The TCNJ men's basketball team will step into the spotlight as head coach Matt Goldsmith and company head down to Charlotte next week to take part in the inaugural Bilas Classic.

The event, hosted by the Jay Bilas Skills Camp, pits the collegiate teams of four of its longtime camp coaches against one another on the campus of Queens University of Charlotte, the same court where they work together each summer. In addition to TCNJ, it features Christopher Newport, Elmhurst, and Lynchburg.

"We can't wait to see four of our top camp coaches from the past nine years of the Jay Bilas Skills Camp take the court with their collegiate teams. If it is half as entertaining as watching them coach against each other in the summer at camp, it is going to be a blast," said Jay Bilas, the former Duke star and ESPN analyst who co-owns the camp with his wife, Wendy, and camp director John Searby.

The Bilas Classic features a stacked field, helmed by a quartet of coaches with over 850 combined career wins. Led by John Krikorian, Christopher Newport (9-2) is the No. 1 team in the D3hoops.com rankings – though back-to-back losses will drop the Captains from that perch when next week's rankings come out – and has played in each of the last six NCAA Tournaments, with Final Four appearances in 2016 and 2019 and an Elite Eight berth a year ago.

John Baines' Elmhurst (7-2) was the national runner-up last season and is currently receiving votes in the national poll, while Hilliary Scott's Lynchburg (3-6) was an NCAA Tournament second-round participant in 2016.

Goldsmith's Lions (2-6) were NJAC champions in 2020, when they captured their first NCAA Tournament victory in 31 years. The Bilas Classic is the first of two showcases over winter break for TCNJ, which will also compete in Washington and Lee's holiday tournament the following week. The Lions will meet 23^rd-ranked Mary Washington on Dec. 29 before taking on either the host Generals or Vassar the following day in another set of high-profile matchups.
 
"As a program, we are so excited to be participating in a tournament with three of the very best Division 3 programs in the country," said Goldsmith, who has worked the Jay Bilas Skills Camp for the past six years and has become close with Krikorian, Baines, and Scott during that time.
 
"In order to compete at the national level, you need to see it first-hand. Elmhurst and Christopher Newport are coming off incredible seasons and Lynchburg is consistently one of the best teams in one of the most difficult leagues in the country (the ODAC.) We cannot wait for the challenge and are grateful for the opportunity to show those teams what we are capable of here at TCNJ and in the NJAC."
 
The schedule for the 2022 Bilas Classic will see Christopher Newport and Elmhurst face off on Tuesday at 6 p.m. EDT, followed by a matchup between TCNJ and Lynchburg at 8 p.m. EDT. On Wednesday, Lynchburg will take on Elmhurst at 6 p.m. EDT, followed by TCNJ and Christopher Newport at 8 p.m. EDT. Tickets are available for purchase here: https://queensathletics.com/sports/2021/10/18/gameday-tickets.aspx
 
Founded in 2013 by former Duke standout and ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas and former assistant coach John Searby (Gardner-Webb University, Tennessee Tech University, Lincoln Christian University, and Auburn University), the Jay Bilas Skills Camp is one of the few "old school skills camps" left in the country. Focusing on player development at a collegiate level with collegiate coaches on a college campus, the Jay Bilas Skills Camp provides intensive
basketball instruction for players, assistant coaches, and aspiring head coaches by bringing some of the best minds in basketball together for an immersive on-campus experience.