The Univ. of Alaska-Anchorage athletic department will pay Washington-based Basketball Travelers Inc. "as much as $35,000 to find two men’s basketball teams" to play in the '16 GCI Great Alaska Shootout, according to Beth Bragg of the ALASKA DISPATCH NEWS. UAA yesterday "announced a multi-year agreement" with BTI, which "arranges domestic and international basketball games and tournaments." BTI will "essentially serve as a head-hunter." It will "take over the scheduling of teams" for the event in '16 and '17 -- something "previously handled by athletic department administrators and coaches." UAA "will pay BTI a flat fee for finding the two teams needed" to fill the '16 field. UAA Assistant AD/Media Relations Nate Sagan said that the "fee is $7,500 per team, provided the team ranks in the top 175 of the 351 Division I teams." Sagan noted that if BTI "lands a team from one of the NCAA’s top six conferences, it will get a $10,000 bonus." He said that "how much the university will pay BTI in the future 'is still under negotiation'" (ALASKA DISPATCH NEWS, 8/20).
