Joe Rexrode

USA TODAY Sports

The idea was to think young and benefit the young, so Michigan State athletic director Mark Hollis went to his team of unpaid consultants: son T.R., 21; daughter Katie, 19; and son Mike, 14.

As the Hollis family drove to their Boyne City cabin in the fall, he asked his children this basic question: "What would be cool for a 17- to 21-year-old who plays college basketball?"

Travel, big cities, historic sights, free time and, of course, world-famous NBA arenas all earned mention. All are included in a 2018 event announced today, in which the MSU men's basketball team will join North Carolina, Florida and Texas in a three-game, eight-day barnstorming tour of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

"This event is not about me, it's not about the media, it's not about the fans," said Hollis, whose past ideas include the 2003 "BasketBowl" at Ford Field and the 2011 MSU-UNC basketball game on an aircraft carrier near San Diego. "This is about the student-athletes and delivering something valuable to them."

The matchups and times have yet to be announced, but ESPN is backing the event and will televise the games. The four teams will arrive separately in New York and take part in a doubleheader Dec. 15 at Madison Square Garden.

The next day, they'll tour the Freedom Tower at the 9/11 memorial, visit Wall Street, see a Broadway show and fly together to Chicago on a chartered plane.

"If you think about it, a 17-year-old at that time will have been born around the time the (Sept. 11, 2001) attacks occurred," Hollis said in a phone interview from Indianapolis, where he is taking part in Division I Men's Basketball Committee meetings. "This will be a chance to learn about an historic event."

Fun will be involved, as well — the Second City comedy club in Chicago is on the itinerary, with a Dec. 18 doubleheader at United Center. Disneyland, Warner Brothers Studio and the Grammy Museum are part of the Los Angeles leg, which wraps up with a Dec. 22 doubleheader at Staples Center.

Each of the four teams also will host a home game as part of this event, which will qualify it as an exempt tournament, such as the Maui Invitational or Old Spice Classic in Orlando. Such events allow teams to play more regular-season games.

"It's a very cool idea," MSU coach Tom Izzo told espn.com. "At first, I thought it was crazy. But it's during break, so we don't miss anyschool. It's three big games in a row, and with the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and other events … we could have six or seven big games."

Enough revenue should be made so the schools don't have to pay for any trip expenses, Hollis said, with some profit possible depending on ticket sales at the three venues. He said Marriott hotels are giving the teams rate breaks in the three cities, and he's "99% sure" Delta Airlines will be providing the plane.

Hollis recently tweeted clues about this event, mentioning the Atlantic and Pacific oceans in one tweet, and the clues now make sense. As usual, he is working on other possibilities but nothing he's ready to reveal.

He recently spoke with government officials about his long-held plan for MSU and USC to play basketball at Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens, Greece, site of the first modern Olympics. It is on the shelf for now.

"We're not going to push forward with pursuing that until we feel it's totally safe," Hollis said.

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Joe Rexrode also writes for The Detroit Free Press.