FORT MYERS, Fla. — The Fort Myers Tip-Off tournament has started, and there's a lot of exciting college basketball action.
The tournament showcases both men's and women's collegiate basketball all week. The tournament is held at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena at FSW.
Watch Fort Myers Community Correspondent Miyoshi Price's report:
There are several big teams with big names on the roster this week.
Michigan State's Coen Carr and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson are notable players in the tournament, which tip-off representatives say are NBA-bound.
"We're going to have match-ups like we're going to have today, and a match-up like we're going to have on Thursday," Drew Russell said. "So you've got Michigan State, the 11th-ranked team in the country, had a big win over Kentucky last weekend. And then you've got the University of North Carolina, the 16th-ranked team in the country, playing St. Bonaventure today [Tuesday]."
Executive Vice President of Intersport, Drew Russell, said the event, which began in 2018, has significantly raised Fort Myers' profile and attracted national attention.
With that attention -- it's an opportunity to boost our economy.
The Lee County sports development representative, Jeff Meilke, said last year, the event had 1.2 million views and a media value of over $1 million.
"All of these major brands in our community raise the profile of our destination, not only for sports, but as a place to live, work, and play," Meilke said. "It's an exciting place to work, and I think our citizens are proud to live there."
Tickets for Michigan State vs. North Carolina on Thanksgiving are sold out, but tickets for other games, including the women's tournament starting Friday, are still available.
