AthElite Sports Management, LLC will be hosting the first youth basketball tournament at Western Kentucky’s award-winning venue – the Owensboro Convention Center. The AthElite Memorial Day Challenge will take place from May 28th – May 29th and will utilize the four modular sports courts installed in three expo halls at the Owensboro Convention Center. Fifty or more teams consisting of both boys and girls grades 3rd – 11th are expected to attend. AthElite has hosted teams from Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kansas, Ohio and Florida along with international teams from Spain and Canada in their 5 year existence. Teams from 5 or more states are expected to attend the inaugural event in Owensboro.

This will be the largest youth basketball event in the Owensboro area in spring and summer 2022, operators say. Over 1,500 people are expected to attend the basketball tournament. Guests will enjoy on-site concessions along with other amenities provided by AthElite such as streamed games, college coaches in attendance, national scouting services covering games, and will also have the opportunity to purchase tournament apparel.

The tournament will also benefit the local community with out-of-town guests utilizing Owensboro hotels, restaurants and shopping stores generating a boost in tourism revenue over the course of the weekend.

“We are looking forward to a great weekend of basketball,” says Sam Swinford, Lead Director for AthElite Sports Management. “We are so excited to be the first basketball event at the Owensboro Convention Center. We look forward to working with the team (at the venue) to showcase how great the facility is for sporting events. Our staff has been working hard to get everything ready to make this a successful event. We hope to make this event a fixture for years to come.”

“We are thrilled to host AthElite and basketball for the first time on our new sports floor this May,” stated Owensboro Convention Center Assistant General Manager, Jamie Scheffer. “Our team is dedicated to booking tournaments such as these which help drive economic impact and tourism to Owensboro.”

“Attracting successful, top caliber sports planners like Sam Swinford proves that Owensboro and Daviess County are becoming the complete sports solution. Athletes, coaches, and fans are telling us they love the brand new sports floor at the Owensboro Convention Center. We are proving the indoor sports concept is successful and creating a substantial economic impact to our community,” said Mark Calitri, President and CEO of Visit Owensboro.

Chris Gendek, Destinations Development and Sports Management with Visit Owensboro added, “We are looking forward to welcoming AthElite Sports Management to Owensboro in late May! We are fortunate to have great partners allowing us to attract high quality events that create an economic impact where all of Owensboro and Daviess County benefit.”

The media is encouraged to attend the event on May 28th-May 29th. “Pool play” games will be played on Saturday with Championship Sunday to follow.

Interested teams can contact Sam Swinford at 618-922-2263 or at [email protected].

AthElite Sports Management is a leading youth sports event operator based out of Marion, Illinois. For more information about AthElite, visit AthEliteSportsManagement.com.