The Northwest Premier Invitational (NPI) was created in 2010 to give northwest teams a chance to play against great competition and increase their basketball recruiting in front of college colleges at an affordable cost.
In 2009, the NCAA eliminated the spring evaluation period (they have since reversed that decision) which created a void of quality tournaments that teams could depend on. There was a lot of confusion as to where to play, which teams were playing and, unfortunately, if the tournament would cancel at the last minute. Basketball recruiting in the spring took a real hit.
Ultimately, all of these factors led to the creation of the NPI. As the tournament developed we took into account three main factors. We continue to try and maximize each.
Basketball Recruiting
One of the primary reasons to compete in spring tournaments is to help increase a player’s basketball recruitment. This is especially important for older teams in the 15U – 17U age range that are either just starting their basketball recruiting or trying to improve it.
While the NPI weekend is not an NCAA evaluation period, we have embraced that restriction and seek to accommodate the NCAA DII, DII, NAIA and 2-year college coaches.
The accommodations have worked.
Since the inaugural NPI in 2010, we have welcomed over 200 college coaches from all levels.
We keep things affordable for these coaches, all of which have tight budgets. All college coaches and basketball recruiting services are allowed in to the tournament at no cost and we do not charge them for the tournament rosters. This is a huge savings to the coaches, which will pay hundreds of dollars for this same treatment at NCAA certified events.
Travel, cost and convenience
Located in Meridian, Idaho, the NPI is centrally located for teams in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, California and, of course, Idaho.
Boise is easy to travel to, either via plane or by car (click here to learn more about Boise). We purposely start games no earlier than 4:00 PM on Friday and finish all games by 1:00 PM on Sunday so that out of town teams do not need to schedule an extra day of travel or miss an extra day of school.
The gyms used at the tournament are also conveniently located. Unlike larger cities with smaller gyms that can spread out over 30-40 miles apart, no gym is over 11 miles from another. Most gyms are within a couple miles of each other.
We schedule games based on age and proximity to other gyms. We know the challenges that some coaches face, with multiple teams in different divisions so we try to accommodate whenever possible.
And while the tournament registration is one of the most affordable you will find, we don’t try to make up for it at the door. It is just $5-$15 per person each day – half the price of NCAA certified events.
And finally, we utlize a fully online and nearly real time pool and bracketing service to make sure that scores and schedules are up to date.
The best competition
The NPI provides the best opportunity for teams to test themselves against other great competition while giving programs new teams to play. The NPI tournament brings in teams from around the northwest, giving you the chance to get outside your local competition.
And even if teams from your hometown will be at the NPI, we always try to place them in different pools and on opposite sides of brackets.
Click here to see teams that have competed in the NPI since 2010.