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Gonzaga Basketball

Maui Invitational officially moving to Honolulu

Gonzaga's Ben Gregg battles for position against Purdue center Zach Edey in the Boilermakers' win last November in Portland. Edey, the national player of the year last season, and Purdue will face Gonzaga in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 20. (By Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review)
By Jim Meehan jimm@spokesman.com(509) 459-5585
Gonzaga's Ben Gregg battles for position against Purdue center Zach Edey in the Boilermakers' win last November in Portland. Edey, the national player of the year last season, and Purdue will face Gonzaga in the first round of the Maui Invitational on Nov. 20. (By Jesse Tinsley/The Spokesman-Review)

The Maui Invitational, loaded with five top-10 teams, including Gonzaga, in ESPN’s latest preseason rankings, is officially on the move.

The prestigious holiday tournament will be held at the University of Hawaii’s SimpliFi Arena at Stan Sheriff Center in Honolulu while Lahaina Civic Center, the traditional venue, continues serving as a critical hub in Maui wildfire recovery efforts, tournament organizers announced Friday.

“While we have to move this year’s tournament off of Maui, we are determined to celebrate and honor the culture and traditions that make this event so special,” said Tom Valdiserri, executive vice president of KemperSports LIVE, the operator of the Maui Invitational. “Throughout this process, we’ve seen the spirit of ’Ohana in action.

“Thank you to Gov. Josh Green, Hawaii Tourism Authority and Mayor Richard Bissen as well as the staff at Chaminade University of Honolulu and University of Hawaii at Manoa for working tirelessly with us to keep this year’s tournament in Hawaii.”

The Zags, No. 7 in ESPN’s rankings, will face No. 3 Purdue in the opening round at 2 p.m. on Nov. 20. The winner/loser will face No. 8 Tennessee or Syracuse.

The Boilermakers, led by national player of the year Zach Edey’s 23 points and seven rebounds, thumped Gonzaga 84-66 last November at the Phil Knight Legacy in Portland. The 7-foot-4 Edey is returning for his senior season.

In other openers, No. 1 Kansas faces Chaminade and No. 10 Marquette takes on UCLA. The eight teams have combined for 17 national championships and 263 NCAA Tournament appearances.

All previously purchased tickets will be honored and located to similar seats in the Stan Sheriff Center, which seats 10,300 compared to Lahaina Civic Center’s 2,400. Additional tickets will go on sale in early October at mauiinvitational.com.

Fans who have previously purchased tournament travel packages will be offered comparable travel packages with beach hotels in Honolulu. More details about the on-site experience will be announced in the coming weeks.

“The Maui Invitational is a great event that celebrates all of Hawaii,” Gov. Josh Green said. “We look forward to welcoming players, staff and fans to Oahu and using the tournament and its international TV audience as a way to bring attention to and raise funds for Maui recovery efforts.”

The tournament recently launched the Hoops for ’Ohana online auction with proceeds going directly to wildfire relief and recovery efforts. Fans can bid on unique items donated by tournament partners and teams from past Maui Invitationals. To learn more, visit mauiinvitational.com/hoopsforohana.