Every year before Thanksgiving, some of the best teams in Division I men’s basketball fly to Hawaii to play in the Maui Invitational.
Big name programs like UCLA, Duke, Kansas and Gonzaga bring the best players in college basketball, famous coaches and top TV coverage to Maui. But, out of all those Division I teams, Chaminade University is the Division II team that hosts this prestigious tournament.
During this three-day tournament of elite basketball, Chaminade becomes a household name on ESPN. I’m from Georgia, and I grew up watching the Maui Invitational and hearing about the Silverswords.
I’m on the Chaminade team this year, and though I won’t be playing this year due to injury, I’m looking forward to being there and enjoying the atmosphere and supporting my teammates trying to get an upset on a Division I team. We play Washington State on Nov. 24 in Lahaina. The next day, we’ll play either Arizona State or Texas.
The Maui Invitational makes millions of dollars from ticket sales, TV deals and sponsorships. But Chaminade’s Division II athletes are out there playing in one of the biggest tournaments during basketball season, and they don’t get paid at all.
The tournament brings massive economic benefits to Hawaii, but the players who are competing on the court get none of the financial benefits.
“The events have provided hundreds of millions in economic impact to Maui over the decades,” according to a Maui Now article in March 2025. “The recent annual economic impact estimates are $24 million for the basketball tournament.”
With all this money flowing in the tournament, it only makes sense that the Chaminade players who are hosting the tournament should be able to get some kind of rewards.
Chaminade basketball athletes bring a lot of attention to the school and to Hawaii when they play in the tournament. Chaminade is the reason the Maui Invitational exists. In 1982, the Silverswords upset Virginia, the number 1 team in the country that featured 7-foot-3 Ralph Sampson, the best college basketball player in the country.
Since the Maui Invitational started in 1984, Chaminade has pulled off some big upsets. The Silverswords went on to beat top Division I teams like Providence (1991), Stanford (1992), Villanova (2003), Oklahoma (21010), Texas (2012), and California (2017). These surprise wins showed that even a small Division II school from Hawaii can compete and beat some of the best basketball programs in the country.
At the end of the day, the Chaminade basketball team represents more than just the school. We represent the state of Hawaii and prove to everyone that a small school like Chaminade can make a difference. Paying the Chaminade players in the Maui Invitational isn’t just about the money, it’s about respect and fairness.