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PAST TOURNAMENT RESULTS WOMEN
2008 Champions: Wisconsin goes 3-0 to win the "Island" division championship. In the "Reef" division, California dominates the field with a 3-0 record. [	2007 Champions: Connecticut beats Duke in St. Thomas Division. Wake Forest wins St. John division over Texas A&M. [

2006 Champions: Arizona St. and Rutgers to meet in final, tragedy cancels game in St. Thomas Division. Marquette takes St. John top spot.	2005 Champions: Minnesota takes 2005 St. John crown; Tennessee overtakes Maryland for St. Thomas Division championship. [

2004 Champions: Rutgers dominates St. John field to claim championship. North Carolina State holds off Louisville, 54-49, for St. Thomas title. [	2003 Champions: Virgina Tech wins the 2003 Paradise Jam Championship over Mississippi State 63-56 in the St.Thomas Division. Southwest Missouri State wins the 2003 Paradise Jam Championship St. John Division.

2002 Champions: Duke won the St. John bracket and South Carolina won the St. Thomas bracket in 2002 Paradise Jam tournament action. [	2001 Champions: Texas beat USC in the St. Thomas bracket, Arizona State won the St. John bracket, and Florida State won the St. Croix division. [

2000 Champions: Texas Tech held off the Jackie Stiles- led Southwest Missouri State in the inaugural tournament.

UW women stun No. 6 Baylor to win Paradise Jam Tournament Islands Division 2008

By Jeff Potrykus of the Journal Sentinel

Nov. 29, 2008

Lisa Stone today recorded the most impressive victory during her tenure of five-plus seasons as the Wisconsin women's basketball coach.

Sophomore guard Alyssa Karel hit a jumper with 7.3 seconds left and Baylor guard Melissa Jones missed two free throws with less than a second left and the Badgers stunned Baylor, 59-58, in the title game of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas.

UW, which wiped out a 10-point deficit in the second half and never led until Karel hit the jumper, improved its record to 5-1.

Baylor (6-1) entered the tournament ranked No. 6 in The Associated Press top 25 poll and No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today coaches' poll. The Lady Bears, who won the national title in 2004-'05, finished 25-7 last season and reached the second round of the NCAA tournament. They are picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 this season.

"I’m just so emotional, I can’t even stand it,” Stone after the game. “I’m so proud of my entire team. This was a great trip. This capped off some beautiful weather and a Paradise Jam championship.”

Karel hit 6 of 13 field-goal attempts and finished with 15 points and five rebounds, two assists and two steals in 37 minutes. She was named tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by junior guard Rae Lin D’Alie. D’Alie finished with for points and six rebounds.

Junior forward Mariah Dunham, who has been slowed by back problems this season, scored 11 points in 17 minutes in a reserve role.

Sophomore forward Lin Zastrow added 10 points, nine in the second half, for UW. She added five rebounds, two blocks and two steals but fouled out with less than a second remaining to send Jones to the line.

UW called a timeout to ice Jones and the strategy apparently worked. Jones, who hadn't attempted a free throw to that point, missed both shots to allow UW to hold on for the improbable victory.

Center Danielle Wilson scored 18 points to lead Baylor, which was held to 37% shooting.

Tenacious defense helped UW win despite having 10 more turnovers than assists (15-5), despite getting out-rebounded, 39-32, and despite seeing Baylor attempt 38 free throws.

Baylor made just 24 attempts, however. UW, which entered the day shooting just 51.3% from the line, made 18 of 21 attempts (85.7%).

Stone entered the season with a 72-78 record in five seasons at UW. That included a 1-31 mark against ranked teams.

The victory over Baylor was UW's first over a top-10 team since a 71-59 victory over No. 7 Purdue. That came on Dec. 28 of the 2001-'02 season at the Kohl Center under Jane Albright.

UW's all-time record against ranked opponents entering the season was 30-112.

“This team and their identity has surfaced," Stone said. "I’m so proud of them. From a defensive standpoint, we did what we had to do. We got one stop, they go to the free-throw line. They had to make a play and we had to make a play. My team was just outstanding and this is just a great lift for us right now.”

