• Loading stock data...
Saturday, July 19, 2025

NCAA College Basketball Heads North To Canada For The Inaugural Naismith Classic

  • On Nov. 16, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is hosting the inaugural Hyundai James Naismith Classic basketball tournament at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.
  • Home of the Toronto Raptors, Scotiabank Arena will feature matchups like Tennessee v. Washington, Buffalo v. Harvard and St. Bonaventure v. Rutgers.
naismith-classic-toronto
Photo Credit: Scotiabank Arena
naismith-classic-toronto
Photo Credit: Scotiabank Arena

Since the Toronto Raptors’ 2019 NBA title last season, basketball in Canada is in high demand. Now a new tournament is hoping that enthusiasm extends to the college level as well. 

On Saturday, November 16, the Raptors’ Scotiabank Arena will host the inaugural Hyundai James Naismith Classic. The one-day college-basketball event is a tripleheader that will feature the University of Tennessee vs. The University of Washington, University at Buffalo vs. Harvard University, and St. Bonaventure University vs. Rutgers University.

“There hasn’t been one of these kinds of events in the Toronto market previously,” said Greg Procino, the vice president of basketball operations at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. “We figured out rather quickly  there was an appetite from the universities to play in Toronto. I would say that was our path to building this event at Scotiabank Arena.”

Ticket prices for the event range as low as $45 Canadian dollars and are as high as CA$250 for courtside seats, said Greg Procino, the vice president of basketball operations at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. During the Naismith Classic, Scotiabank Arena ticket prices more closely align with the Raptors’ NBA G League affiliate Raptors 905 than the NBA team.

The Naismith Classic honors the life of Dr. James Naismith, the inventor of basketball. Born in Almonte, Ontario, he held many positions throughout his career – from being a physical education teacher to the founder of the University of Kansas basketball program. He created and wrote the original rules of basketball in Springfield, Ma., the home of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame – which is running the Naismith Classic.

As a nonprofit, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame raises money through three initiatives, said Procino. The first way is allowing walk-up admission at the Hall of Fame, which he estimates attracts upwards of 250,000 people annually. The Hall of Fame also has an active philanthropic department that actively fundraises for it.

Beyond those two methods, the Hall of Fame also raises money through organizing basketball events, said Procino. Every year, it operates roughly eight college basketball tournaments during November and December when the season is in its infancy.

With the Naismith Classic, Procino already thinks that it’s proving to make an impression. Utilizing Scotiabank Arena’s lower-bowl seating, which seats roughly 10,500 fans, he expects a daily crowd of approximately 8,000. 

Fans are also being drawn to the universities playing in the Naismith Classic, said Procino. For St. Bonaventure and UB, their campuses are a short drive across the border from Toronto.

Tennessee and Washington are also two of college basketball’s more elite institutions. The former made it to the Final Four of last year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, while the latter lost in the Round of 32 to North Carolina.

Having Canadian representation in the Naismith Classic also will help fans feel connected to it, said Procino. While Rutgers saw its lone Canadian and former captain Eugene Omoruyi transfer to Oregon last July, Harvard has three on its roster: guards Luka Sakota and Noah Kirkwood and forward Danilo Djuricic. 

“We were driven to Toronto primarily based on the growth of basketball in Canada and the number of universities that are spending time recruiting in Toronto and in that market,” Procino said. “It’s nice to capitalize on the Raptors’ success from last season with their championship – but this event was well in the works before all that happening.”

“We feel like we’re adding to our portfolio,” Procino added. “We’re growing our brand in a new market and taking a college basketball event that hasn’t been in that market before and building from the ground up with universities that are excited to participate.”

For St. Bonaventure Athletic Director Tim Kenney, its place in the inaugural Naismith Classic was a no-brainer. Located in Allegany, New York, the university’s campus is roughly 170 miles south of Toronto.

Playing in an international tournament is not new to the Bonnies’ basketball program, said Kenney. Last season, it got a taste of travel when it played in the Cayman Islands for the 2018 Cayman Islands Classic. But to him, the Naismith Classic has the potential to make an impact for college basketball.

“I see this as being something that’s going to happen annually with the Hall of Fame because I think the success and the interest have been huge,” Kenney said. 

The Naismith Classic isn’t the first time that Tennessee has played in a Hall of Fame event, said Associate Head Coach Mike Schwartz. In December 2018, the Volunteers traveled to Phoenix to play No. 1 Gonzaga in the Jerry Colangelo Classic – where they won, 76-73.

After the narrow victory, Schwartz and Tennessee looked back fondly on the Hall of Fame-led tournament. When the hall then approached them about playing in Toronto for the Naismith Classic, their decision was already a foregone conclusion.

“To have that opportunity, we jumped on it and we were very excited about it and we’re appreciative to be a part of the event,” Schwartz said. “But more than anything, it’s just a great event in a great city. In a country like Canada, with basketball, the passion is just incredible and we’re very fortunate to be able to be a part of it and be a small piece of that.”

READ MORE: Dartmouth-Princeton Caps Off College Football’s 150th Anniversary Week

Recently, college basketball has seen it broaden its international reach. On November 9, Colorado and Arizona State faced off in the fifth-annual Pac-12 China Game in Shanghai. And in 2020, Washington and Tulane will take part.

