SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — In college basketball terms, San Diego is as fine as a three point shot.
Now, five years in the making, America's Finest City will play host annually to college basketball's newest Thanksgiving holiday tournament, the Rady Children's Invitational.
"To be able to announce this event taking place at Thanksgiving is exciting," said San Diego Sports Association CEO Mark Neville. "When we were going in on this thing, we wanted to go in big. We are looking to have the best tournament in the country."
Neville said San Diego is the perfect place to hold a tournament of this caliber because San Diego is a great sports city.
"It has great sports fans and people who love big events,” he said.
Rady Children's Hospital jumped on board as the title sponsor of this next big San Diego event.
"To have an event like the Rady Children's Invitational and be able to launch that San Diego is the perfect place for it, San Diego loves events like this,” said Neville.
However, the Rady Children's Invitational is not entirely about high-level hoops. This tournament is also a big slam dunk for the San Diego tourism industry.
"We have a lot to offer. We have the great town, and we have the destination nailed. Remember we are a tourism driving event, and we are trying to get the biggest programs in the country,” Neville said.
The Rady Children's Invitational expects to be top notch and one of the best tournaments in the country. So that is why for the inaugural tournament, they got some top-notch programs.
The four schools headed to play hoops next Thanksgiving in San Diego are Iowa, Oklahoma, Seton Hall, and USC.
"The more they heard about it, we knew we had audiences out there interested in playing,” said Neville.
The four-team tournament will take place at UC San Diego’s Lion Tree next Thanksgiving, and anytime you get legendary San Diego State Aztecs head coach Steve Fisher on board, you know it will be special.
"This event will be one of the most spectacular in the country as it grows in it's stature and being part of the college basketball world,” said Fisher.
For more information on the event, including how/when to purchase tickets, visit https://radychildrensinvitational.com.
