Keuka College will end its nine-year affiliation with the annual basketball tournament that features eight Rochester-area schools after the 44^th renewal of the event in 2010.

“Keuka will not be able to continue its affiliation with the tournament due to conflicts with our conference schedule,” said David Sweet, athletic director and head coach of the women’s basketball team.

Keuka has been a full-time member of what was known as the JP Morgan Chase Scholarship Basketball Tournament since 2001. JP Morgan Chase announced its intention to end its sponsorship of the tournament earlier this year. The eight colleges—Keuka, Geneseo, Brockport, St. John Fisher, Rochester, Roberts Wesleyan, Nazareth, and RIT—agreed to continue the tournament—which began in 1967—in 2010. A search for a new corporate sponsor is under way.

Keuka is a member of the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC), which features 11 schools with a 12^th—Gallaudet University—slated to join in 2010-11.

“With the addition of Gallaudet, our women’s basketball conference schedule will consist of 22 games and our men’s team will play 18,” said Sweet. “This does not leave us many options for non-conference games.”

According to Sweet, if the NEAC incorporates divisional play in the future, “it might change our ability to schedule non-conference games and give us more flexibility to reconsider our affiliation with the Rochester-area tournament.”

Said Sweet: “We have enjoyed and benefitted from our affiliation with the JP Morgan Chase Scholarship Basketball Tournament and the other Rochester-area colleges in the field. While the tournament faces some challenges, it seems be in very capable hands and will certainly continue to flourish. We look forward to competing in 2010.”