Closer to home: JC nets A.I.I. basketball tournaments

Last season, the Jamestown College baseball, softball, volleyball and basketball teams crisscrossed the country to play in national-qualifying tournaments — and it was expensive.

This coming season, none of those five teams may even have to leave the state.

As an NAIA independent, Jamestown College had to go where the Association of Independent Institution tournaments were. For baseball that was California, softball traveled to Georgia. The Jimmie volleyball team went to Arizona.

The basketball trips were much closer, but still in Madison, S.D. This year, the Jimmie basketball teams will be sleeping in their own beds.

Jamestown College, teaming with Valley City State and Mayville State, placed the winning bid for the A.I.I. Tournaments and will serve as hosts for the tournaments in February of 2013. As host, Jamestown College automatically qualifies for the national tournament, but it also will serve as a compelling weekend of basketball at the Civic Center.

“We’re excited to host and showcase what we have to offer,” JC athletic director Lawrie Paulson said. “It took some doing. There were a lot of moving parts, but we were committed to make a legitimate effort to bring these tournaments to Jamestown and it worked out.”

The A.I.I. volleyball tournament will be played in Mayville opposed to last November when the Jimmies had to fly to Phoenix.

The baseball and softball teams, which went to California and Georgia respectively in May for qualifying tournaments, both could ultimately end up hosting those tournaments this year. The location for both is undecided, but both are almost certain to be played either here, Mayville or Valley City.

Jamestown College, Mayville State and Valley City State pooled its resources, so to speak, and came up with a plan that proved effective and ultimately lead to substantial financial savings.

“The difference in cost from last year to this year with having at least four tournaments in our own backyard is significant,” Paulson said. “Clearly it’s something that will have a positive impact on our teams and athletic department as a whole.”

The bidding process for the tournaments is on a year-to-year basis, but Paulson is hopeful of similar outcomes in the future.

“We want to put our best foot forward and do a good job, which we will, and hopefully that will lead to more opportunities down the road,” he said.

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jimmies, basketball