MSUB Men Invited to Disney’s West Coast Classic (7/17/07)

Jackets Draw Three National Powers at Tourney

BILLINGS, Mont. – The Montana State University Billings men’s basketball team will be one of four teams competing in the inaugural Disney’s Division II West Coast Tip Off Classic this fall. The Yellowjackets will face three teams that have historically been among the best in Division II: Metro State, Cal State San Bernardino, and Kentucky Wesleyan. The tournament will be held at the Anaheim Convention Center and Disneyland Resort on Nov. 2, 3 and 4 and will feature four men’s and four women’s teams.

“The opportunity to compete in the Disney event will be wonderful exposure for our program and our young student-athletes,” said Yellowjacket head coach Craig Carse, who is entering his thirteenth season at the school.  “We will compete against teams that have been very successful in their regions and as NCAA Champions.”

MSU Billings is coming off a 6-21 season. The Jackets will field a young squad in 2007-08, featuring seven freshmen and four sophomores. The 2007-08 season will be the Yellowjackets’ first season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, returning them to the NCAA West Region after a two-year stint in the Heartland Conference and South Central Region.

MSUB tips off the first men’s session at the Disney Classic on Friday, Nov. 2, against Metro State. The Roadrunners were 28-4 last year and reached the semifinals of the North Central Regional. They finished the season ranked No. 5 in the nation. Metro State, which plays in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, won national championships in 2000 and 2002 and reached the national title game in 1999 and 2004.

The Jackets meet Cal State San Bernardino on Saturday, Nov. 3. The Coyotes are coming off a 26-6 season that culminated in an NCAA West Region title and a trip to the NCAA Final Four. They finished the year ranked No. 8 in the nation. A perennial power in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, CSU San Bernardino has won seven conference crowns since 2000 along with West Region titles in 1999, 2002, and 2007.

MSU Billings closes the tourney against Kentucky Wesleyan, arguably the most successful program in Division II history, on Sunday, Nov. 4. The Panthers from the Great Lakes Valley Conference were just 13-14 overall last season, but they played in the NCAA national championship game as recently as 2003. They were national champions in 2001 and runners up in 2002 and 2003. Since 1960, Kentucky Wesleyan holds the Division II records for the most weeks ranked in the national top 10 (230), the most weeks ranked in the top 5 (149), and the most weeks ranked No. 1 in the nation (51).

“I’m excited to see our men’s basketball team invited to participate in such a great event,” said MSUB Athletic Director Dr. Gary Gray. “This will be an excellent way to start off our basketball season, meeting some tough competition right away. It should help us prepare for what’s sure to be consistently strong competition against our new GNAC and West Region opponents.”

In conjunction with the Jackets’ appearance at the tournament, the MSU Billings Alumni Association and Get Travel are offering affordable hotel/tournament/theme park packages for MSUB alumni and boosters. Julie Seedhouse, Director of Alumni Relations, is coordinating the alumni events.

“The MSUB Alumni Association will host a reception for our southern California alumni and Yellowjacket boosters on Friday, Nov. 2, that will provide an excellent opportunity for connecting back to campus and networking with fellow alumni,” said Seedhouse. “We will be posting more details in the near future on the MSUB Athletics web site.”

For more information about the alumni reception or the travel packages, contact Julie Seedhouse at 406-247-5780 or jseedhouse@msubillings.edu.