St. Joseph Post
Small College Basketball announced the participating teams and matchups for the 2021 Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Classic, which will return to the Civic Arena in St. Joseph.
The games will be on Saturday and Sunday, November 6 & 7, while the National Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place at the Missouri Theatre in St. Joseph on November 5.
"We are thrilled with the continued growth and recognition this tournament has commanded since arriving in St. Joseph in 2018," said Missouri Western Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Josh Looney in a press release.
"Through the support of the NCAA and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association, this has become the premier in-season tournament in NCAA Division II. Missouri Western is proud to host and elevate Division II basketball in our city."
The matchups and game times are as follows:
Saturday, November 6
1:00 Seattle Pacific vs. Alabama-Huntsville
3:15 Rockhurst vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
5:30 Northwest Missouri State vs. Northern State
7:45 Missouri Western vs. Embry-Riddle
Sunday, November 7
1:00 Northern State vs. Rockhurst
3:15 Alabama-Hunstville vs. Embry-Riddle
5:30 Northwest Missouri State vs. Seattle Pacific
7:45 Missouri Western vs. St. Thomas Aquinas
The Hall of Fame Class of 2020 will be inducted on November 5, 2021, and Small College Basketball will NOT have a Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
During the Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, Small College Basketball will honor the 2020 Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award winner (Ken Ammann, Concordia, CA), the 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award winners (Roy Pickerill & Joel Utley, Kentucky Wesleyan) and the Larry Smith Award winner (TBD).
The Small College Basketball National Hall of Fame Class of 2020, which was announced earlier in 2020, consists of the following members:
Players
Eric Brand, Bethel (IN)
Corey Crowder, Kentucky Wesleyan
Kenny Davis, Georgetown College
Andre Foreman, Salisbury
Stan Gouard, Southern Indiana
Andy Panko, Lebanon Valley
Archie Talley, Salem College (WV)
Dallas Thornton, Kentucky Wesleyan
Larry Wilson, Nicholls State
Coaches
Roger Kaiser, West Georgia & Life
Mike Lightfoot, Bethel (IN)
Contributor
A.O. Duer
"We are thrilled with the quality of teams, along with another impressive, highly qualified Hall of Fame Induction Class," said John McCarthy, Founder of Small College Basketball. "It's exciting to be back in St. Joseph, as the people are wonderful, while the Missouri Theatre is dripping with history and the Civic Arena is the right size for this event. It's wonderful to work with high quality people that embrace our event, and we're really looking forward to November."
Brett Esely, Executive Director of the St. Joseph Sports Commission said, "We are honored that the Division II Men's College Basketball season will once again tip off here in St. Joseph with another outstanding national field! With the announcement last fall of the 2023 & 2024 NCAA Women's Basketball National Championships coming to town and the return of this prestigious event, we look forward to continuing to raise our city's profile as a small college basketball destination."
This will mark the fifth SCB National Hall of Fame Classic and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, which began in 2016.