Women's Division I –November 25, to November 30, 2008

Tournament Field

Baylor , Central Florida, South Florida, Villanova

California State, Iowa, Texas Tech, Wisconsin

April 26, 2008

The Virgin Islands Paradise Jam consists of two separate tournaments. Each is a four-team, three-game round robin event. One is called the "Island Division Tournament” and the other is called the “Reef Division Tournament.” Both are Multiple Team Event (MTE) tournaments. An MTE tournament counts as only two games against a team’s annual maximum of 29 games, despite playing three games at the tournament.

All four teams in the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Reef Division Tournament competed in the 2008 Post Season: California and Iowa in the NCAA Tournament and Texas Tech and South Florida in the Post Season NIT. Competition begins on Thanksgiving Day, November 27th at 7:00 PM with Texas Tech playing Iowa, followed by the 9:30 PM game where South Florida will battle California. Games continue on November 28th with Iowa vs. South Florida at 7:00 PM and California vs. Texas Tech at 9:30 PM. The remaining match ups will conclude on November 29th at 7:00 PM (South Florida vs. Texas Tech) and 9:30 PM (California vs. Iowa).

The Virgin Islands Paradise Jam Island Division Tournament includes one NCAA tournament participant in Baylor and two Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) participants in Villanova and Wisconsin. The field is completed by Central Florida. Competition begins November 27th at 2:00 PM with a matchup between Villanova and Wisconsin, followed by the 4:30 PM game where Central Florida will play Baylor. Games continue on November 28th with Wisconsin vs. Central Florida at 2:00 PM and Baylor vs. Villanova at 4:30 PM. Competition concludes on November 29th at 2:00 PM (Central Florida vs. Villanova) and 4:30 PM (Wisconsin vs. Baylor).

All game times are listed in Atlantic Standard Time, which is one hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Games will be played at the U.V.I. Sports and Fitness Center, the Caribbean’s premier basketball facility.

In 2007 Virgin Islands Paradise Jam action, Connecticut defeated Duke to claim the St. Thomas crown. Stanford narrowly defeated Temple for third place and Old Dominion finished ahead of Purdue with a win in the consolation game. All six teams competed in the 2008 NCAA tournament, which saw Stanford defeat Connecticut to advance to NCAA Championship game.

In the St. John Championship game, Wake Forest defeated Wichita State to take home the Paradise Jam St. John tournament crown. In the consolation game, Texas A&M overcame Indiana to finish second.

Frenchman’s Bay Hideaway

www.StThomasVirginIsland.com

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University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam ...

Nov. 20-23 2009 Paradise Jam Basketball Tournament Men's Division

Boston College, DePaul, East Carolina, Northern Iowa,
Purdue, South Dakota State, Saint Joseph's, Tennessee

