Q: The Zips will play in the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic (Dec. 22-25). How important is it for the program to get exposure by participating in these early season tournaments?
Dambrot: It’s huge. Last year we played in Puerto Rico and played well [the team went 2-1, beating UNC Asheville and Penn State, losing to Oklahoma State]. This year we’re at Diamond Head. Just to be able to get those guys on a neutral floor is big. Last year we played the 59th-best out-of-conference schedule in the country, and this year’s schedule is even better. Getting on television is a key to recruiting, so we’re on television quite a bit. We go to St. Mary’s and to South Carolina and to Middle Tennessee and to Cleveland State. So we’ve got a really hard schedule.
This answer reminded me to remind the person in the athletic department who is supposed to remind the person who sends in the paperwork on players to the NCAA to do so ASAP so everyone on the team can play in this year's preseason tournament.