HILO, Hawai'i – The Big Island Holiday Classics are coming to Hilo's Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium starting next week with a total of 22 games on tap through November and December.
Hosted by the University of Hawai'i at Hilo with tournament director Malika Sport Tours, the two-part slate begins next week, Nov. 22-25, with two men's basketball games and four women's hoops contests.
A total of 22 teams will be participating from across the ranks of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
"We are very excited about this year's Big Island Classic," Hawai'i Hilo women's basketball head coach David Kaneshiro said. "The quality and quantity of teams that will be playing in Hilo should make for a great event for Big Island basketball fans. Mahalo to Gene Steinmeyer from Malika Sport Tours, Hawai'i Hilo director of athletics Patrick Guillen and the rest of the Vulcan Athletics administration, staff and coaches for making this event possible."
The December schedule will feature a four-team men's basketball tournament between Hawai'i Hilo, Central Methodist, Valley City State and Milligan.
The women's slate will be heavy-loaded with 12 games set to be played in three days on Dec. 17-19.
All games will be streamed online through Out of the Sea Media Arts.
Up-to-date information can be found at HiloAthletics.com/BigIslandClassic.
Big Island Classic
Winter 2022 marks a modern reiteration of the Big Island Invitational Tournament from the 1990s, which featured many NCAA Division I programs with the likes of Oklahoma, Oregon State, Iowa State, Arkansas, Creighton, Purdue, Stanford and UConn among others.
The Big Island Classic moniker was also resurrected in winter 2016 when current Hawai'i Hilo men's basketball head coach Kaniela Aiona was at the helm of the Menlo College men's hoops program. The one-year stint featured Menlo, Indiana Wesleyan, Benedictine University and Northern New Mexico and was played at Kealakehe High School.
2022 Big Island Holiday Classic Teams
| SCHOOL |
LOCATION |
CONFERENCE |
| Central Oklahoma (MBB) |
Edmond, Oklahoma |
Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association |
| Colorado-Colorado Springs (MBB) |
Colorado Springs, Colorado |
Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference |
| Central Methodist (MBB) |
Fayette, Missouri |
Heart of America Athletic Conference (NAIA) |
| Hawai'i Hilo (MBB + WBB) |
Hilo, Hawai'i |
Pacific West Conference |
| Milligan (MBB) |
Milligan, Tennessee |
Appalachian Athletic Conference (NAIA) |
| Valley City State (MBB + WBB) |
Valley City, North Dakota |
North Star Athletic Association (NAIA) |
| Fairmont State (WBB) |
Fairmont, West Virginia |
Mountain East Conference |
| St. Edward's (WBB) |
Austin, Texas |
Lone Star Conference |
| Tampa (WBB) |
Tampa, Florida |
Sunshine State Conference |
| UMary (WBB) |
Bismarck, North Dakota |
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference |
| DePauw (WBB) |
Greencastle, Indiana |
North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII) |
| Grove City College (WBB) |
Grove City, Pennsylvania |
Presidents' Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII) |
| Lake Forest (WBB) |
Lake Forest, Illinois |
Midwest Conference (NCAA DIII) |
| Luther College (WBB) |
Decorah, Iowa |
American Rivers Conference (NCAA DIII) |
| College of St. Benedict (WBB) |
St. Joseph, Minnesota |
Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII) |
| Worcester State (WBB) |
Worcester, Massachusetts |
Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (NCAA DIII) |
| Arizona Christian (WBB) |
Glendale, Arizona |
Golden State Athletic Conference (NAIA) |
| Morningside (WBB) |
Sioux City, Iowa |
Great Plains Athletic Conference (NAIA) |
| Viterbo (WBB) |
La Crosse, Wisconsin |
North Star Athletic Association (NAIA) |
| William Carey (WBB) |
Hattiesburg, Missouri |
Southern States Athletic Conference (NAIA) |