Boilermakers Hold On to Take Paradise Jam Championship

By James Gardner — November 24, 2009

Paradise Jam once again left the best for last, as the sixth-ranked Purdue Boilermakers held on in the final seconds against ninth-ranked Tennessee to eke out a 73-72 victory Monday night in what was possibly one of the greatest games in Paradise Jam tournament history.
The UVI Sports and Fitness Center was packed for the tourney's ultimate game, with plenty of Tennessee jerseys everywhere, along with a good number of Purdue fans. Excitement was definitely in the air as the tournament's two favorites squared off in what would prove to be a nail biter.
Purdue had an easier time getting to the tournament finals, first taking on South Dakota State, who they beat by 11, and then Saint Joseph's University, who managed to hang with the Boilermakers during the first half of Sunday's game only to get blown out in the second.
For the Volunteers, the tournament started out with a 105-66 victory over East Carolina, but the team ran into a tough test Sunday when it took on DePaul and scraped by with a slim four-point win.
The first half of Monday's championship game was a back-and-forth affair, with four lead changes -- the most important one coming with one second left in the first half, when an E'twuan Moore layup gave Purdue a 42-41 leadThe second half was pretty much like the first, with both teams staying relatively close to each other, trading shots and leads until about the 2:13 mark, when two free throws by Keaton Grant gave Purdue a six-point lead at 72-66. On the next possession, Tennessee's Taylor Smith got fouled and then cut the deficit to four, after sinking both free throws. A missed jumper by Purdue's Robbie Hummel led to a Wayne Chism layup with 1:15 left to go, leaving Tennessee only down by two, 72-70.
The score remained the same until Hummel found himself on the line with 32 seconds in the game. He missed the first free throw, but hit the second to give Purdue a 73-70 lead. Tennessee's Bobby Maze, held mostly in check during the second half, then notched a layup with 18 seconds left to pull the Vols to within one.
Tennessee quickly fouled Kelsey Barlow, sending Purdue to the line for two. Tennessee needed Barlow to miss at least one of his free throws, but Barlow missed both.
The Vols now had the ball with the seconds running off the clock. Maze tried to penetrate, but the Purdue defense collapsed, causing him to kick it out to a wide open Chism at the top of the key for three -- a shot Chism has made time and again throughout the tournament. But this time it was a brick to the side of the rim.
Barlow rushed over to the corner and grabbed the rebound, sealing the deal for the Boilermakers and making them the tournament's 2009 men's champion, 73-72.
Chism did all he could to help his squad, finishing the game with 24 points and six rebounds. But the duo of Moore and Hummel proved to be too much. Moore, who was named tournament MVP, had 22 points for Purdue, while Hummel followed close behind with 20 and seven rebounds.
In the game for third place, DePaul knocked off Saint Joseph's, 58-51, while the University of Northern Iowa (UNI) grabbed fifth place with an 81-69 win over Boston College, and East Carolina defeated South Dakota State 82-73 to take the seventh-place spot.
Along with Purdue's Moore and Hummel, the men's all-tournament team includes The Vols' Chism and Smith, DePaul's Will Walker and UNI's Kwadzo Ahelegbe. into the break

Nov. 26-28 2009 Paradise Jam Basketball Tourament Women's Division

2009 WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT FIELD
Island Division: Notre Dame, Oklahoma, San Diego State, South Carolina
Reef Division: Mississippi State, Rutgers, Southern California, Texas

By Chris Walsh

ST. THOMAS - The No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish downed the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners, 81-71, to win the Paradise Jam's Island Division Championship on Saturday.

Led by Island Division MVP Skylar Diggins, the Irish shot 44.8 percent from the field and 8-of-19 from 3-point range. The freshman sensation had a team-high 16 points and shot 4-of-6 from long range.

After a tight start in which the teams exchanged the lead four times, the Irish used a second half run to pull away and get their second-ever win over the Sooners.

Following a Carlee Roethlisberger 3-pointer that gave Oklahoma a 51-48 lead with just under 13 minutes left, Notre Dame intensified its efforts on both offense and defense.

The Irish scored 20 unanswered points in a run that included seven points from Ashley Barlow. Notre Dame didn't allow an Oklahoma point for more than seven minutes en route to a 68-51 lead.

The Sooners, however, wouldn't go easily as Danielle Robinson showed why she's considered one of the top players in the country. The All-Tournament guard scored 10 straight points, six unanswered, to bring Oklahoma back to within 10.

That's as close as it got, though, as Brittany Mallory and Lindsay Schrader combined to score the team's final 13 points and hold on for a 10 point win.

Mallory finished with 15 points, five assists and seven rebounds. Schrader had 11 points and Barlow finished with 12 points and three steals.

Notre Dame point guard Melissa Lechlitner also was named to the All-Tournament team. She had five points and four assists.

Robinson finished with a game-high 26 points, connecting on 11-of-15 field goals and all four freebies. She also had six assists and a pair of steals.

Oklahoma's Amanda Thompson also was named to the All-Tournament team after giving a 12-point, five-steal performance in the championship game.

Roethlisberger and Abi Olajuwon both scored 11 points in a losing effort.

The Sooners made nearly half their shots, 30-for-61, but hit just 25 percent of their threes and 66.7 percent of their free throws in the loss.

