Yuma News Now

Yuma, Arizona - Arizona Western College announced that they will host the 3^rd Annual Wells Fargo Holiday Basketball Classic this coming Friday and Saturday, January 2nd and 3rd, 2009, at ‘The House’ on the AWC campus. 

The men’s side of the schedule will feature three teams that reached the 2008 Region Playoffs and two who are currently nationally ranked.  After reaching reached their 5^th straight Region I Championship Game a year ago, the host Matadors are out of the gates very quickly this season, winning 11 of their first 12 games and currently ranked 14^th in the NJCAA Poll. However, the Matadors will not come into the Wells Fargo Classic with the best record of the four men’s teams. That honor belongs to the team they will face to end the tournament Saturday: the College of Eastern Utah. The Eagles are undefeated in 12 games this season and are ranked 19^th in the current NJCAA Poll. The Eagles-who reached the Region XVIII Semifinals last season-are coached by Chris Craig, an AWC alum who was the Matadors’ starting point guard in 1999-2000 and the 2001-02 campaigns (redshirting in 2000-01) and led them to the Region I Finals each season under AWC Men’s Head Basketball Coach Kelly Green. Joining the Eagles in the tournament are their Region XVIII foes, Colorado Northwestern College, as well as AWC’s Region I rival from Coolidge, Central Arizona College. Central Arizona will kick off the men’s side of the Wells Fargo Classic Friday afternoon at 3:30PM against Eastern Utah, with the Matadors winding up Friday’s action at 7:30PM hosting Colorado Northwestern. On Saturday, the four teams will swap opponents, with Central Arizona and Colorado Northwestern facing each other at 3:30PM, and the Matadors and CEU at 7:30PM.

On the women’s side, the AWC Lady Matadors-who are off to a hot start at 9 wins and 3 losses and are currently tied for 2^nd in the ACCAC-will play their first game of 2009 as part of the Wells Fargo Classic Friday afternoon at 5:30PM against Kishwaukee, who are currently ranked 20^th in the nation and have been ranked as high as 13^th this season with an 11-1 overall record. Like Kishwaukee, Parkland College is making the trip to Yuma from the state of Illinois, and has also gained national respect earlier this season by making the NJCAA Poll.   Parkland will take their 11-1 overall mark into the first game of the tournament as they take on the Lady Golden Eagles of the College of Eastern Utah Friday afternoon at 1:30PM. CEU sports a 7-3 overall mark this season after reaching the Region XVIII Semifinals a year ago. Like the men, the women’s teams will swap opponents on Saturday, with Kishwaukee and Eastern Utah commencing Saturday’s action at 1:30PM, and the Lady Matadors taking on Parkland at 5:30PM.

All 8 games will be played at ‘The House’ on the AWC Campus, and admission prices are as follows: $5 admission for adults, $3 for military personnel (with valid military ID), seniors and students ages 12-17, and free for AWC students, NAU-Yuma students, Matador Athletic Association members and kids under the age of 12. These prices are for each day’s action, meaning that it is a one-time fee to see all 4 games each day (in other words, adults can watch all 8 games for $10). A full schedule as well as extra details about the tournament can be found on the AWC Athletics’ website: www.azwestern.edu/athletics.