Len Elmore, the former NBA player and sports broadcaster who currently teaches at Columbia University’s Sports Management Program, says that Canada has become another attractive basketball destination given its history with producing blue-chip talent. In the 2019 NBA Draft alone, six Canadians were drafted, setting the record for a country other than the United States.

Add in the Raptors’ recent championship, and now college basketball programs have more of a reason to associate itself with Canada.

“It’s a great opportunity for colleges to get in the mix,” Elmore said. “The popularity of NBA basketball – colleges can certainly follow. And, from the standpoint of education, competition and the names that are coming out of the game from Canada, it just makes sense to expand the brand.”

If college basketball were to establish itself outside of the U.S., some believe that it should happen organically. Before becoming the first Japanse player to be drafted into the NBA, Wizards Forward Rui Hachimura was playing at Gonzaga under Head Coach Mark Few. With the Bulldogs, Hachimura was able to integrate him as an international college basketball star.

READ MORE: NCAA Player Likeness Ruling Opens Up Pandora’s Box For Stakeholders

Even if college basketball added more foreign phenoms, the vast majority of the world might still not pay attention, said Eamonn Brennan, a college basketball writer for The Athletic. In the United Kingdom, a college or university-esque lower-level soccer league does not exist – the system is either semi-professionalized or professionalized. In the United States, the attention paid to collegiate athletics is different from most countries and doesn’t necessarily resonate internationally.

With the recent news surrounding player image and likeness and also amateurism, sorting these issues out should be the sport’s primary concerns, said Brennan. If the NCAA wanted to promote college basketball to other parts of the world, additional regular-season tournaments won’t move the needle. Instead, it should prioritize its moneymaker: March Madness.

“I’ve done a couple of radio interviews in Canada in the past around the [NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament] and that’s a really big event that I think captures a lot of people’s attention,” Brennan said. “I’m not sure that an early-season tournament – of which there are many – just being held in Canada is going to change the world in terms of how college basketball is viewed or perceived overseas.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Memphis Tigers head coach Penny Hardaway walks off the court after losing to Colorado State Rams at Climate Pledge Arena.

Memphis Basketball and Softball Placed on NCAA Probation

Memphis has had multiple NCAA issues since hiring Penny Hardaway.

Georgia’s Kirby Smart Says Money Is Making Players Too Comfortable

The football coach is concerned about the revenue-sharing era.

NCAA: March Madness Expansion to 76 Teams ‘Still Viable’ for 2026

Negotiations continue with media rights holder CBS and TNT Sports.

Featured Today

Ryan Field Construction
exclusive

First Look Inside Northwestern’s $862 Million New Ryan Field

Five big things FOS learned on our exclusive stadium tour.
Jul 21, 2024; Ayrshire, SCT; Xander Schauffele celebrates with Claret Jug after winning the Open Championship golf tournament at Royal Troon.
July 17, 2025

The Boozy History and Traditions of The Open’s Claret Jug

The Open awards the world’s most famous wine decanter.
2025 PDC World Darts Championship Final - Luke Littler vs Michael Van Gerwen
July 16, 2025

A Teen Darts Prodigy Is Becoming Bigger Than the Game Itself

Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler is cashing in on his devastatingly accurate shot.
May 31, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Sydney McLaughin-Levrone (USA) reacts before the women's 100m hurdles during the Grand Slam Track Philadelphia at Franklin Field
exclusive
July 13, 2025

Track’s New Money Is Running Into Old Problems

The sport’s big-money era has hit some speed bumps in 2025.
(NCL_OSU_11_SUGAR_LAURON 04JAN11) Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor (2) slips around the Arkansas Razorbacks defense during first half of the Sugar Bowl at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, January 4, 2011.

Terrelle Pryor’s Case for NIL Backpay Dismissed in Court

Pryor played seven years in the NFL after leaving OSU amid a scandal.
July 16, 2025

Alabama’s New Era Contends With NIL—and Nick Saban Rumors

Kalen DeBoer is entering his second season as head coach.
Sponsored

Game On: Portfolio Players Stories, Brought to You by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Dealmaker Jeffrey Kaplan maps the evolution of sports as an asset class
Texas Head Coach Steve Sarkisian waits to lead his team out of the tunnel ahead of the Longhorns' game against the Baylor Bears, Saturday, Sept. 23 at McLane Stadium in Waco.
July 15, 2025

Is a Texas Takeover About to Hit the SEC, On and Off..

The Longhorns are favored to win the SEC in their second year in the conference.
Georgia takes the field for the first half of the SEC championship game against Texas in Atlanta, on Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024.
July 15, 2025

SEC Lands Starring Role in Netflix College Football Docuseries

Netflix brings its sports storytelling to the heart of SEC football.
May 15, 2025; Washington, DC, USA; United States Capitol seen as People rally outside the Supreme Court before justices hears oral arguments in Trump v. CASA, Inc. At issue in the case is if the Supreme Court should stay the district courts' nationwide preliminary injunctions on the Trump administration’s executive order ending birthright citizenship.
July 15, 2025

Pro-NCAA Bill Takes First Step Toward Being Introduced on House Floor for..

It could be the first bill of its kind to make it to the House floor.
July 14, 2025

Lane Kiffin: ‘Doesn’t Seem’ Like CFB Revenue-Sharing Cap Works Very Well

The outspoken Ole Miss football coach isn’t impressed with revenue-sharing guidelines.