It’s officially time to deck the halls with basketballs as the 44^th Annual Culligan City of Palms Classic gets set to tip-off at the magnificent new Suncoast Credit Union Arena on the campus of Florida SouthWestern State College. Single day tickets for this star-studded event are now on sale.

With the move to FSW, the sale of six-day ticket packages are soaring for this annual holiday tradition. Organizers say that 900 of the six-day ticket packages have been sold. With single-day tickets now on sale, organizers are expecting record number attendance at this year’s tournament. Executive Director John Naylor said, “We couldn’t be happier with the outpouring of support we’re getting as we make the move to the new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. The teams and fans are in for an incredible week of basketball in this beautiful new venue.”

Twenty-eight boys high school basketball teams will make their way to Fort Myers for six days of incredible roundball action. Seven of the teams slated for the tournament are ranked in USA Today’s top 25, including: No. 4 Montverde Academy (Montverde, Fla.), No. 6 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.), No. 8 Westtown School (West Chester, Pa.), No. 9 Patrick School (Hillside, N.J.), No. 11 Memphis East (Memphis, Tenn.), No. 18 Hudson Catholic High School (Jersey City, N.J.), and No. 25 Neumann-Goretti High School (Philadelphia, Pa.).

In addition to the top teams, eight of USA Today’s top players will be making the trip to Southwest Florida, including: the No. 1 player in the Class of 2017, DeAndre Ayton (Hillcrest Prep, Az.); Mohamed Bamba (Westtown School, Penn.); R.J. Barrett (Montverde Academy, Fla.); Wendell Carter (Pace Academy, Ga.); Treyvon Duval (IMG Academy, Fla.); Kevin Knox (Tampa Catholic, Fla.); Cameron Reddish (Westtown School, Penn.); and Collin Sexton (Pebblebrook High School, Ga.).

Culligan returns for its fourth year as Title Sponsor, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car is Presenting Sponsor for the third year.

Tickets for the tournament are now on sale. Several ticket options are available, including:

1. Level I Preferred Single-day tickets. A reserved single day seat in level I for $50 plus a $3 processing fee.
2. Level II Single-day tickets.A reserved single day seat in level II for $25 plus a $3 processing fee.
3. Level III Single-day tickets. A reserved single day seat in level III for $20 plus a $3 processing fee.
4. Level IV General Admission seating.A GA single day seat in level IV for $15 plus a $3 processing fee.
5. Student Single Day. A single day GA ticket for students for $10 plus a $3 processing fee.
6. The 6-day Preferred Ticket Package.A single-seat six-day ticket package for $250 plus a $20 processing fee (3rd party ticket vendor fee) with seating in the first two rows directly behind the team benches and scorer’s table (west side of the arena) or the opposite second row (east side).
7. The 6-day Reserved Ticket Package.A single-seat six-day ticket package for $128 plus a $9 processing fee (3rd party ticket vendor fee) for the remaining courtside seating (east and west sides of the arena).
8. VIP Parking.A six-day Reserved Parking Pass for $40 plus a $3 processing fee (3rd party ticket vendor fee).

For more information and to purchase tickets, call the box office Monday to Thursday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (800) 440-7469 or (239) 481-4849 or online at www.fswarena.com.

The lineup of the teams scheduled to play in this year’s tournament and other tournament information is available at: www.cityofpalmsclassic.com. No fees are collected from players and teams, and Classic Basketball Inc., a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation that acts as a foundation for the tournament, covers all expenses for the players. For many of the players, the tournament represents their first opportunity to travel outside their own city.

One hundred thirty-five Culligan City of Palms Classic players have been named McDonald’s All-Americans and 117 have been drafted by the NBA since 1989, including 71 first-round picks. Fifty-five are current NBA stars and 120 are current NCAA Power 7 conference stars.

About the Culligan City of Palms Classic

Founded in 1973, the City of Palms tournament began, like so many tournaments today, as a simple, local, holiday basketball tournament. Over the years, the tournament grew and expanded its scope to include the nation’s finest athletes and teams, and during the past 22 years, has set the standard by which all tournaments are compared. Classic Basketball Inc. is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation created for the purpose of managing the Culligan City of Palms Classic. For more information and to sign up for the eNewsletter, visit cityofpalmsclassic.com.