Business

Five College Basketball Teams Will Compete In USVI's Newly Announced Summer Paradise Jam; Games Start In August

ST. THOMAS -- The U.S. Virgin Islands is now an approved destination to host National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I teams and, in addition to hosting basketball, volleyball and swimming events, the territory can facilitate the participation of soccer, lacrosse and other NCAA-sponsored sports during the summer months. The approved games are a new partnership with Basketball Travelers Inc., which runs the successful Paradise Jam tournament in the territory, and will be called summer Paradise Jam, according to Nels J. Hawkinson, Basketball Travelers Inc. executive director. The approval was hailed by Governor Kenneth Mapp at a Government House press conference here on Friday as a huge boost for sports tourism opportunities in the territory. Mr. Mapp was accompanied by Dept. of Tourism Beverly (D.O.T.) Commissioner Nicholson-Doty; Sports, Parks and Recreation Commissioner Pedro Cruz; and Assistant Commissioner of Sports, Parks and Recreation Calvert White. "With all 24 ...