The game marked just the second time in Notre Dame's history they defeated three ranked teams in their first six season games.

The other All-Tournament players were South Carolina's Valerie Nainima and San Diego State's Jene Morris.

Oklahoma finished second in the Island Division while the Gamecocks took third and the Aztecs fourth.

ST. THOMAS - One of the most exciting finishes ever at Paradise Jam immediately turned into one of the most awkward on Saturday.

The Texas Longhorns' Kathleen Nash sent the crowd and her team into a frenzy with a game-winning shot against Rutgers - but her team's reward was third place in the Reef Division.

Unranked Rutgers, which won two games before falling 70-67 to the No. 13 Longhorns, was awarded the Reef Division championship because of tie-breaker rules.

Southern California finished second since they defeated Texas on Friday, and Mississippi State took fourth.

Rutgers' Brittany Ray was named the Reef Division MVP after following up her career-high 27-point performance on Friday with a 17-point performance against the LonghornsTeammate Chelsey Lee was named to the All-Tournament team along with Texas' Nash and Brittany Raven. USC's Ashley Corral and MSU's Armelie Lumanu also made the team.

The final game of Paradise Jam was a wild and crazy one that featured eight lead changes and nine ties. The last lead change came with one second on the clock.

The Scarlet Knights had to battle back from a 12-point deficit and four lead changes in the final three minutes. Up by one, Texas' Ashleigh Fontenette sank one of two free throws to give the Longhorns a 67-65 lead with just 18 seconds left.

Ray took the inbounds pass, sprinted downcourt, made her way toward the basket and connected on a jump shot. The shot went in as the clock hit four seconds. The crowd erupted, but the game wasn't over.

Fontenette moved the ball down court with lightning speed and found Nash in the corner. Nash pulled up and hit nothing but net as the crowd and Longhorns screamed in jubilation.

Rutgers' last shot fell short. The Scarlet Knights walked into the locker rooms, but were informed they should return to center court to receive their title trophy.

Raven finished with 15 points and Fontenette had 12 points. Cokie Reed contributed 14 points in the win.

Rutgers' Erica Wheeler had 10 points and Monique Oliver nearly got a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds.

Texas started the game with all the momentum early on, running up an 18-9 lead thanks to five early points from Reed. The Longhorns held a 32-29 lead at the half.

In the second half, the Longhorns appeared to be running away with the game as they put together a 10-2 run to take a 47-35 lead. Rutgers, however, wasn't done. The Scarlet Knights scored 13 unanswered points to recapture the lead with just under 10 minutes to play.

Texas increased the lead to five points as the minutes ticked away, but Rutgers pulled to a tie to set up the wild finish.

By Chris Walsh Dailey News

No. 3 Cal women Wins Paradise Jam Tournament Reef Division2008

Walker named MVP, Gray-Lawson scores 1,000th career point

Nov. 29, 2008

Final Stats | Quotes

St. Thomas, U.S.V.I. - The California Golden Bears won the Paradise Jam Reef Division tournament title with a 76-43 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes Saturday night at the University of the Virgin Islands in St. Thomas. Senior forward Ashley Walker scored 32 points, tying her career high, en route to being named tournament MVP. Junior guards Lauren Greif and Alexis Gray-Lawson were also named to the All-Tournament team.

Iowa started the game strong, jumping out to a quick 8-2 lead. Cal senior forward Ashley Walker found her stroke, scoring 11 straight points for the Bears to give them a 13-8 lead. The Bears built on Walker's foundation, extending their run to 24-2 to take a 26-10 lead. Once again, it was the Bear defense fuelling the offense. Iowa shot just 26.7% in the first half with the two teams retiring to the locker rooms with Cal leading by 20, 40-20. Walker accounted for 20 of those first half Cal points.

The most important basket of the half came at the 1:26 mark when junior guard Alexis Gray-Lawson drove through the lane to lay in the ball, scoring two points for her team and becoming the twentieth member of Cal's 1,000 point club. The St. Thomas crowd gave Gray-Lawson a rousing ovation when the accomplishment was announced.

