PHOENIX, AZ – The South Carolina State men's basketball team will begin postseason play when they take on Grand Canyon University in the Coach John McLendon Classic Monday (March 14^th) in Phoenix, Arizona. Tipoff is 10 p.m. (EST) /7 p.m. (PST), and will broadcast live on the CBS Sports Network.
 
Grand Canyon (25-6) and SC State (19-14) will play in the first round game of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT), with the winner advancing to the second round of the CIT.
 
"It is honor to be selected into the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. The opportunity to extend our season is a reflection of hard work and commitment our team has demonstrated all season long," said SC State Head Coach Murray Garvin. "We look forward to playing at Grand Canyon University in the inaugural Coach John McLendon Classic Monday night."
 
"We are very excited to be a part of the CIT for the third consecutive season and in particular our involvement in the Coach John McLendon Classic," said Grand Canyon University Men's Basketball Head Coach, Dan Majerle. "Coach McLendon is a legendary figure in our sport and GCU is honored to participate in the inaugural game recognizing all that he did."
 
Serving as a celebration of historically black colleges and universities and their rich basketball tradition, the Coach John McLendon Classic will pay tribute to Coach McLendon and the legacy of some of the great pioneers of the game. All players participating in the Coach John McLendon Classic will wear shirts that have "This Game is No Secret" written on the back of them in honor of "The Secret Game" organized by Coach McLendon and its significant impact in sports history, an early step towards integrating collegiate sports.  At the conclusion of the game, there will be a trophy presented to the winning team and the Most Valuable Player will receive an award. 

McLendon, a trailblazer on the court, employed a similar style off the court. In 1944, Jim Crow laws did not allow integrated sports but McLendon knew that his team at the North Carolina College for Negroes (now North Carolina Central) was a juggernaut and wanted a chance to prove it so he sought out the best all-white team in North Carolina. He didn't have to go very far to find them. A group of former college basketball stars, far superior to Duke's varsity squad, had gathered at Duke's medical school, and enrolled in the Army and Navy WWII medical training programs. McLendon organized a game against the all-white team on a Sunday morning, March 12th, when most of Durham – including the police force – would be attending church. After a nervous start, McLendon's team drubbed their counterparts from Duke, 88-44, in what has become known as "The Secret Game," a stepping stone to integrating collegiate sports.
 
"The Coach John McLendon Classic will help showcase both the past and the present," added Angela Lento of CollegeInsider.com. "The game will feature some of the outstanding teams, coaches and players in the game today. It will also help bring attention to some of the greatest teams, greatest players and greatest coaches in the history of college basketball. Coach McLendon is without question one of the best to ever coach. Hopefully this game will bring more attention to his incredible legacy."
 
Following 2016, the Coach John McLendon Classic will be a permanent part of the CIT held annually during the nation's premier postseason tournament for teams that do not participate in the NCAA Basketball Championships or the NIT Tournament. The Coach John McLendon Classic will pay homage to legendary African American coaches such as Coach McLendon, former Southern coach Ben Jobe and former Winston Salem State coach Clarence "Big House" Gaines; all great men whose role in growing the game is often overlooked.
 
The CIT was created by CollegeInsider.com in 2009 in order to give deserving teams an opportunity to participate in the postseason. Since then, the CIT has had more schools make their postseason debut (25) and more programs win their first-ever postseason game (24) than all other tournaments combined.  In addition, the CIT has produced three NBA Lottery picks and two Top 10 selections including Damian Lillard (6^th overall in 2012) who was named 2012 NBA Rookie of the Year which marked the first time since 1955 that a tournament other than the NCAA Tournament had produced the NBA Rookie of the Year.

In 2012, CollegeInsider.com established the John McLendon award which is presented annually to the top coach at all levels of college basketball. The award encompasses Division I, Division II, Division III, NAIA and JUCO.
 
CollegeInsider.com was founded in 1996 with their online coverage dedicated exclusively to college basketball.  In 1998, CollegeInsider.com created the Mid-Major Top 25 that has become the measuring stick for teams outside the power conferences and is now trademarked.  Each year, CollegeInsider.com presents 17 national awards in basketball named after some of the greatest coaches in the history of the game including Clarence "Big House" Gaines, Lou Henson, John McLendon and Lute Olson.  Since the inception of the CIT in 2009, the tournament has expanded from 16-teams to 32-teams in 2012 which is currently the number of teams playing in the 2016 CIT.  CollegeInsider.com has been nominated for four Emmy Awards and in 2013 won the New York Emmy Award in Sports Coverage for the Sportscast/Series category and was selected over top broadcast outlets such as MSG and SNY.
 
For more information on the 2016 CIT and the Coach John McLendon visit www.collegeinsider.com.

CIT Tournament Schedule:
FIRST ROUND: March 14-16
SECOND ROUND: March 18-20
QUARTERFINALS: March 22-24

SEMIFINALS: March 27
CHAMPIONSHIP: March 29