
"I'm so excited about hosting this event," UC San Diego Director of Athletics Earl Edwards said. "For so many reasons; the national exposure, community engagement. The idea that we have tremendous basketball fans, we don't have a pro team. So to come to an event like this will be outstanding for the community."
Ticket prices will range from $35 to $125 per session. Full tournament tickets will be available with tickets officially on sale Friday, March 31. Fans wanting to receive the first opportunity to purchase tickets are encouraged to visit RadyChildrensInvitational.com. In addition, $5 per ticket sold will be donated to Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.
The event is the brainchild of Sports San Diego which is the San Diego Sports Commission here in America's Finest City. It's five years in the making, and tips off this Thanksgiving 2023.
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