Due to damage caused by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria, the 2017 Paradise Jam will change locations for the first time in nearly two decades. The men's and women's tournaments will still go on, but there is certainly a change of plans.

Here is the full statement from Basketball Travelers, Inc. regarding the situation:

The 2017 U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam will be relocated to a yet-to-be-determined location within the mainland United States, tournament directors announced Friday. The event, which has been held on St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands for 17-straight years, was forced to relocate due to damage caused by Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria within the last two weeks. Requests for proposal (RFP) to host the tournaments have been sent to all participating 2017 teams. Tournament directors will work to determine finalized locations by Friday, Sept. 29.

“As a staff, it’s our responsibility to ensure the teams involved in this tournament are not negatively impacted from a safety perspective or a scheduling perspective,” said Jennifer Ashby, the Paradise Jam tournament director. “It’s also important to be aware that despite the importance of flight arrangements, hotel bookings, and basketball games, many people have suffered personal, emotional, and material damage from these storms.”

Despite efforts to keep the 2017 Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands and continued efforts by tournament staff to work through solutions, the infrastructure damage cause by both Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria did not allow for the tournament to be hosted in the territory. After damage to St. Thomas made it impossible for teams, staff, and fans to be accommodated on the island, plans were set for the tournament to be held on St. Croix. However, Hurricane Maria caused infrastructure damage to the island Tuesday night, forcing tournament directors to evaluate other options.

After assessing the possibility of hosting the tournament back in St. Thomas with accommodations aboard a docked cruise ship, tournament directors determined it was the best possible option to relocate the 2017 Paradise Jam to the mainland United States. Each participating team in the 2017 men’s and women’s field has been sent a request for proposal, offering each university the opportunity to bid to host their respective gender’s tournaments.

Fans who purchased travel packages and tickets directly through the Paradise Jam website will be refunded the full value of their package price.

“We want to thank not only the teams, but also the fans, staff, and locals for their understanding with this difficult situation,” Ashby said. “We’ve organized the Paradise Jam for 17 years in St. Thomas and have developed close personal ties with the people in the U.S. Virgin Islands. This was not an easy decision. Many sleepless, tear-filled nights have been spent on this disaster and we continue to push forward emotionally and professionally. We feel we have made the best decision for everyone involved and will continue to have the people of the U.S. Virgin Islands in our prayers as they rebuild from these devastating storms.”

Each participating team in the 2017 men’s and women’s field was sent a request for proposal. Tournament directors will select one participating men’s team by Friday, Sept. 29 to host the 8-team, 3-day event which will now run from Friday, Nov. 17 through Sunday, Nov. 19. Two participating women’s teams will be selected to host their respective division of the 2017 women’s Paradise Jam tournaments with each university hosting a 4-team, 3-day event from Thursday, Nov. 23 through Saturday, Nov. 25. All game matchups and tournament structure will remain the same, but game times will change.

FloHoops' best content, delivered to your inbox!

Don't miss breaking news, feature stories, event updates, and more. Sign up for the FloHoops mailing list today.