Cal cruised through the second half, outscoring Iowa 36-23 to earn the decisive 76-43 victory.

"We took care of business. I am very proud of the kids," said Head Coach Joanne Boyle. "We flew over 3,000 miles, played three games in three days. We got to play a lot of our players. I think that will help us down the road. Ashley Walker was huge tonight, but I think everyone contributed. I think they brought what they needed to bring each day so we could come out of this tournament with three wins." Cal forced 16 turnovers, scoring 24 points of the miscues. Cal only turned the bal over 8 times, the second time this season they had single-digit turnovers in a game.

"We definitely took care of the ball tonight," said Boyle. "They played us some zone tonight. I thought we did some really good stuff out of the triangle offense. We got some really good looks. We got a lot of one on one touches, which is good, and we got to push the ball a little bit in transition. I think the kids are getting a better feel for how important it is to create opportunities to score. Taking care of the ball is a great way to do that."

Walker, the Paradise Jam Tournament MVP, had the fourth 30-point game of her career, and her second straight, scoring 32 points, tying her career high. She averaged 22.0 points per game in the tournament, scoring 68 points with 18 rebounds.

Gray-Lawson ended the game with 10 points. She scored 37 points in the tournament 16 rebounds and was named to the All-Paradise Jam Tournament Team. Junior guard Lauren Greif also earned All-Paradise Jam Tournament honors. She finished the tournament with 23 points and 21 rebounds. South Florida's Shantia Grace, Texas Tech's Dominic Seals, and Iowa's Wendy Ausdemore rounded out the All-Paradise Jam Tournament Team from the Reef Division.

Reprint from Cal Bear website

The Sports and Fitness Center has become home to the University of the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam, an annual NCAA Division I Basketball tournament held in November during the Thanksgiving recess

United State Virgin Islands Paradise Jam

Tournament Background

The U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam offers men’s and women’s college basketball teams a chance for excellent early season competition in an exotic island setting. Since the tournament’s inception in 2000, many of the nation’s finest men and women’s teams have converged on St. Thomas to test their skills and enjoy some fun in the sun.

Since 2001, the tournament has been played at the 4,000-seat UVI Sports and Fitness Center. The first year of the tournament was played at Ivanna Eudora Kean High School, in anticipation of the completion of the state-of-the-art UVI facility in 2001. In October of 2007, a five-year contract extension was inked between Basketball Travelers, Inc. and the University of the Virgin Islands, ensuring the future of the Paradise Jam tournament in St. Thomas through 2013. The UVI facility was praised as the best non-mainland tournament facility by several tournament head coaches. Billy Hahn, La Salle coach said, "I’ve been to Maui and San Juan and the U.V.I. venue is A#1 the best. The locker rooms and floor are great – it’s not even close!" Murry Bartow, who was the head coach of UAB in 2001, said, "The facility is unbelievable. Usually at [non-mainland] games not many people show up, but the atmosphere was really good."

Tourism & Television
The two-week tournament in November draws more people to the Virgin Islands than any other event except Carnival and brings much-needed dollars to the territory’s businesses just before the tourist season gears up. From a tourism point of view, college basketball fans are demographically desirable. The median household income of NCAA basketball viewers, according to an ESPN-commissioned study by MRI Custom Cable, is $9,000 higher than the national median. The data was drawn from the cable company’s advertising material and data from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Since 2004, Basketball Travelers, Inc. has worked with Fox Sports to televise multiple Paradise Jam tournament games annually, both men's and women's. Tournament directors see the addition of regional and national television coverage as taking the Paradise Jam to the highest level of collegiate basketball tournaments. Television coverage provides each participating team critical exposure for recruiting and fan viewership. The U.S. Virgin Islands also greatly benefits from invaluable national media coverage, exposing potential tourists to the beauty and splendor of the islands. This potential boost to the island’s economy via prospective tourism exposure also fulfills a core tournament objective.

