SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. – The Seton Hall men’s basketball team will participate in the 2008 O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off, November 20-23 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Presented by ESPN Regional Television (ERT) and ESPNU, in conjunction with the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, the tournament will feature eight teams and 12 games at the state-of-the-art Coliseo de Puerto Rico, in the cosmopolitan Hato Rey district of San Juan.
The Pirates will open the Tip-Off, hosted by the BIG EAST Conference, with USC on Thursday, November 20 at 8:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPNU. Their opponent the following day, November 21, will be determined by the outcome of their game with USC and the Memphis / UT-Chattanooga game with winners playing winners and losers playing losers. Seton Hall’s third and final game will be played on Sunday, November 23 with start time and opponent to be determined. The remaining teams in the 2008 field include Fairfield, Missouri, Virginia Tech and Xavier.
“We are very excited to bring men’s college basketball to Puerto Rico for the second year through this event,” said Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ERT. “The combination of eight quality basketball teams and this wonderful setting truly make the O’Reilly Auto Parts Puerto Rico Tip-Off a one-of-a-kind sporting event.”
Seton Hall last played a regular season game in Puerto Rico during the 1984-85 season. That year, it defeated North Carolina A&T and Tennessee State as a part of the Copa Navidad Classic. The Pirates haven’t faced their first round opponent, USC, since a 92-79 victory over the Trojans on Dec. 29, 1994 at Continental Airlines Arena.
During their stay, the Pirates will meet with native Puerto Rican and Seton Hall Athletics Hall of Fame member Ramon Ramos at a special dinner hosted by the Pirate Blue Athletic Fund. Ramos helped lead the team to its first-ever NCAA appearance in 1988 and then earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors in 1988-89, while leading Seton Hall to the Final Four, where the Pirates lost the NCAA Championship game to Michigan by one point in overtime. He was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers of the NBA but had his career cut short tragically just six games into his first season when a car accident left him in a coma. Ramos has since lived in his native land of Puerto Rico under the care of his family.
Pirate Blue is organizing a trip for all alumni, friends and family of the men’s basketball team to Puerto Rico for the tournament and dinner event. For more information on this exclusive opportunity, please call 973-378-9838 or visit their website at www.pirateblue.com.
Additional information on the tournament can be found on the Puerto Rico Tip-Off Web site at, www.PuertoRicoTipOff.com.
Courtesy: Seton Hall Athletic Communications
