KANSAS CITY, Mo.-John McCarthy, founder of the Collegiate Basketball Invitational, announced the eight head coaches for the 2008 event, which will take place April 24-26 in Wadsworth, Ohio.  The head coaches for the event are pacing the sidelines this year at participating National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II and NCAA Division III institutions and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools.

In alphabetical order, the coaches for the 2008 CBI are:

Kevin Bille, Notre Dame (Ohio)

Dale Faber, Friends

Jeff Hironaka, Seattle Pacific

Alfred Johnson, Holy Family

Joe Lombardi, Indiana (Pa.)

Scott McMillin, Lynn

David McLaughlin, Stonehill

Jim Tribbett, Chowan

“We are proud and excited to have such quality people serving as head coaches at the 2008 Collegiate Basketball Invitational,” said CBI Founder John McCarthy. “These coaches take several days out of their busy schedule to be involved in our event and I think that this is a testament to their commitment to the game of basketball and to the foundation that we have built with the CBI.”

The coaches, too, are looking forward to being involved. “I am honored to be selected to coach in this wonderful event,” said Holy Family Head Coach Alfred Johnson. “To have the chance to interact with some of the finest players at the small college level as they get a chance to realize their dream is an experience that I will always remember.”

Dale Faber, Head Coach at Friends University, said that he is “humbled and honored by the opportunity to coach and participate in such a prestigious event as the Collegiate Basketball Invitational. I look forward to working with some of the best players in the nation and I am overwhelmed to have the honor of coaching with and learning from some of the most knowledgeable people in basketball.”

For the 2008 CBI, 64 senior players will be chosen from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA to compete in front of professional team representatives, agents and media from around the country. Eight teams of eight players will each play three games, culminating in seventh, fifth, third and first place games. Eventually, 20 players will be chosen for the all-star game, which will be nationally televised live on ESPNU at 8 p.m. (ET), Saturday, April 26.

Stonehill Head Coach David McLaughlin will make his second trip out to Wadsworth, Ohio, for the Collegiate Basketball Invitational, having coached in the Inaugural CBI, including the All Star Game on ESPNU last year.

“The CBI is a great opportunity to showcase some of the many talented players from NCAA Division II, III and NAIA,” McLaughlin said. “Having had the opportunity to coach last year, you realize not only how many talented players are out there, but how impressive many of these young men are off the floor as well.”

(Source College Basketball Invitational)