HONOLULU (KHON2) -- In three of the past four years, the Maui Invitational was played outside Lahaina.
However this year, for its 40th anniversary, the basketball tournament returns home to the Lahaina Civic Center, and both the tournament and the town couldn't be more excited.
The Maui Invitational is synonymous with great basketball and Lahaina town.
"Ever since I've lived here, which is almost 23-years, having that real intimate space of the Lahaina Civic Center, when you see that world-class talent in that small gym, it gives me goosebumps thinking about it," said Sne Patel, LahainaTown Action Committee President. "It's such a really cool, intimate setting that I don't think you can replicate just anywhere."
"We're very excited to be coming back to Lahaina this year," said Nelson Taylor, Maui Invitational tournament director. "Lahaina is the true home of the tournament."
In the last few years, COVID and the Lahaina wildfires forced the tournament to move to other locations, but it's finally coming home this November, and it's bringing a lot of people.
With teams, staff, fans and TV crew, it's estimated about 6,500 visitors will attend the event.
"Our host hotel blocks over in Lahaina, we have taken about as many rooms as they will give us," said Taylor. "In fact, if they could build a they could build an additional tower between now and November, we would take that take that, too."
All those visitors are expected to pump upwards of $20 million into the economy.
"This is an event that, you know, from restaurants to businesses, they'll be able to put money back into those employees," said Patel. "It's like their Christmas bonus front loaded, right? So it's huge. It's important."
After the wildfires, tournament organizers reached out to all the teams who've ever played in the tournament. Through donations and fundraisers, schools raised $1.2 million for the Mauistrong fund.
"That is, I think, speaks volumes to how special of a place Lahaina is for the college basketball community," said Taylor. "And so we're excited to be back."
"For Lahaina, you know, post-fire, what this means is kind of the start of that process of gaining back some normalcy," said Patel. "I think that it shows hope and resilience. It shows the world that we're able to bring back visitors again."
There's a special ticket sale specifically for Maui residents. That starts Thursday, August 29, at 10 a.m.
Tournament field includes two-time defending national champion Connecticut, North Carolina, Michigan State, Memphis, Iowa State, Dayton, Colorado, Auburn.
The tournament will run from November 25 to 27. All games will broadcast on ESPN.