UH basketball team withdrawing from Las Vegas tournament
Hawaii guard Aaron Valdes goes high to defend a shot by Nebraska's Shavon Shields in the first half of the Nebraska vs Hawaii basketball game of the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic basketball tournament at the Stan Sheriff Center.
The University of Hawaii men’s basketball team is withdrawing from the 2015 Las Vegas Invitational in order to beef up its home schedule and reduce missed class time for its players, officials said.
The Rainbow Warriors were scheduled to play San Diego State and California on the road and two other opponents, from among Liberty, Sam Houston State and Bethune-Cookman, in neutral site games at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas in November.
Athletic director David Matlin said canceling the LVI appearance would allow UH to schedule two additional home games, pick up a “payday game” and save five days of missed class time. “(This was) a decision in favor of our student-athlete welfare,” Matlin said.
Replacement games have yet to be announced.
Matlin said “financially, we are showing, approximately, a $30,000 positive swing by canceling this tourney over a two-year period.”
Under terms of the contract, UH was to have received $85,000 to play in the tournament. The buyout was listed at $90,000.
