BASKETBALL Great Alaska Shootout

[SpaceRaider]

Blue Raiders in tournament that no power conference programs...

Great Alaska Shootout

 

[MTFNBY5]

I noticed that also. I guess I haven't been keeping up since I thought the Shootout was one of the more prestigious pre-season tournaments and always was made up of primarily "power" type schools (along with the Seawolves, of course).

I really hate going to any pre-season tournament which doesn't give the Blue Raiders a chance to meet one or more "power" schools on a neutral floor. Other than the chance to play more games and come home with a (to most casual fans) meaningless trophy what's the use?

 

[SpaceRaider]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Alaska_Shootout

Originally posted by MTFNBY5:
I noticed that also. I guess I haven't been keeping up since I thought the Shootout was one of the more prestigious pre-season tournaments and always was made up of primarily "power" type schools (along with the Seawolves, of course).

I really hate going to any pre-season tournament which doesn't give the Blue Raiders a chance to meet one or more "power" schools on a neutral floor. Other than the chance to play more games and come home with a (to most casual fans) meaningless trophy what's the use?

looks like something changed in the last half dozen years or so...

 

[RandallThomason]

With the proliferation of these holiday tournaments in other tropical places like Puerto Rico, Disney, etc in addition to Maui, it became harder for Alaska to attract top tier teams. It used to just be Maui and Alaska that had these tournaments. I still think it's a cool thing for our program. I'm excited about it personally.
Posted from Rivals Mobile

 

[MTFNBY5]

Article from Alaska Dispatch News in 2011 "What happened to the 'Great' Alaska Shootout?". It gives a link to another story which is no longer available.

The crux of the matter: ESPN and their $$$s ruined the attractiveness of the tournament to top tier teams.

This post was edited on 4/4 8:30 AM by MTFNBY5

 

[MTBig Blue]

This article is wrong. We have played in this tournament once before. I believe it was Wiel's first or second year.

 

[MTFNBY5]

That was the now-defunct "Top of the World Classic" which was shut down for the same reason the Great Alaska Shootout no longer attracts top-tier programs. In that tournament MT defeated Montana and Big-East power Providence before losing by 3 to Alabama. The play in Wiel's first three games gave hope that he was the person to make MT BkB relevant after the Farrar years. Alas, not to be.

 

[mtfblue]

it was back in the Bruce Stewart time we played in the Alaska Shoot out, i remember staying up late to catch it on espn

 

[MTFNBY5]

You are perhaps remembering the '85-'86 team which played in the Hawaii Classic. None of Stewarts' teams played in the Great Alaska Shootout although we were in a tournament of some sort each year of his tenure.