Liberty will host the 2017 Paradise Jam

On the heels of hurricanes Irma and Maria, the 2017 Paradise Jam has been relocated to the Liberty University Vines Center, tournament directors announced on Friday.

The men’s tournament is slated for Nov. 17-19, and is typically played in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The directors announced last week that it would be moved, and multiple schools submitted bids to host. The new site of the women’s tournament has not yet been announced.

Paradise Jam tournament director Jenn Asby said in a press release:

"We received several strong proposals from participating universities and ultimately made the decision based off of feasibility for traveling teams, hotel availability, flight availability, associated costs and practice and competition venues. We're incredibly thankful to all of the participating teams for their willingness to make adjustments during a difficult time and appreciative of the Liberty program for their desire to contribute to the hurricane relief efforts as part of their proposal to host the Paradise Jam.”

Liberty and the Paradise Jam will donate all gate receipts to the humanitarian relief in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Liberty athletic director Ian McCaw also noted that the LU Send Now Initiative will collect donation items from fans in attendance.

This year’s field consists of the host Flames, along with Colorado, Drexel, Drake, Wake Forest, Houston, Quinnipiac, and Mercer.

Head coach Ritchie McKay said:

"In my 29 years of coaching, the Paradise Jam has been one of my all-time favorites, so we are elated that we will have the opportunity to be an extension of this event and hope that our guests feel the same type of warmth and hospitality during their stay."

The site change breaks a 17-year streak of St. Thomas being the host site of the tournament. Fans who originally purchased travel or ticket packages through the Paradise Jam website have been fully refunded. For ticket, tournament, and donation information, visit paradisejam.com.

For fans who aren’t able to attend the event, games will be streamed live at www.FloHoops.com with a FloPro subscription.