Strong Fields
Since its inception in 2000, the Paradise Jam women's tournament has always been one of the most competitive early season collegiate basketball tournaments in the nation. Tournament champions have never failed to earn berths to the NCAA post-season tournament, with several teams making it as far as the Final Four. The most notable accomplishment was the Maryland Terrapins winning the 2006 NCAA National Championship, becoming the first Paradise Jam participant to claim the title of national champion in the same season. Ironically Maryland did not earn the Paradise Jam championship, narrowly losing to the Tennessee Lady Vols in the game’s final seconds. The 2008 NCAA tournament boasted the greatest representation of Paradise Jam participants, as seven of the ten teams from 2007 earned berths. Attesting to the quality of the Paradise Jam tournament in 2007, two of those seven teams ended up in the NCAA Final Four, with Stanford defeating Connecticut to earn a berth in the championship game.

During the men's seven year tournament tenure, all but two of the men’s Paradise Jam champions have advanced to the NCAA tournament in the year following their participation in the Paradise Jam. Miami (unranked prior to the 2001 tournament and ranked as high as 12th afterwards) and BYU (2002) both accepted invitations to the Big Dance. 2003 Paradise Jam participants Boston College and Monmouth both earned invites to the Men's NCAA tournament in 2004. Wisconsin (2005) represented the Paradise Jam Champions in the 2006 NCAA tournament. Although 2006 Paradise Jam champion Alabama failed to make an NCAA tournament appearance in 2007, tourney-mates Xavier, Villanova and VCU all participated in the "Big Dance." Three teams again represented the Paradise Jam in the 2008 NCAA tournament, with 2007 champions Baylor, runner-up Winthrop, and Notre Dame all participating in post-season NCAA action.

. St. Thomas virgin island regatta race

PAST TOURNAMENTS MEN
2008 Champion: Connecticut defeats Wisconsin for 2008 Paradise Jam crown. [	2007 Champion: Baylor defeats Winthrop for 2007 Paradise Jam crown. [

2006 Champion: Alabama over Xavier for 2006 Paradise Jam championship.	2005 Champion: Wisconsin defeats Old Dominion 84-81 for 2005 Paradise Jam title. [

2004 Champion: Arkansas defeats Eastern Michigan 82-64, to earn the 2004 Paradise Jam championship. [	2003 Champion: Boston College wins the 2003 Championship over Witchita State 84-81. [

2002 Champion: BYU defeated St. Bonaventure 66-57 to claim the title trophy in the 2002 Paradise Jam. [	2001 Champion: Miami defeated Clemson to earn the championship of the 2001 Paradise Jam. [

By The Associated Press

Posted Nov 24, 2008 @ 11:19 PM

Last update Nov 25, 2008 @ 12:31 AM

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, U.S. Virgin Islands —

The second-ranked Connecticut Huskies will head back across the Atlantic Ocean sporting a championship trophy after sweeping the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Jerome Dyson scored 21 points and UConn beat No. 25 Wisconsin, 76-57, on Monday night.

“This was a very good win for us because we proved we could press. It’s just amazing what our press did against a team as good as Wisconsin,” Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said. “We squeezed them with our pressure and our defense.”

Jeff Adrien had 14 points and Kemba Walker added 12 points and four steals for the Huskies (5-0), who led 38-28 at halftime. Hasheem Thabeet, who finished with nine points, seven rebounds and three blocks, was the tournament MVP.

“We’re here!” the jubilant 7-3 junior center said as he held the Paradise Jam trophy, surrounded by his teammates.

Outside the locker room, Dyson said securing the tournament championship was a big boost.

“It feels great. We’ve been waiting for this moment a long time,” said Dyson, whose steal followed by a thundering dunk with 11:52 left in the second half brought UConn's fans to their feet.

Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said his team made some bad decisions with the ball down the stretch.

“Just guys not moving to the ball, making hard cuts. (UConn is) a very difficult team to come from behind against,” Ryan said. “Three or four turnovers can quickly change a game. We’re not immune.”

UConn scored 31 of its points off turnovers.

Keaton Nankivil led the Badgers (4-1) with 11 points, and Marcus Landry, Trevon Hughes, and Lon Leuer had nine apiece.

