By Bill Nestor
Hoops fans get a little fix this time of year with the TBT (The Basketball Tournament) going strong. Created in 2014, TBT is a 64 team tournament with the winner walking away with a cool $1 million purse. It is a “winner” take all format so the words of Ricky Bobby “If you ain’t first, you’re last” directly apply in this scenario.
Hoops fans in the Mountain State love the TBT because it provides a walk down memory lane for both West Virginia and Marshall fans. Each schools is represented with an alumni squad that competes in this event and it pairs players from different years, allowing a fresh look at what could have been if there wasn’t an age gap between some of these superstars.
Best Virginia had a 10 man roster with eight former West Virginia players, along with two hoopsters (Marcus Keene and Xavier Bledson) with the head coach being former Mountaineer guard Chase Harler. Guards Teyvon Myers, Tarik Phillip, and Taz Sherman accompanied by forwards and big men Esa Ahmad, Wesley Harris, Jonathan Holton, Devin Williams, and Sagaba Konate are the recognizable names that are not far from their playing days in the old gold and blue. Sherman, Harris, Konate, and Ahmad had never participated in the TBT before in the previous four years of the team’s existence.
Heading into this year’s tournament, Best Virginia was seeded third and had to travel up 79 north to play out of the Peterson Events Center in Pittsburgh, the home of the Panthers. The opener brought a lock-up with Brotherly Love, a Philadelphia-based team. Best Virginia jumped out to an 11 to nothing lead and cruised to a 94 to 69 victory. The new players on the block, Bledson and Keene, combined to shoot seven for 11 from deep. Harris netted a team high 15 points while Keene, Bledson, and Ahmad each chipped in with 12 points a piece.
Best Virginia outrebounded their opponents 44 to 30 with Williams hauling down a team high eight caroms. Every player on the roster found the scoring column in the tournament opening win.
Game two brought host squad Zoo Crew, the Pittsburgh alumni based team, in an older version of the Backyard Brawl. The home team would prevail 91 to 79, ending the run for Best Virginia. It was an uphill battle for Harler and his team as they trailed throughout the contest, thanks to the hot shooting of the Zoo Crew. The host was over 50 percent from the field and scored 36 from three-point range.
Ahmad paced Best Virginia with 17 points. Tarik Phillip and Harris netted 13 points a piece and Keene added 11 points in the loss.
Marshall’s alumni based team (Herd That) garnered a pair of wins in the TBT. The first was a 92 to 57 victory over Jackson TN Boone in Rupp Arena (home of the Kentucky Wildcats.) Former Notre Dame High School and Marshall standout Jarrod West ran the show while scoring five points and dishing out five assists.
In the second game, Herd That had to come from behind to earn a 63 to 59 triumph over War Ready, an Auburn alumni based group. It was a game of runs and, fortunately, the Thundering Herd was “Herd” last. War Ready utilized a 12 to two scoring advantage to claim a 55 to 49 lead heading down the stretch. However, Herd That closed strong, scoring the final 14 points of the affair to advance.
In the Lexington Regional title game versus the Kentucky based La Familia, Herd That fell 95 to 66. It was aperfect storm that put an end to the tournament for the Marshall team. A lack of paint production, coupled with red hot shooting from the host team, spelled defeat for Herd That.
Summertime hoops is always a joy, especially when it involves players from West Virginia and Marshall.
That will do it for now. Until next week . . . take care and God Bless!