This is an issue that not only impacts Hawaii, but the very core of college basketball on a nationwide scale. For elite programs like UCLA, paradise probably won't win out over the bank account. Currently, teams are allowed to use exemptions once every two years, and once every four years in Hawaii. But certainly the exemption makes it much more attractive to come to Hawaii. We try to maximize the number of home games we play because it helps generate money that pays for other sports.
Television is another large factor.
And if the lack of exemptions means fewer elite teams playing in the Maui Invitational, the TV dollars there are likely to disappear. Fred Way of Kemper Lesnik Sports Marketing is the Maui Invitational tournament director. Kemper Lesnik has a deal with Chaminade through 2009. But if the legislation is not overturned, I don't think we'll be able to attract the quality of teams that we're used to. It would cost them too much money.