Weber State University Athletics
WSU men's basketball part of new Beehive Classic
7/21/2016 1:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Larry H. Miller Sports & Entertainment announced Thursday the formation of a new men's college basketball showcase, the Beehive Classic, at Vivint Smart Home Arena, featuring in-state teams from BYU, the University of Utah, Utah State and Weber State.
The Beehive Classic presented by Zions Bank will feature four teams playing in an annual doubleheader each December from 2017-19. The schools will rotate opponents in a round-robin format over the three years in the soon-to- be renovated home arena of the Utah Jazz in downtown Salt Lake City.
“This is really exciting for us to be a part of the Beehive Classic,” said Weber State Director of Athletics Jerry Bovee. “There is a rich history of college basketball in the state of Utah and our fans and alumni always look forward to playing teams from the state. This showcase will give college basketball fans a chance to see a doubleheader each season, plus we expect to continue a home-and-home series with BYU and Utah State, and we'll get Utah back on the schedule through this showcase. This will be a great event for Weber State fans and fans of college basketball in the state.”
The four teams will rotate opponents over the three years in the showcase, which will be played the second Saturday in December, beginning December 9, 2017. Weber State will play BYU in 2017, Utah State in 2018 and Utah in 2019. WSU will continue to play other in-state games against schools during those years.
“Playing in-state games is very important to our program and we're grateful to be a part of the Beehive Classic,” said Weber State head coach Randy Rahe, WSU's all-time leader in coaching victories. “This will be a great opportunity for our program to face a quality in-state opponent each season in an NBA arena. The in-state games are always exciting for our team and our fans and we look forward to this new showcase.”
Each school will have an allotment of 4,500 tickets to go on sale at a later date. A ticket provides access to both games played that evening. Student pricing will be available for seating in designated lower bowl student sections. School pep bands and cheerleaders will also be participants.
“We are excited to announce the Zions Bank Beehive Classic — a celebration of community and basketball,” LHMSE president Steve Starks said. “Our organization is thrilled to bring these four great schools, and their fans, together at Vivint Smart Home Arena for an annual one-day doubleheader.”
A portion of proceeds from the Zions Bank Beehive Classic will be directed to individual school scholarship funds along with the universities sharing equally in the revenue distribution.
Vivint Smart Home Arena has been the site of regular season college games and will host the first and second rounds of the 2017 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. The Beehive Classic is scheduled to take place shortly after the completion of a $125 million renovation to the facility.
“The four universities and their fans will be among the first to experience all the new upgrades to the arena,” said Jim Olson, Vivint Smart Home Arena president. “We are excited to create a Utah-flavored event of this caliber. No doubt, it will be a special evening for everyone involved when the Zions Bank Beehive Classic debuts in 2017.”
The annual dates and schedule of the Beehive Classic presented by Zions Bank at Vivint Smart Home Arena are:
Saturday, December 9, 2017
BYU vs. Weber State
Utah State vs. Utah
Saturday, December 8, 2018
Utah State vs. Weber State
Utah vs. BYU
Saturday, December 14, 2019
Weber State vs. Utah
BYU vs. Utah State
