Rady Children’s Hospital Partnership to Host Invitational Basketball Tournament

Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego announced its partnership with Sports San Diego to create the Rady Children’s Invitational, an annual college basketball tournament that will take place over Thanksgiving and Black Friday (Nov. 23-24). 

This invitational tournament will feature the men’s teams of Iowa, Seton Hall, USC and the University of Oklahoma at UC San Diego’s LionTree Arena.

Pricing for tickets range from $35 to $125, but it will also be aired on FOX or FS1. Day One matchups will be announced later in the year and tickets will go on sale March 31.

“Sports events have been a pillar of the tourism industry in San Diego,” said Mark Neville, CEO of Sports San Diego. “Together with Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego, FOX Sports, UC San Diego Athletics, and Global Sports & Events – we endeavor to produce the very best and most special early season college basketball tournament in the country. San Diego is the perfect place to do this.”

Partnership with FOX Sports

Building upon its long-standing relationship with the nonprofit that has orchestrated the Holiday Bowl, this inaugural event has been five years in the making.

Initially, Neville approached Senior Vice President and Chief of External Affairs at Rady Children’s Hospital and Executive Director at Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation, Steve Jennings, with the idea to host the tournament.

Alongside Sports San Diego’s partnership with FOX Sports since 2017, the cards finally aligned for the tournament to come to life. 

“FOX Sports is thrilled to build on its relationship with Sports San Diego and showcase the Rady Children’s Invitational for a national audience over the coming years,” said Derek Crocker, FOX Sports, Vice President, Collegiate Sports. “We look forward to adding these elite matchups to our robust college basketball schedule.”

Basketball Brings People Together

Continuing its mission to generate visibility and economically impact the San Diego region, this partnership also hopes to promote cohesion and inspire the youth to stay physically active. 

“Basketball brings families together,” Jennings said. “Rady Children’s is proud to support college basketball and inspire today’s kids to engage in exercise that develops character, encourages teamwork and builds perseverance.”