Due to the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria, the Puerto Rico Tip-Off college basketball tournament will be relocated to Conway, South Carolina, ESPN announced Thursday.
The 11th annual tournament, originally slated to be played at the Coliseo Municipal Tomas Dones in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, will be played Nov. 16-19 at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, which is just outside of Myrtle Beach.
"The aftermath of the hurricane has caused an immense hardship to the island, and our thoughts are with the people of Puerto Rico during this difficult time," said Pete Derzis, ESPN senior vice president of college sports programming and events. "We are hopeful to be able to return next year to Puerto Rico, where our teams have enjoyed the warm hospitality and rich culture of Puerto Rico for nearly a decade."
The teams participating in this year's tournament remain the same: Appalachian State, Boise State, Illinois State, Iowa State, South Carolina, Tulsa, UTEP and Western Michigan.
"On behalf of our entire University, we are pleased to assist in providing a location for this season's Puerto Rico Tip-Off," Coastal Carolina AD Matt Hogue said in a statement. "Most importantly, we continue to send our prayers and support to the island of Puerto Rico and look forward to our friends in the Caribbean rebuilding and resuming the hosting of their tournament. We welcome the participating teams and student athletes here in November and look forward to providing them a quality experience."