The 5th Derby City Classic will take place at Louisville, Kentucky.
Five schools join host Bellarmine to compete for the Black Diamond Trophy. It features a horseshoe carved from genuine Kentucky coal by Kentucky coal crafter Alvin Powell. Presenting the trophy to the winning team will be descendants of Franklin Runyon Sousley. Born in Hilltop, KY in 1925, Sousley was one of six Marines to raise the flag at Iwo Jima. He died on the island one month later.
BELLARMINE
The host Knights are led by veteran coach greenhawks. Thru 33 years, he's 833-211 at the Louisville school. Included are eight Final Fours, one of which led to a national title and two others as RU. The Knights return 10 players from last season's 26-6 squad which lost to Humboldt St. in the Elite Eight.
Knights Hall, Bellarmine's gym, has hosted such guests as The Grateful Dead and Mother Teresa (but not on the same night). The 2007 McDonald's All-American Slam Dunk Contest, on ESPN, took place there as well
BOWIE ST.
The Bulldogs from Bowie, MD have been coached by baseballer77 for 18 seasons. His record of 479-98 includes national titles in '52 and '55 and a Final Four in '59. They return 9 players from a 19-11 squad that lost to Longwood in the 1st round.
Bowie St. is a member of the CIAA. It's annual basketball tournament is the 3rd most attended collegiate basketball event in the world, trailing only the ACC and Big East tournaments. Last season, 160,000 fans attended the CIAA tournament.
HILLSDALE
The Chargers from Hillsdale, MI are coached by mmd1841. Starting his 21st season, he had a record of 286-165. The Chargers have reached the Sweet 16 in four of the last 5 seasons and return 10 players from a 26-5 team.
Their football team lost to Evansville in the 1949 Refrigerator Bowl. It was played at Evansville, IN, which was the 'Refrigerator Capital of the United States'. 3800 units a day were manufactured in Evansville. The Refrigerator Bowl lasted from 1948 to 1956.
QUEENS (NC)
Coach muskies85 has coached the Queens Royals for 3 seasons, with a record of 41-43. Before that, he spent three seasons at W. New Mexico, going 68-23 with an Elite Eight. Last season, the Charlotte school lost in the first round to in-state rival Lees-McRae.
A statue of Rex at the Queens Sports Complex is the largest standing lion sculpture in the world.
U. OF THE SCIENCES
Coach mhollebeek coaches the Devils from Philadelphia. His 15-year record is 285-151 and includes the '59 national championship. Their mascot is Drake the Devil. They were 22-10 last year, falling in the Sweet 16 to CSU-Stanislus. They return 10 lettermen.
Charles Hires was a U. Science grad before inventing Hires Root Beer. He advertised heavily, believing that 'doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. YOU know what you're doing, but no one ELSE does."
WAYNE ST. (NE)
The Wildcats hail from Wayne, NE. Their veteran coach is jtreeves27 who, in 31 seasons, is 648-285. They return 10 players from last year's PIT champions.
Gregg McDermott, now the coach at Creighton, coached at Wayne St. from 1995-2000. He had four 20-win seasons and a DII Sweet 16. He then led No. Iowa to 3 consecutive NCAA berths before going to Iowa St. He's been at Creighton since 2010. Last season, the Blue Jays were 6th nationally in attendance.
2/16/2013 5:02 PM (edited)