There will be a new Christmas tradition for the University of Hawai'i men's basketball team starting in 2009.

The Diamond Head Classic, an eight-team men's college basketball tournament, is scheduled to make its debut at the Stan Sheriff Center on Dec. 22, 23 and 25 of 2009.

The announcement of the tournament was made yesterday by officials from UH and ESPN Regional Television, Inc. (ERT).

Ten of the 12 games in the tournament are scheduled to be televised nationally on ESPN stations — ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU.

"We've never had national TV coverage like this before," Hawai'i head coach Bob Nash said. "That's big not only for our program and the university, but for the state. It's also going to be huge for our recruiting. Now we have a selling point, where we can tell guys you get a chance to be on ESPN every year."

The tournament will be owned and operated by ERT, and was created to run in conjunction with the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl football game at Aloha Stadium.

In 2009, the ESPN networks will televise the basketball tournament on Dec. 22 and 23, the Hawai'i Bowl on Dec. 24, and then the basketball tournament again on Christmas Day.

"Our hope is the Diamond Head Classic will provide an opportunity for UH basketball to maybe enjoy some of the same benefits that the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl has provided for the UH football program over the years," said Pete Derzis, ERT senior vice president and general manager.

The creation of the Diamond Head Classic will result in changes to the long-running Rainbow Classic.

Most significant, the Rainbow Classic will become a four-team tournament, and will be played in late November or early December. The Rainbow Classic has been an eight-team tournament played around Christmastime every year since 1964.

This year's Rainbow Classic is scheduled for Dec. 27-30.

UH athletic director Jim Donovan said the creation of the Diamond Head Classic and the changing of the Rainbow Classic "makes a lot more economic sense."

Donovan said the 2007 Rainbow Classic suffered a net loss of between $100,000 and $125,000.

"It's primarily because of the cost of flying in the seven teams," he said. "With the skyrocketing travel costs this year, the net loss for the 2008 Rainbow Classic I expect could be higher."

ERT will cover the costs for the Diamond Head Classic.

"ESPN will be the bank," Derzis said. "We'll handle all the expenses for the entire event."

In any case, the Diamond Head Classic is the latest "exempt" tournament to enter college basketball. There are now around 50 such tournaments, so competition to sign teams is fierce.

ERT owns and operates four other eight-team tournaments — the Charleston Classic in South Carolina, the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, the 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif., and the Old Spice Classic in Orlando, Fla.

Teams of top-25 caliber have been reluctant to participate in the Rainbow Classic in recent years, but Nash said he thinks that will change for the Diamond Head Classic.

"I think a lot of teams will be willing to come here now because of TV," he said. "That's exposure for their team as well as ours."

The last time ESPN televised the Rainbow Classic was in 1997, when Hawai'i defeated No. 2 Kansas in the championship game.

Derzis said he is confident that quality teams will be willing to participate in the Diamond Head Classic.

"The proof is in the pudding," he said, referring to the fields of the other four tournaments run by ERT.

As examples, the Charleston Classic has Clemson and Temple; the Puerto Rico Tip-Off has Memphis, Xavier and USC; the 76 Classic has St. Mary's and Wake Forest; the Old Spice Classic has Georgetown, Gonzaga and Michigan State.

Derzis said the field for the inaugural Diamond Head Classic will not be finalized until the spring or summer.