About the Surf 'N Slam

For the last 32 years, the Surf ‘N Slam Hoop Classic has attracted Girl’s and Boy’s high school programs from all over the country. With beautiful scenery and great competition, hundreds of teams and coaches have spent the last week of December with us creating memorable experiences on and off the court.

San Diego, the annual site of the Surf ‘N Slam Hoop Classic, is a fantastic tourist destination and a great place to take your team for the holidays. There are 70 miles of sandy beaches, warm sunshine, the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld, and many other exciting sights. It is all there waiting for your team to explore when you’re not playing hoops!

2023 Pricing & Information

Get in the Game

Surf ‘N Slam will return to San Diego in December 2023. Interested in attending? Check out our pricing guide and contact Erik Evans for more information.

Tournament Details

Things to do

San Diego Attractions and Events

  • Disneyland 
  • California Adventure
  • Park
  • Mission Beach
  • La Jolla
  • USS Midway
  • Seaport Village
  • Little Italy
  • Old Town
  • Sea World 
  • San Diego Zoo 
  • Holiday Bowl Football game 
  • Balboa Park 
  • Downtown San Diego 

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Q:  Where do I fly into?

A:  San Diego International Airport also known as Lindbergh Field

Q:  What is the weather like?

A:  Usually sunny and temperatures range from 65-75 degrees.  Cools down to the high 40’s to low 50’s in the evening.

Q:  Where are the games played?

A:  We use three sights.  Mission Bay High School; University City High School and Scripps Ranch High School.  All three sights are 15-25 minutes from the hotel depending on traffic.

Q:  What is there to do when we are not playing?

A:  There are plenty of sightseeing opportunities in San Diego.  The World Famous Zoo; Sea World; La Jolla; Coronado; Old Town; Mission Beach; Downtown San Diego; Sea Port Village; Little Italy.  All of these are 10-25 minutes from the hotel.

Q:  How do I get tickets for the games?

A:  If you purchased the package, then you receive a tournament pass to all the games.  If you are purchasing a room only or are staying in a different hotel, you can purchase game tickets at the game site.  Ticket prices are $25 for adults for an all-tournament pass and $15 for students.

About San Diego

San Diego, the nation’s seventh-largest city, offers even more than its relaxed resort. This sparkling waterfront city pulses with a new urban sophistication. Downtown has evolved into an exciting urban center with new hotels, major shopping complexes (Horton Plaza and the Paladion), and continuing renewal in the historic Gaslamp Quarter. A renovated cruise ship terminal welcomes cruise ships from many destinations. The harbor bustles with restaurants, shops, and sightseeing excursions. Enjoy the year-round sunshine, 70 miles of beaches, and unlimited outdoor activities. The dazzling array of attractions include Balboa Park, Sea World, Seaport Village, the world-famous San Diego Zoo, and San Diego Wild Animal Park. Also enjoy unique shopping, spectator and participant sports, and the lure of nearby Mexico. The city is fast making a name for itself as an important and diverse cultural center as well, offering a kaleidoscope of opera, ballet, museums, and world-class, Tony Award-winning theatre. Whether the agenda calls for deep-sea fishing and boating along the coastline, ballooning or golfing in North County, shopping in Mission Valley, exploring East County’s mountains and deserts, or doing it up downtown, San Diego is the perfect destination!

Facebook Twitter Youtube
Everything about the tournament is first class. From the accommodations, to the transportation, to the friendly staff that is always present. As long as Erik is running these tournaments, Sacred Heart Prep will continue to make it a part of our program's experience.
Tony Martinelli
Tony MartinelliSacred Heart Prep Boys (CA)
I’ve attended Surf N Slam and Cactus Jam multiple times over the past 15 years....They have been and will continue to be “ 1st Class” events!
Dave Lieber
Dave LieberFriends Seminary (NY)
Previous
Next

Olivia Onnen

Marketing Specialist

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Accumsan in nisl nisi scelerisque eu ultrices. Risus ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor. Ullamcorper sit amet risus nullam eget. Mauris cursus mattis molestie a iaculis at erat. Semper auctor neque vitae tempus quam. Ullamcorper sit amet risus nullam eget felis eget nunc lobortis. Augue lacus viverra vitae congue eu consequat ac felis. Nisi scelerisque eu ultrices vitae auctor eu. Quis risus sed vulputate odio ut. Eu ultrices vitae auctor eu augue ut lectus. Vitae ultricies leo integer malesuada nunc vel. Tincidunt eget nullam non nisi.

