What has widely become one of the more popular National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's basketball tournaments, is back for another year, set for three days during Thanksgiving week inside the Imperial Ballroom at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.

The 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament, the fifth edition, will run next week Wednesday, Thursday and Friday inside the 3,500-seat arena which is outfitted to NCAA guidelines and regulations. Once again, an eight-team field will grace the shores of The Bahamas for the prestigious classic.

The University of Connecticut (UConn) Huskies is the first team to return to the tournament, and this year they will be joined by the Michigan Wolverines, the Syracuse Orangemen, the University of Texas Longhorns, the Texas A&M Aggies, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte) 49ers, the University of Washington Huskies and the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

Associate Director of Special Events at Atlantis Anthea Butler said that they are as excited as ever to be staging another Battle 4 Atlantis.

"We'll be featuring eight of the top programs in college basketball in the U.S. -- two of them ranking in the top 25 this year," she said. "This tournament has been extremely beneficial to us, and a big part of it is the fans that we attract each year. Every year, we see an average of about 2,000 fans coming in and staying at the resort. That's a very unique strategy that positively impacts our occupancy here at the hotel. This year, there are some schools that are very loaded in terms of fan travel, so we expect pretty much the same numbers coming in."

The three-day classic will take on a local flavor as well, as two sons of the soil will be among the collegiate basketball players on the eight teams -- Andros native Shaquille "Shaq" Cleare, a Maryland transfer, will be suiting up for his junior season for the Texas Longhorns; and Tavario Miller, another junior, plays with the Texas A&M Aggies. Both came out of Frank Rutherford's Elite Athletic Development program in Houston, Texas.

"We want to encourage Bahamians to come out and support these two local players and their teams. Last year, we had 'Buddy' Hield and Wannah Bail here, and now two more Bahamians will be playing in the tournament this year, and that is wonderful for us. It adds a local flavor to the event," said Butler.

"'Buddy' Hield was exceptional for Oklahoma last year, and this year we have Shaquille Cleare with Texas and Tavario Miller with Texas A&M. I'm sure they're excited to come back home and put their talents on display for their friends and family. In addition, the two Texas teams that they play on have been longtime rivals, but they haven't played each other since 2012, and they'll be facing off on the first day of the tournament."

The games will be broadcasted live on ESPN2 and AXS TV, and tickets can be purchased at the Atlantis box office which is inside the Convention Center in Coral Towers at Atlantis. Butler said that there are group rates available with tickets starting as low as $14 each. The box office will be open on a daily basis until 6 p.m. this week, and from 9 a.m to 8 p.m. during tournament week. Interested persons can send an e-mail to box.office@atlantisparadise.com or call 363-6602.
Gonzaga and the Washington Huskies will tip off the tournament at 12 noon on Wednesday November 25. That game will be broadcasted on ESPN 2.

"Partnering with the ESPN network has been truly amazing for us," said Butler. "ESPN is a major sports network worldwide, meaning that our games will be featured in millions of homes across the world during one of the busiest weeks of the year. There has been nothing but positive feedback regarding this tournament. UConn was here for our first year, and here they are back again because there is a four-year window in terms of schools being able to travel to play in overseas basketball tournaments. They are the first team to return to the Battle 4 Atlantis."

Butler said that they fully embrace the attention and fanfare that comes with producing what has rapidly become one of the more recognizable NCAA men's basketball tournaments in existence.

"It is prestigious for us, but it is still humbling at the same time. There are other pre-season basketball tournaments out there like the Maui Invitational that has been in existence for over 30 years, but we have been able to hold our own," said Butler. "When we see the feedback on the internet and on the ESPN network, we know that this is definitely one of the more popular collegiate basketball tournaments out there. It's a testament to what we have done as an organization here at Atlantis."

The two Bahamians, Cleare and Miller, will go head-to-head on opening day as Texas will battle Texas A&M at 7 p.m. next Wednesday. That game will be broadcasted on AXS TV. The other opening day match-ups will see UNC Charlotte taking on Syracuse at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2, and Michigan battling UConn in the featured contest at 9:30 p.m. on AXS TV. The semi-finals will be held on Thursday, and the championship game is set for 3 p.m. on Friday. The semi-finals, and final, will be broadcasted on ESPN2.

Butler said that apart from the opportunity to see some of the best collegiate players in the world, ticket holders will be in for a great half-time performances as well. They will have chances to win prizes and giveaways throughout the tournament.

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