A year after wildfires in Maui forced its relocation to Honolulu, the Maui Invitational is returning to Lahaina.
The tournament will be played Nov. 25-27 and will feature UConn, North Carolina, Auburn, Michigan State, Memphis, Dayton, Colorado and Iowa State.
On Aug. 8, the deadly wildfires destroyed much of downtown Lahaina and killed 101 people. Tournament officials initially hoped to keep the event on the island. However, the safety of residents, coupled with complications involving setting up the fiberoptics necessary to broadcast the game and the Lahaina Civic Center’s ongoing use as a staging area for rescue, necessitated the shift to Honolulu. Proceeds from the event, coupled with an auction created by college basketball coaches, raised more than $2 million in aid for Maui residents.
The tournament, which began in 1984, will be a welcome boon to the economy of the still-recovering Lahaina area.
“We appreciate the unwavering support and sensitivity in navigating this difficult time and appreciate their commitment to bringing this much-anticipated event back to Maui’s community,” Maui mayor Richard Bissen said in a statement.
The Maui Invitational attracts a field of top teams and blue-blood programs every year. Purdue won the tournament this season, defeating Marquette in the final on Nov. 22. The field included four of the current top 10 teams in the country — Purdue, Marquette, Kansas and Tennessee.
Next year’s field shapes up to be a strong one as well. Six of the eight teams were in The Athletic’s projected NCAA Tournament field as of last week, with Memphis just on the outside.
(Photo: Brian Spurlock / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
