PARADISE ISLAND, The Bahamas -- The Battle 4 Atlantis collegiate basketball tournament is now the next mega sports tourism bonanza in the country, and for the fifth straight year, at least one Bahamian will be among the players in the eight-team field. Again this year, for the third time in the past four years, two Bahamians will be among the players.
The single elimination tournament, which has become a Thanksgiving mainstay here in The Bahamas, is known for being the richest National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's pre-season college basketball tournament, as the eight schools are awarded up to $2 million each for their participation.
This year, the top notch field includes three of the pre-season top 25, according to bleacherreport.com, including two of the top 10. It will be led by nationally number three ranked Villanova, the champions from two years ago. Bahamian freshman sensation DeAndre Ayton and the Arizona Wildcats enter the tournament ranked number six nationally, according to bleacherreport.com. The other Bahamian in the field is Dwight Coleby, a graduate transfer to Western Kentucky; and the other schools are Purdue (number 11 according to bleacherreport.com), Tennessee, North Carolina State University, Southern Methodist University and Northern Iowa.
The early-season collegiate basketball tournament is set for November 22-24, in the Imperial Arena at Atlantis on Paradise Island here in The Bahamas.
The Atlantis resort recently announced Bad Boy Mowers as the first-ever title sponsor for the tournament. In total, the Bad Boy Mowers Battle 4 Atlantis Tournament will feature a dozen games and a field that boasts a combined 16 NCAA Final Four appearances and five national championships. The multi-year agreement between Atlantis and Bad Boy Mowers was brokered by Denver-based Impression Sports & Entertainment (www.impressionsports.com), and it will mark the first of several strategic partnerships Bad Boy Mowers will execute in 2017.
"We couldn't be more excited to sponsor a tournament of this caliber," said Lennie Foree, director of Marketing for Bad Boy Mowers. "The entire organization, from the event's planners and organizers to the Atlantis resort itself, is just world-class at every level. For us to be the first title sponsor in its history just makes it even more special."
Howard Karawan, president and managing director of Atlantis, said: "We've worked hard over the last seven seasons to make the Battle 4 Atlantis a premier event, showcasing some of the most exciting talent in college basketball, year after year. Having a dedicated, premier brand partner like Bad Boy Mowers, who happen to be huge college basketball fans, come aboard, is further proof of our success."
The Battle 4 Atlantis classic is now into its seventh year. For all seven years, the tournament has been held in the Imperial Arena, which is a ballroom transformed into a truly unique basketball venue. The games are televised on ESPN2 and AXS TV.
The Battle 4 Atlantis is also known for being the most talented and challenging of all the NCAA Division I men's early-season basketball tournaments.

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