With the Paradise Jam victory, UConn claimed its second tropical in-season tournament title in the last four seasons, having won the Maui Invitational in 2005.

Connecticut Takes Title At Paradise Jam

Second-ranked Connecticut earned top honors at the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas as the Huskies rolled to a 76-57 win against No. 25/19 Wisconsin. Tournament MVP Hasheem Thabeet led a defensive effort that forced 22 Badger turnovers, including three 10-second violations, and gave Connecticut a 31-14 advantage in points off turnovers.

Guard Jerome Dyson had a game-high 21 points for Connecticut, which improved to 5-0.

Men's Division 1 -November 21, to November 24, 2008

Connecticut, Iona, La Salle, Miami, San Diego,
Southern Miss, Valparaiso, Wisconsin

April 24, 2008

PAST MEN'S PARADISE JAM CHAMPIONS AND MVP'S

2001 Champion: Miami MVP: John Salmons, Miami

2002 Champion: Brigham Young MVP: Marques Green, t. Bonaventure

2003 Champion: Boston College MVP: Craig Smith, Boston College

2004 Champion: Arkansas MVP: Ronnie Brewer, Arkansas

2005 Champion: Wisconsin MVP: Alano Rucker, Wisconsin

2006 Champion: Alabama MVP: Alonzo Gee, Alabama

2007 Champion: Baylor MVP: Curtis Jerrels, Baylor

PAST WOMEN'S PARADISE JAM CHAMPIONS AND MVP'S

2000 Champion: Texas Tech MVP: Jackie Stiles, SW Missouri St.

2001 St. Thomas Div. Champion: Texas MVP: Stacy Stephens, Texas

2001 St. John Div. Champion: Arizona State MVP: Amanda Levens, Arizona St

2001 St. Croix Div. Champion: Florida State MVP: Shinikki Whiting, Florida St.

2002 St. Thomas Div. Champion: South Carolina MVP: Jocelyn Penn, So. Car.

2002 St. John Div. Champion: Duke MVP: Alana Beard, Duke

2003 St. Thomas Div. Champion: Virginia Tech MVP:Carrie Mason, Virg. Tech

2003 St. John Div. Champion: SW Missouri St. MVP: Kari Koch, SW Mo. St.

2004 St. Thomas Div. Champion: NC State MVP: Tiffany Stansbury, NC State

2004 St. John Div. Champion: Rutgers MVP: Michelle Campbell, Rutgers

2005 St. Thomas Div. Champion: Minnesota MVP: Jamie Broback, Minnesota

2005 St. John Div. Champion: Tennessee MVP: Candaca Parker, Tennessee

2006 St. Thomas Div. Champion: Arizona State/Rutgers (game cancelled)

2006 St. John Div. Champion: Marquette MVP: Christina Quaye, Marquette

2007 St. Thomas Div. Champion: Connecticut MVP Maya Moore, Connecticut

2007 St. John Div. Champion: Wake Forest MVP: Alex Tchangoue, Wake Forest

2008 Reef Division Champion UC Berkerly MVP Ashley Walker, UC Berkerly

Tournament Goals and Objectives

As the second largest tourist event on the island behind Carnival, the Paradise Jam provides an important boost to the local economy and tourism trade. "That’s what we hang our hats on in November," said UVI Athletic Director Peter Sauer. "The tournament brings in people who spend money. The main thing is that it’s really good for the Virgin Islands people." The two-week, 16-team tournament brings in an estimated 1500 people to the island who are spending their tourism dollars on hotels, restaurants, transportation, services, and island memorabilia. The addition of national television coverage serves to attract even more tourism interest. Bringing big-time college basketball to the islands for the enjoyment and entertainment of the people is another objective of the Paradise Jam. The people of the U.S.V.I. are very basketball-savvy observers, as well as talented players. Several athletes from the islands have earned basketball scholarships to mainland colleges. The most famous player from the U.S.V.I. is NBA Most Valuable Player Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. Islanders have brought their raucous enthusiasm for basketball to the Paradise Jam from the tournament’s inception, much to the surprise and joy of participating players and coaches alike. The loud crowds inspire the players from mainland colleges to raise their early-season play to an even higher level. Many coaches comment about the strong fan support they receive at the games, which especially for many of the women’s teams is an unexpected bonus. Education and youth involvement are also encouraged via the Paradise Jam tournament. Promotion of the game of basketball to the youth of St. Thomas is achieved through basketball clinics administrated by the participating college coaches or tournament staff. During the tournament itself, local high school youth are recruited as junior staff members