South Carolina coach Frank Martin had envisioned basking in the sun by the pool while studying film during the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. And Wake Forest coach Danny Manning was eager to take his team to the U.S. Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam.
Hurricanes Maria and Irma changed those plans.
And because of the damage the storms caused to the islands, both eight-team tournaments had to be relocated from their typically exotic locales. Martin and the Gamecocks will be in Conway, S.C., this week. And instead of Manning and the Demon Deacons enjoying St. Thomas, they'll be in Lynchburg, Va.
"Nothing against (nearby) Myrtle Beach, but I don't think I'm going to be sitting next to the pool in 50-degree weather — at least I'm not," Martin said. "When you play in these tournaments, the biggest thing is playing away from home. So learning how to ... co-exist in a hotel, how to remain focused on the game at hand on a foreign court, not the place you practice at every day."
The Puerto Rico Tip-Off — which begins Thursday — was set for the coastal city of Fajardo, but damage from Hurricane Maria forced it to Coastal Carolina. That will keep the Gamecocks (2-0) in their home state instead of traveling more than 1,400 miles for the tournament.
The Gamecocks will be joined in Conway by out-of-state guests Iowa State, Appalachian State, Boise State, Illinois State, Tulsa, UTEP and Western Michigan.
The Paradise Jam, which starts Friday, was set to return to St. Thomas for the 18th straight year. But damage from hurricanes Maria and Irma forced the relocation to Lynchburg — home to tournament participant Liberty.
Wake Forest (0-2) and Colorado are the power-conference teams headlining the Paradise Jam, joining Liberty, Drake, Drexel, Houston, Mercer and Quinnipiac.
The Demon Deacons will now take a roughly 140-mile bus ride instead of a trip of more than 1,500 miles to St. Thomas. While going to the Virgin Islands would've been "a bucket-list destination spot" for players, Manning said he was more focused on a revamped schedule that eliminated an off day and will have teams playing three straight days.
"You've still got to deal with that aspect of, 'Hey guys, we're here to play a tournament, we want you to enjoy it but you can't go out and lounge by the pool all day because the sun zaps you or dehydrates you,'" Manning said. "So you still have things to navigate regardless of where the tournament is at."
