Posted December 02, 2019 in Press Releases
CLEVELAND – Dru Joyce Classic, a premier U.S. travel basketball tournament, will move to the I-X Center in Cleveland, OH on Apr. 24-26, 2020. This event will bring thousands of athletes, coaches and spectators from around the world to participate in a three-day basketball competition.
“The Dru Joyce Classic is excited to partner with Greater Cleveland Sports Commission in bringing our destination travel basketball event to the I-X Center,” said Dru Joyce, Tournament Director, NEOBasketball Association. “We believe this event will rival all under one roof basketball tournaments in the country.”
Dru Joyce, Tournament Director for NEOBasketball Association, launched the tournament in summer 2003 in order to help Ohio athletes see increased recruitment. Previously, having coached LeBron James and Dru Joyce III, Joyce’s son, at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School basketball team, he decided to create an event in Ohio that would allow sanctioned travel tournaments for college coaches to attend.
Previously hosted in Akron, this tournament was named the King James Shooting Stars Classic and boasted 318 teams on over 30 venues across the area in its first year.
In its 17th year, this event will feature boys in second to 11th grades participating in games held on 58 sport courts spread across the event floor of the I-X Center. The move to the I-X Center would be the first time the tournament is hosted under one roof.
“We’ve been committed to building a culture of experience, competitiveness and safe basketball,” said Devin Joyce, CEO Passion8 Event Management, LLC. “Cleveland has a strong line up of sporting events coming to the city over the next few years, such as the 2021 NFL Draft, 2022 NBA All-Star Weekend and 2024 Women’s Final Four; I’m excited this event is one of them.”
Registration is now open for teams online. Teams will compete for a championship in their age group, showcase their ability to compete at a higher level and gain exposure to college coaches who travel to this tournament in droves.
“We are excited to partner with the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland to host the 2020 Dru Joyce Classic, said Lisa Vo, Executive Vice President, I-X Center. “The I-X Center is the perfect location to bring all of their event under one roof and offer athletes and spectators an experience they will not forget.”
Spectator tickets for this event will be available at the door. Details are forthcoming.
This event is projected to feature 500 teams, 25,000 spectators and generate an estimated $3,500,000 in economic impact to Northeast Ohio.
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About I-X Center: The International Exposition (I-X) Center in Cleveland, Ohio is one of the nation’s premier exhibition facilities. It is the largest single building convention center in the United States, comprised of 2.2 million sq. ft., including more than one million sq. ft. of flexible presentation space. I-X Center is conveniently located adjacent to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, just 15 minutes southwest of downtown Cleveland, with nearby hotels and secure on-site parking for more than 7,000 vehicles. The I-X Center has hosted more than 1,500 events attracting 50 million visitors during the past 30 years. For more information, visit ixcenter.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram @IXCenterCLE.