to assist the tournament administrators in running all aspects of the tournament. The youth learn about service, sales, hospitality, media relations and many other skills as they work side by side with experienced staff members. Other youths participate in steel pan bands, school bands, and dance performances during half-time game entertainment. These young community members are an integral part of the success of the Paradise Jam tournament, while also learning valuable lessons in service, performance and organization. The tournament also strives to educate and impress the incoming tournament participants with the matchless beauty and attributes of the island’s nature and culture. Functions such as the Welcome Reception at Paradise Point, half-time shows with mocko jumbies dancing to the steel pan band, and the catamaran snorkel tour show off the unique features of island life in St. Thomas. Many tournament participants comment that the memories they take with them of the people they met, the reef habitats, the sunshine, and the beauty of the island will never be forgotten. In 2001, just after the first men’s tournament, AP basketball writer Jim O’Connell wrote, "Move over, Maui. Step aside, San Juan. There’s a new vacation venue moving onto the Division I basketball scene." With the addition of national television coverage, unexcelled tournament fields and the best vacation-venue facility outside of the U.S. mainland, the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam aims to become the most illustrious pre-season basketball tournament in the nation. Reprint from Paradise Jam web site

Sports & Fitness Center Facts ...

• The SFC is constructed on the site of the old UVI Field House (gym) - an old seaplane hangar built in the late 1930s by the U.S. Navy
• Over 64,000 square feet, two levels
• Constructed of concrete masonry and metal panels over steel beams and columns
• Glass door entranceway to lobby featuring Hall of Fame Plaques
• Principle architects: Daniels, Mendenhall, Johnson and Mann
• The largest indoor venue of its kind in the Eastern Caribbean
• Construction cost $11 million dollars, $9 million provided by the U.S. Department of Interior's Office of Insular Affairs
• Fully air-conditioned, though designed with windows on all sides, including the roof.

Frenchman's Bay Hideaway Testimonial

"Thank you so very much - we had a fabulous time. Your unit is great which met our expectations. We hope that you will have it available next year for our use. When we would certainly plan more then six days. All good things must come to at least a temporary end.”
Thanks again so much. Robin & Barb

We stayed in this St. Thomas Virgin Islands apartment and had a wonderful week. The owner of the home met us at the airport and we followed him in our rental car. The apartment was clean, secluded, and safe. If you are going to spend your time exploring the islands of St. Thomas and St. John, this is an excellent place to use as a home base. We even loved the drive up the hill to get there. The view from the front porch was definitely worth it! Everything in the kitchenette worked fine and was a huge money saver as the restaurants on St. Thomas are expensive. There are grocery stores and a Kmart reasonable close to the apartment that did have good prices. There is nothing fancy about this place, but it is fully functional and we would stay there again. Another plus about this rental was the owners acceptance of Paypal for payment.Our weeks vacation started out with 5 nights at the Elysian Resort and ended with 3 nights here at Frenchman"s Bay Hideaway! Our stay at the resort was nice but we love staying here at the hideaway! Alot more room, our own private pool, and very peaceful. Glynn and Donna have been wonderful host. We love Secret Bay Harbor for snorkleing. And the recommendation of Johnny Mango was perfect for take out dinner! We can't wait to come back and bring the kids Thanks Again Bryan & Brenda Wilken.”

“Bill and I just want to say a big thank you for your wonderful hospitality. We had a great week and you made it extra special for us. You are fabulous hosts. God bless you in your future ventures.”
Ann and Bill, California

Your Hosts:

Glynn Wheeler

PO Box 10436, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands 00801

Wheeler@attglobal.net

(340) 774-2193

Square Trade

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