The Great Alaska Shootout will end after the 40th edition of the tournament this November after falling "victim to trying economic times" in the state, according to a front-page piece by Doyle Woody of the ALASKA DISPATCH NEWS. The Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage, which serves as host to the preseason tourney, said that last year's event "lost $477,000 and such a deficit is not sustainable in the lean times Alaska currently endures." The Shootout during "most of its history served as a rare preseason tournament that lured illustrious programs courtesy of an NCAA rule that did not count Shootout games against a limit on regular-season games." However, the event "lost luster inside the last decade because of relaxed NCAA rules." There has been a "proliferation of preseason tournaments," including some that "guarantee teams six-figure appearance fees and nationally televised coverage." The event once was a "staple of live coverage on ESPN," but in recent years has appeared on CBS Sports Network. Additionally, the combined attendance for the '16 men's and women's Shootout was 19,653 "for eight sessions ... at the Alaska Airlines Center," marking the "smallest turnout in tournament history" (ALASKA DISPATCH NEWS, 8/25). The AP noted the Shootout at one point attracted the "highest level of basketball competition," including teams like North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA and Duke. The eight-team field for the '17 mens' tournament includes Central Michigan, College of Charleston and Sam Houston State (AP, 8/24).
