Jam Fest Brings Thousands of Teen Athletes to Campus
The West Virginia Hoop Group Jam Fest will bring thousands of young athletes and their families to Fairmont today, July 14, and Thursday, July 15. Teams will also be competing in Morgantown on Friday, July 16.
About 275 teams of 15-, 16- and 17-year-old athletes will compete in the basketball tournament hosted on the campuses of West Virginia University in Morgantown and Fairmont State University in Fairmont. The younger competitors will play at FSU. Because the event is an NCAA certified live period event for Division I coaches, many college and university coaches from across the nation will attend.
This is the third year for FSU to host tournament games in the Feaster Center and Falcon Center. FSU Head Basketball Coach Tim Murphy worked with organizers to bring the event to campus when the tournament became too large for the facilities at WVU.
This year, hundreds of athletes will be staying on campus in Bryant Place residence hall and eating their meals in the Dining Hall.
"The Jam Fest is a great thing for our town, community and school," Murphy said. "It's a great recruiting tool, not just for our basketball program, but also for Fairmont State University and Pierpont Community & Technical College."
A group of volunteer board members from the Fairmont State Alumni Association will work with the Office of Admissions and Recruitment to provide information to prospective students about the education and experiences available to those who choose FSU or Pierpont.
The Convention & Visitors Bureau of Marion County is providing hospitality for coaches and tournament officials.
"The CVB of Marion County is very pleased to be assisting with the Hoop Group Jam Fest, as it brings a lot of families to eat in our restaurants, shop in our retail stores and stay in our lodging facilities," said Marianne Moran, Executive Director of the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Marion County.
Based in Neptune, N.J., the Hoop Group is a worldwide leader in basketball instruction. For more information, visit http://www.hoopgroup.com/.
