Cbe Classic

CBE Classic
Mike Krzyzewski, Duke University's head coach who also serves as President of the NABC Foundation said, The NABC stands poised to create one of the most exciting, immersive entertainment venues in the world. The College Basketball Experience Classic (formerly known as the Guardians Classic) is an annual season-opening college basketball tournament founded in 2001. The event is organized by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and produced by the Gazelle Group.

The tournament is held in mid-November. In 2006, the event was renamed the College Basketball Experience Classic (CBE) after the college basketball fan interactive facility at the new Sprint Center, scheduled to be completed in 2007. Sixteen invited teams, representing 16 different athletic conferences, are divided into groups of four. The initial two rounds are played at regional sites on back to back days and are hosted by a participating team. Each regional site winner then moves on to the championship round in Kansas City, Missouri, with the games played at Municipal Auditorium.

The CBE will be a world-class attraction for Kansas City, which has a rich history with college basketball and has hosted more Final Four tournaments than any other city. It will feature highly interactive venues in which college basketball fans will be able to feel the excitement, energy and spirit that the game generates in college arenas throughout America.

It is a two-week tournament consisting of four regional sites hosted at campuses across the country. The winner from each regional site advances to the championship round in Kansas City, Mo. The CBE Classic is named after the new college basketball fan interactive facility that is scheduled to open in 2007 as part of the new Sprint Center. The College Basketball Experience will be the nation's only facility that celebrates, in its entirety, the sport of college basketball. The National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame will be housed within the 41,500 square foot fan destination site.

The National Association of Basketball Coaches was founded in 1927 and since its inception; the NABC has acted as a guardian of the game of basketball by furthering the best interests of the game as well as the players and coaches who participate. The association currently has approximately 5,000 members consisting of university, college, junior college and high school coaches, with affiliate memberships afforded to athletic directors, other collegiate basketball team personnel and youth basketball coaches.

The NABC engages in many efforts to enhance the college basketball experience for players, coaches and fans. The association?s website, NABC.com, features the activities of the NABC and also serves as a worldwide resource for information concerning basketball and coaching.

The NABC holds its annual convention and exhibition each spring at the host city of the NCAA men?s Final Four. Over 3,500 NABC members converge on the Final Four city to engage in five days of meetings, professional development, social events and the Final Four.