2 Million Dollar Basketball Tournament Reaches Elite 8
BROOKLYN, NY- On Sunday, the 2-million-dollar winner-take-all championship, better known as The Basketball Tournament (TBT), was held at Long Island University’s Brooklyn campus. The annual event is a 5-on-5 single-elimination basketball tournament created by CEO and Founder Jon Mugar. “I always liked the March Madness format. I wondered why that doesn’t exist on a professional level. So about five years ago me and a friend of mine were talking. We were saying why isn’t there a massive open basketball tournament? Where you can allow anyone in the world to play that is 18 and older. There are so many great players out there. So, through five years of growth here we are now with a deal with ESPN.”
The teams that played this Sunday were former college alumni players who drew the support of the college fan base. When asked will more college teams be added to the event? Mugar responded, “We love the college fan base, but we also like teams like Team Foe put together by NBA players Markieff and Marcus Morris.”
The TBT founder elaborated, “All we want to do is make sure we get the right type of player, playing. That is the one who is very competitive and passionate about being there. Opposed to someone that has been asked to show up and they’re doing it begrudgingly. We want people that are extremely intense, competitive, enthusiastic who just want to have fun out there. Whether it’s an alumni team or an NBA driven team or a team from a nonprofit group we want all of that.”
When ask as the event grows will the prize money increase? “Absolutely it will keep growing. Not sure of the timing of it, but we definitely want to keep pushing it up and up. A lot of people get professionally signed that played in TBT. Last year, former St. John’s star DJ Kennedy got a contract with the Denver Nuggets. He didn’t break camp with them but they saw him at TBT. So, we know that there are always NBA scouts watching our games,” said Mugar.
At the noon time game, Scarlet and Gray (Ohio State alumni) faced the Golden Eagles (Marquette alumni). Team Scarlet and Gray closed out the first half with a five point lead 29-24. David Lighty led all scorers with 12 points and a steal. The Ohio based team dominated by the second half and cruised their way into victory and the final four, 81-56. Scarlet’s Lighty, led with 23 points, William Buford and Jared Sullinger added 21 points, and 15 points.
The Brooklyn gym turned completely orange by the second game with Cuse Nation. With a mascot in toe, the loyal Syracuse fans filled the gym and made their presence known standing up until the first Syracuse basket was scored as is the Cuse tradition. Boeheim’s Army a complete alumni team faced a totally different type of foe, Team Foe a Philadelphia/ Kansas player based team. Team Foe came out fast and furious dominating the paint and not missing a rebound. Team Foe controlled the pace of the game and at times Boeheim Army look lost. The Cuse team was not able to keep up with the fast pace Foe team, by the end of the first half, 40-24. By the second half may it been the loud chants of the Cuse fans or just the porous defense of the Team Foe’s. The orange team pushed through an epic come back by the second half. Brandon Triche (nine points, six assists, three steals), James Southerland (23 points), and Eric Devendorf (15 points, two assists) along with key plays proved to be the spark the Boeheim team needed to advance, 72-67.
Team Challenge ALS West region team faced Armored Athlete a West region team. Challenge ALS led throughout both halfs with Austin Daye (15 points, three assist) and Casper Ware (21 points, three assist) leading the way finishing on top, 75-63.
The final game of the evening feature last year Champions Overseas Elite (14-0) and Ram Nation, a VCU alumni team. The tough Ram team rained three’s on Overseas heads in the first half making it a tight game, Rams 41-40. By the second half The Elite team showed why they remain undefeated Kyle Fogg (26 points, four assists, one steal), DJ Kennedy (11 points, three assists, one steal), Justin Burrel (11 points, one assist) and Errick McCollun II and Dejuan Blair adding 10 points apiece, were just enough to push Overseas Elite into the semi-final’s 86-79.
On August 1st, the TBT will head to Baltimore, MD for the semi-final and championship game. Scarlet and Gray will face Boeheim’s Army and Overseas Elite will face Team Challenge ALS.