Volutpat consequat mauris nunc congue nisi vitae suscipit tellus. Dolor magna eget est lorem ipsum. Sed viverra ipsum nunc aliquet bibendum. Nec dui nunc mattis enim ut tellus elementum sagittis. Pretium nibh ipsum consequat nisl vel pretium lectus quam. Blandit massa enim nec dui nunc mattis enim ut tellus. Viverra nibh cras pulvinar mattis nunc sed blandit. Et ultrices neque ornare aenean. Et malesuada fames ac turpis egestas maecenas pharetra. Fringilla est ullamcorper eget nulla. Faucibus purus in massa tempor. Dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut tristique et egestas quis.

Ayumi Sumile

Executive Assistant

Ayumi is the Executive Assistant for the partners at GSE. She is a highly versatile and experienced EA with a proven track record of success. She has supported executives from healthcare, technology, and broadcast including Pfizer Inc. and Time Warner Cable. In addition to supporting the partners at GSE, she assists the company with project management, graphic design and creative projects.

Erik Evans

Partner, Logistics

Erik Evans has been organizing international tours for teams and schools since 1992 and has executed over 200 tours alone. He has personally led over 40 groups overseas and his primary countries of expertise include Spain, Australia, and Costa Rica. Additionally, Evans is the tournament director of one of the longest-standing and largest highschool tournaments in the nation, the Surf ‘N Slam. 2023 marks the 30th anniversary of the Surf ‘N Slam, which welcomes athletes, coaches, families and fans to the San Diego region. Evans played basketball and tennis during his undergraduate years at Seattle Pacific University and currently lives in Seattle with his wife, Stephanie, and their three children.

Brian Ratzliff

Managing Partner

A long-time entrepreneur and technology manager, Brian has spent the last twenty years holding successive positions of leadership in companies generally focused on leveraging technology to bring a compelling consumer benefit to the marketplace. For the last year, Brian has led the strategic thinking and growth strategy for Basketball Travelers, Inc., and BTI Events. Out of these strategic sessions has come the core management team and approach for Global Sports & Events.

From 2010-2018, Brian was the co-founder and President of WhatCounts, Inc., a leading permission email and social media platform that was sold to Mansell Group (Atlanta) and Riverside (NY). Previously, Brian was part of the leadership team at ShareBuilder.com, an innovative online brokerage, and financial services firm. He began his technology career in 1994-1998 during the dawn of the internet commercialization phase when he was a member of the product management and business development teams at Internet pioneer – Starwave Corporation, a Paul Allen company.

Brian holds an MBA from the Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario, Canada, where he graduated Dean’s List and a BA from Trinity Western University in Vancouver, Canada where he played varsity basketball.

Sean McShane

Partner, Business Development

Sean has a 25-year career successfully organizing and executing NCAA events both nationally and internationally. Sean has both played and coached at the collegiate and professional levels and brings a high-level sporting background that has seen him compete and manage successful teams and coordinate elite sporting events in many countries throughout the world. With a passion for the Bahamas, Sean has directed Men’s and Women’s events in Freeport and Bimini for the last 15 years. Sean has an uncanny ability to develop top competitive talent. Sean has served as a Director of Financial Services and has held deciding roles in Business Development and in 2016 founded InReach Community DX, where he currently serves as the CEO.

Jason Sarkies

Partner, Operations & Finance

With almost three decades of experience, Jason is an industry veteran in the logistics of tours and tournaments. Before co-founding GSE, he led the organization of dozens of collegiate and high school events in his 25+ years in the business with Basketball Travelers, Inc, specializing in over 100 foreign tours. Additionally, Jason is the tournament director of the Cactus Jam, a Girls and Boys High School basketball tournament held after Christmas in Phoenix, Arizona in its 24th year. Jason holds a Master’s degree in Athletic Administration from Ohio State University as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Willamette University and Seattle Pacific University. Jason also played football during his years as an undergrad.

Sara Mosiman

Partner, Strategy

Mosiman oversees strategy and new business development for GSE, including expanding to new markets and broadening its vision. Her passion for closing diversity gaps, impacting athletes, and the benefits of sports aligns with the shifting landscape in amateur athletics and the broadened scope of GSE.

Prior to joining GSE, Mosiman ran The Sports Institute at UW Medicine, a player health and safety organization launched in partnership with the NFL. She was responsible for the Institute’s strategy, growth, fundraising and financial sustainability. She also directed the units that built and deployed digital health technologies, programs and other innovations in sports safety and participation. Previously, she was the director of business development at Basketball Travelers, driving expansion and growth while running DI tournaments in the Bahamas and Las Vegas.

A Seattle-native, Mosiman was a captain and four-year letterwinner at the University of Washington, where she played basketball for the Huskies. She returned to UW’s Foster School of Business for her MBA and was inducted into Delta Airlines Ones to Watch, a program honoring upward mobile leaders in key industries nationwide. She currently serves on the UW Foundation board, Positive Coaching Alliance advisory board, Seattle Sports Commission, volunteers at the Buerk Center for Entrepreneurship, and coaches for the Special Olympics.