AU’s Welton Selected for Collegiate Basketball Invitational

AURORA, Ill. April 11, 2008 - McCarthy Sports, Inc. announced the 65 players who will compete in the Collegiate Basketball Invitational in Wadsworth, Ohio, April 24-26. Aurora University senior forward Larry Welton (Chicago, IL/Thornwood H.S.) has been selected as one of the 65 players to compete in the invitational. Of the 65, Welton is one of seven NCAA Division III players selected to participate, he will play on the WHR Health System team.

The Collegiate Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a major national basketball event that will gather the finest 65 senior men's basketball players from all of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and Division III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).

The event will take place at Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, and will consist of eight teams of eight players (one team with nine players) in an eight-team tournament. Each team will play a total of three games that will be played Thursday and Friday, culminating with the championship game being played Friday night at 8 p.m. The CBI will conclude with an all-star game Saturday evening in front of a live, ESPNU audience as 20 players will be selected to play in the game.

“I sincerely congratulate the 65 players that have been selected to compete in this prestigious event,” said CBI Founder John McCarthy. “I am very excited about these 65 players and I am proud and honored to welcome them to Wadsworth for the Collegiate Basketball Invitational. I am confident that this class of players will help make the public aware of the high level of talent at the NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels.”

Welton helped lead the Spartan men to a 22-7 record and a 16-2 record in the NAC, including winning the regular season conference championship. The 20 win season was AU’s first time in school history with 20 win seasons in back-to-back years. The Spartans advanced to the NCAA Division III championship for the second consecutive season and third time in four years but fell to Augustana College 72-61 at Augustana.

“This is a great honor and opportunity for Larry to be chosen for such a prestigious invitational and the chance to further his basketball career. He had a tremendous career at AU and was vital to our success the last four seasons,” said AU Head Men’s Basketball Coach James Lancaster.

Welton averaged 21.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, en route to being named D3hoops.com Second-Team All-American, NABC and D3hoops.com First-Team All-Midwest Region and Northern Athletics Conference First-Team All-Conference. In his four seasons at AU, Welton tallied double-figure scoring outputs in 101 of the 110 contests, while tallying 20 or more points 61 times in his career. Welton tallied double-figure scoring outputs in 101 of the 110 contests, while tallying 20 or more points 61 times in his career.

“I would like to thank our selection committee and the many, many coaches from around the country who have shared their insights and taken their time to provide valuable information about the top seniors in the country. With approximately 1,000 colleges and universities within these divisions, the selection of players has truly been a challenging task. Narrowing this field to 65 players has been very difficult, as there are many other players at these levels that are very talented players of high character. We have worked hard to handle this selection process with class and integrity,” McCarthy stated.

“The outpouring of support for this event from around the country has reinforced my faith in the value of the Collegiate Basketball Invitational. The event is simply good for the game of basketball on several levels and this announcement makes me personally proud,” said McCarthy.

The All-Star Game will consist of the top 20 players from among the 65 players selected to compete at the (CBI). The players at the CBI are the top seniors from all of NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA. At the three-day event, players will have the opportunity to compete in front of the professional team representatives, agents and national media, while competing against the best of the best from around the country.

For additional information about the Collegiate Basketball Invitational, please visit http://www.collegiatebasketballinvitational.com

Games Schedule
Thursday, April 24
10 a.m. Renacci-Doraty Chevrolet vs. Premier Pontiac (Game 1)
Noon First Merit vs. Galaxy (Game 2)
2 p.m. Louis Perry & Associates vs. MBM Logistics (Game 3)
4 p.m. WRH Health System vs. City of Wadsworth (Game 4)
6 p.m. Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 (Game 5)
8 p.m. Loser of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4 (Game 6)

Friday, April 25
10 a.m. Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 (Game 7)
Noon Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 (Game 8)
2 p.m. Loser of Game 5 vs. Loser of Game 6 (Game 9)
4 p.m. Winners of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6 (Game 10)
6 p.m. Losers of Game 7 vs. Losers of Game 8 (Game 11)
8 p.m. Winners of Game 7 vs. Winners of Game 8 (Championship)

Saturday, April 26
8 p.m. All-Star Game (ESPNU)

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