The NCAA has given the Bahamas exempt status, clearing the way for the island nation to host a new holiday tournament that organizers hope will become the East Coast version of the Maui Invitational.
The NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors approved the Bahamas’ proposal without discussion over the weekend and the legislation goes into effect on Aug. 1. Organizers already have preliminary plans in place to hold an eight-team tournament of Division I schools over Thanksgiving weekend.
“We, of course, are very delighted the vote went in favor of the Bahamas,” said George Markantonis, president and managing director of Kerzner International Bahamas, which spearheaded the tournament. “That enables entities in this country and certainly in our case, Atlantis, to go ahead with their plans for a monster preseason tournament.”
Under NCAA rules, a country must have exempt status to host a tournament or the teams playing there will be limited to 27 regular-season games instead of 30.
