Rock Hill, SC selected as the 2020 NCAA College Basketball Academy’s Southeast location
ROCK HILL, SC (September 20, 2019) – Today the NCAA College Basketball Academy announced their selections for the second annual NCAA College Basketball Academies, which will take place July 20 – 26, 2020. The NCAA College Basketball Academy has awarded Visit York County as the host destination for the 2020 Southeast Regional NCAA College Basketball Academy, following an extensive bidding process. This is the first time that the College Basketball Academy will be held in the Southeast.
The Academy will feature two sessions with 600 athletes in July of 2020. Both sessions will take place at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center co-hosted by the City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation & Tourism (RHPRT) department. Winthrop University will house and feed the athletes.
“The NCAA has made a tremendous investment in the basketball academy concept, and we are excited to be the host destination for the NCAA College Basketball Academy in 2020,” says Billy Dunlap, President/CEO, Visit York County. “The magnitude of this event fits perfectly with the history of top-tier sports tourism in Rock Hill, and we’re thankful to have great partners including the City of Rock Hill and Winthrop University to make this another first-class event in Rock Hill.”
“The City of Rock Hill is pleased to learn that Winthrop University will host one of the NCAA College Basketball Academies in 2020, and that the event will be held at the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center,” says David Vehaun, City Manager, City of Rock Hill. “The City of Rock Hill builds state-of-the-art facilities to host world-class events such as this and to enhance recreation opportunities for our citizens.”
“We are ecstatic to put Winthrop University, the City of Rock Hill and Visit York County on display in this wonderful opportunity to host the NCAA College Basketball Academy,” says Dr. Ken Halpin, Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics, Winthrop University. “Being awarded this opportunity is further evidence of Rock Hill’s commitment to being a leader of sports tourism in the United States.”
Winthrop University will be joined by three other universities as host sites for the second annual NCAA College Basketball Academies including the University of Connecticut (UConn), the University of Utah, and Wichita State University.
For media inquiries about the Rock Hill Sports and Event Center, please contact Laurie Helms, marketing coordinator, City of Rock Hill Parks, Recreation & Tourism department at 803.329.5655 or laurie.helms@cityofrockhill.com.
About the NCAA College Basketball Academy: The NCAA College Basketball Academy is a developmental boys basketball academy for prospective student-athletes. The academy was created in response to recommendations from the Commission on College Basketball that was chaired by former Secretary of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice. With input from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the academy is designed to give prospective student-athletes a sample of the college basketball experience. To be considered for the invitation-only academy, a prospective student-athlete MUST be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center and MUST nominate himself for consideration. A total of up to 2,400 players will be selected for the academy, with up to 600 assigned to each region and up to 300 per session. Each selected participant will attend one session only. To learn more about the NCAA College Basketball Academy, click here.
Contact: Sonja Burris, SVP Marketing & Communications, TMP, Visit York County, SC |803.329.5200 (office) | 803.487.1618 (mobile) |sburris@visityorkcounty.com
Spokesperson: Andy Clinton, VP of Sales, Visit York County, SC |803.329.5200 (office) | 803.487.5095 (mobile) | aclinton@visityorkcounty.com
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