Anaheim Classic

[ge1974]

Now named the Wooden Legacy. First two rounds now at Cal-Fullerton's court?? The gym only holds 4000 fans. I wonder if Marquette would have signed up for this tourney had they known about playing in a small gym.

FYI - In the past , the pairings have been announced during the first week in August.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/85145/3-point-shot-fullerton-to-host-tournament

1. The Anaheim Classic is going through some changes that should make it a more intimate event, building up toward a more unique championship day. The tournament, played over Thanksgiving weekend, has been at the Anaheim Convention Center, but has had plenty of sparsely populated games. So, the plan is to move the first two days of the tournament to Cal State-Fullerton's Titan Gym. The final day of the event will be played at the Honda Center in Anaheim to give it more of an elite ending. And to raise the profile of the event, the name will no longer be the Anaheim Classic but rather the Wooden Legacy. The first two rounds will be Nov. 28 and 29 with the championship day on Dec. 1. The tournament has headline teams in Creighton, San Diego State, Marquette, Arizona State and Miami with the College of Charleston, George Washington and the host Titans. Fullerton needs to take advantage of their homecourt and play well for two reasons -- to play rare higher-level games at home and to ensure the crowds are decent.

[MU/Panther]

Thanks for the heads up, since I'm planning on going to this event.

The Anaheim Concention Center is in the same park as Disneyland. This move seems odd.

[TulsaWarrior]

I had planned on heading down there as well and taking the ten year old to Disneyland. This will probably change our plans. (We're living in Eugene these days.)

[BLT]

Same reaction. Have to rent a car to attend now versus walking two minutes and then meeting up with family at Disney ten minutes after a game. Would be nice to attend and drink a pop at the Convention Center too. How moving the venue helps attract traveling fans away from Disney and into LA traffic is an interesting concept. While the LA residents won't attend either venue as surf is up. Total cost move and smells of a rinky dinky operation.

[TheSultan]

My guess is that this move saves the tournament a great deal of $$$ since it looks like it wasn't very well attended anyway. Fullerton is likely providing their gym for free - or at least "at cost."

And I have come to the conclusion that most of these pre-season tournaments are "rinky dinky" operations anyway. These are generally made for TV events played in small and/or empty gyms.

[BLT]

Sultan,

In fact that is probably true as these are made for tv events. But what is common is these are built around tourist destinations over holiday weekends. Traveling fans want to bring their family, leave their work behind and relax doing different things. Why an event organizer thinks I want to leave a resort to fight LA traffic only to return to holiday Disney traffic is ill founded and rinky dinky. Pound wise and penny foolish which is why they have fan interest issues to start with.

[TheSultan]

Sultan,

In fact that is probably true as these are made for tv events. But what is common is these built around tourist destinAtions over holiday weekends. Traveling fans what to bring their family, leave their work behind and relax doing different things. Why an event organizer thinks I want to leave a resort to fight LA traffic only to return to holiday Disney traffic is ill founded and rinky dinky. Pound wise and penny foolish which is why they have fan interest issues to start with.


Yeah I hear ya. Wondering if they are money issues and they didn't have much choice in the matter.

[MU/Panther]

http://maps.google.com/maps?bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.aWc&biw=1440&bih=754&wrapid=tlif137035670994110&um=1&ie=UTF-8&gl=us&daddr=California+State+University+Fullerton,+800+N +State+College+Blvd,+Fullerton,+CA+92831&saddr=Anaheim+Convention+Center,+800+W+Katella+Ave ,+Anaheim,+CA+92802&panel=1&f=d&fb=1&dirflg=d&geocode=IRQpZxO6orI-;IVXzSrm7EJgr&sa=X&ei=OvytUe-iGcecyQH-8ICgAg&ved=0CIYBEPgPMAo

Google is saying it's only 15 minutes away.:eek:

[TheSultan]

It would be smart for them to provide shuttle service.

[ValiantSailor]

http://maps.google.com/maps?bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.47244034,d.aWc&biw=1440&bih=754&wrapid=tlif137035670994110&um=1&ie=UTF-8&gl=us&daddr=California+State+University+Fullerton,+800+N +State+College+Blvd,+Fullerton,+CA+92831&saddr=Anaheim+Convention+Center,+800+W+Katella+Ave ,+Anaheim,+CA+92802&panel=1&f=d&fb=1&dirflg=d&geocode=IRQpZxO6orI-;IVXzSrm7EJgr&sa=X&ei=OvytUe-iGcecyQH-8ICgAg&ved=0CIYBEPgPMAo

Google is saying it's only 15 minutes away.:eek:

And the traffic won'b be terrible...most of the time.

VS

[pbiflyer]

Now named the Wooden Legacy. First two rounds now at Cal-Fullerton's court?? The gym only holds 4000 fans. I wonder if Marquette would have signed up for this tourney had they known about playing in a small gym.


The tourneys in Orlando and St Thomas had small gyms. I think that Marquette prefers it, as we usually have a stronger showing than most schools.

[MU/Panther]

http://www.thewoodenlegacy.com/thanks.php

[kneelb4zerg]

The tourneys in Orlando and St Thomas had small gyms. I think that Marquette prefers it, as we usually have a stronger showing than most schools.

So does the Maui tournament.

[MU/Panther]

HP Field House in Orlando is more like an arena. It seats 5,000 and there is no bleachers.

[TheSultan]

OK, so I went ahead and read this that was posted on the Creighton site:

http://www.gocreighton.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=1000&ATCLID=208104963

It looks as though that the Anaheim Classic is merged with the John Wooden Classic (which was not a tournament, but a two-game format similar to the Coaches v. Cancer games that MU played in a couple years ago), and this is the result. Perhaps since the Anaheim Classic seemingly lost its title sponsor (Direct TV) had something to do with this?

[BLT]

Either the tournament or MU will have shuttle busses I am sure. Yet, spending 45 minutes both ways in holiday traffic or waiting to load when a fan could walk down the hall of the Hilton to the convention center or across the street to Disneyland.

It is obvious that the tournament is on the cusp of folding from all this. I don't mind the small venue, but I believe it is the only holiday tournament played on a D1 campus arena. The point for the team and alums/fans is to build commradrie, relax. it is a fun time as typically MU gets 500-1000 fans at these games.

Coincidentally, the worst run tournament I remember was the CTI in Hoffman Estates. Maybe there is something about these urban holiday tournaments that doesn't work....although the CBE in KC was well run and with great teams. The CTI was short lived.

[MU/Panther]

Charleston Classic is played at C of C home court.

[BLT]

Thanks MU/Panther. Charleston is such a great city to visit. Saw they cancelled the Carrier Classic due to last year's issue, however.

http://www.wistv.com/story/21809747/carrier-classic-not-coming-back-to-yorktown-in-2013

Here is also a review of the Titan Gym I found. Blah. At least Maui and the VI had world class parking lot views. :D

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/titan-gym-s526/