Roy Williams Announced as Tournament Ambassador for the Inaugural Asheville Championship as Tickets are Released to the Public
Hall of Fame basketball coach and Asheville native to help welcome the new men’s college basketball Championship to the Blue Ridge Mountains
(Asheville, NC) September 14, 2021 – The Asheville Championship announced today that North Carolina legend and Asheville native Coach Roy Williams has been named the official ambassador of the Tournament. Williams is dedicated to helping grow and expand the event to become a premier early- season championship featuring top basketball programs from across the country. Tickets were released to the public today for the inaugural Championship, which will feature South Carolina, Minnesota, Western Kentucky, and Princeton. The Tournament is scheduled to take place at the Harrah’s Cherokee Center-Asheville on Nov.12 and 14, 2021.
“My love for the game of basketball was born in this city, so helping to start the newest early season college basketball tournament right here in Asheville means a great deal to me,” said Williams. “I believe that you never truly walk away from the game, which is why I’m honored to get to play a role in the inaugural Asheville Championship.”
Fans can purchase tickets through their respective schools, or at ashevillechamp.info/tickets. The Championship is created by KemperLesnik, who operates the Maui Jim Maui Invitational and manages the event portion of the McDonald’s All American Basketball Games. Coach David Odom serves as the official Chair of the Asheville Championship, in addition to his leadership role with the Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The former National Coach of the Year and three-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year at Wake Forest has overseen tournament relations for the Maui Jim Maui Invitational since 2009.
“Roy Williams is as synonymous with college basketball as the state of North Carolina. We could not think of a more perfect ambassador than Roy to help us launch and grow this new tournament,” said Tom Valdiserri, executive vice president of KemperLesnik. “We cannot wait to see the Asheville Championship continue to grow and evolve. If the outpouring of excitement we’ve received from fans in year one is any indication, we’re definitely on to something special.”
Williams and his family moved to Asheville when he was a child. While in Asheville, he lettered in basketball and baseball at T. C. Roberson High School, and was named all-county and all-conference in basketball for two years (1967 and 1968), all-western North Carolina in 1968 and served as captain in the North Carolina Blue-White All-Star Game. After attending college at the University of North Carolina (UNC), Williams came back to the Asheville area to coach at Charles D. Owen High School in 1973 before returning to UNC as an assistant coach in 1978.
While at the helm of two of the winningest programs in college basketball history - University of Kansas and UNC - for 33 years, Williams led his teams to 30 NCAA Tournaments, including nine Final Four
appearances and three National Championships. As one of the most decorated coaches of all time, Williams won countless awards, including Big Eight Coach of the Year (1990, 1992, 1995, 1996); Big 12 Coach of the Year (1997, 2002, 2003); ACC Coach of the Year (2006, 2011); AP Coach of the Year (1992, 2006); Naismith College Coach of the Year (1997); and USA Today Sports National Coach of the Year (2019). He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007. He is the only college basketball coach to win 400+ games with two different schools. Upon his retirement from UNC on April 1, 2021, Williams held
The Asheville Championship will air on the ESPN family of networks on Friday, Nov. 12 and Sunday, Nov. 14. Friday’s matchups include Western Kentucky vs. Minnesota at 6:00/6:30 pm ET and Princeton vs. South Carolina at 9:00 pm ET. Sunday’s third place game tips at 5:00 pm ET, followed by the Championship game at 7:30 pm ET.
Supporting partners for the tournament include Asheville Buncombe Regional Sports Commission, Cambria Downtown Asheville, Explore Asheville, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, Ingles Markets, Liquidlogic Kayaks, and Wicked Weed.