Placer Valley to Host 8th Annual Bill Holtz Warrior Classic

Friday November 8th is a big day in the world of collegiate basketball as teams play in their first official contests. The William Jessup Warriors are no different as they tip-off their season at a home basketball tournament.  In its 8th year, this tournament showcases 4 of the top NAIA teams.  William Jessup and Placer Valley Tourism have partnered up to score this exciting weekend in Placer Valley.

William Jessup Basketball is starting things off in style by once again hosting the Bill Holtz Classic. With new facilities, a new coach and a renewed will to win, the team is looking for a stellar opening weekend. Oregon Institute of Technology (currently ranked #2), Northwest Christian University (Oregon), California State University - Maritime and Rocklin's own William Jessup Warriors will all take the court for two days of non-stop basketball. Coach Lance Van Vogt in his first season is excited for the tournament and anxious for the season to start.

 The tournament is a memorial tournament for Bill Holtz who is a former Warrior supporter and game management staff member. During his time at William Jessup, he was diagnosed with ALS (commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease). He continued his service to the athletics program through his illness until he passed away. The tournament is named in his honor to memorialize him and his service to the program. As a thank you to Bill, the Warriors are also donating half of every ticket sold to the ALS Foundation.

Players to watch:

• Caleb Richey: 5' 8” Freshman Point Guard from Bishop O'Dowd High School, received All State Honors his senior year.
• Corey Clement: 6' 5" Junior Transfer from Peninsula College.
• Anthony Edwards: 6' 5" Freshman Forward from New Albany High School in Indiana.
• Kirill Sergeyev: 6' 7" Junior Center.
• Tim Oswald: 6' 3" Senior Guard.

The tournament will be November 8-9 at Warrior Arena on the William Jessup Campus.

Placer Valley Tourism [PVT] is made up of the 23 hotels in Roseville, Rocklin and Lincoln, California.  PVT recruits and supports hundreds of annual events with grants, marketing, volunteers, and other services as needed.  To learn more about how PVT can help bring your event here, visit www.playplacer.com or call (916) 773-5400.