KU, K-State, WSU Set for Wichita TBT Regional

By Visit Wichita Release June 11, 2019

WICHITA, KS., June 11, 2019 – The Basketball Tournament (TBT) – the $2 million summer basketball event broadcast live on ESPN networks – today announced the bracket for this year’s tournament.

In its sixth year, TBT 2019 will feature more than 60 players with NBA experience, 23 college alumni teams and elite professionals playing in top leagues all over the world. More than 20 Division I college players who finished their eligibility in 2019 will also compete in this year’s tournament.

AfterShocks, a WSU alumni team, will serve as the host of one of eight Regionals and welcome eight teams that will compete for the chance to advance. The games, which will take place July 25-28, will be played at Charles Koch Arena, on the campus of Wichita State University.

The No. 1 seed of the Wichita Regional is Golden Eagles, a Marquette Alumni Team that made the semifinals in 2018 before losing to eventual champion Overseas Elite. The team returns former NBA players Jamil Wilson and Travis Diener while adding scoring-minded guards Dwight Buycks and Andrew Rowsey to the roster. Mo Charlo (Nevada) and Elgin Cook (Oregon) give the team an added boost from outside the Marquette player pool.

The second-seeded AfterShocks will make its first appearance in TBT in this year’s tournament. Organized by former Wichita State point guard Karon Bradley, AfterShocks brings together some of the best former Shockers of the past decade. Their roster is led by former NBA player Toure’ Murry, WSU’s all-time leader in games played, Tekele Cotton, and EuroLeague point guard Joe Ragland. Rashard Kelly, Shaq Morris, and Conner Frankamp, all members of Wichita State’s 2018 NCAA Tournament team, help to fill out the team’s core. As an added storyline, Karon Bradley began his collegiate career at Marquette before transferring to Wichita State.

Other teams playing in Wichita include:

#3 Seed. Self Made (Kansas alumni): Another alumni team from the state of Kansas to join the Wichita regional, Self Made tips its cap to some of the best players from the Bill Self era. The roster includes 2008 NCAA Champions and former NBA players Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson, as well as Jayhawk fan favorites Tyshawn Taylor, Perry Ellis, and Travis Releford. 2013 KU graduate Elijah Johnson serves as the team’s point guard and general manager.

#4 Seed. Team Colorado (Colorado alumni): The runner-up to Overseas Elite in 2016, Team Colorado is looking for one more magical run in 2019. Marcus Hall, consistently one of TBT’s best scoring guards, returns to the Buffaloes alums alongside former New York Knicks swingman Chris Copeland and Colorado’s all-time leading scorer, Richard Roby. New team members include recent NBA player Xavier Silas and 2012 Pac-12 Tournament Most Outstanding Player Carlon Brown.

#5 Seed. Purple & Black (Kansas State alumni): Purple & Black is one of TBT’s longest running alumni teams. Under new management in GM and power forward D.J. Johnson, the team looks to find the right balance of new and old alums. Akeem Wright, Curtis Kelly, and Thomas Gipson mark K-State’s old guard, while Johnson hopes that Justin Edwards and two-time First-Team All-Big East bucket getter Marcus Foster (Creighton, 2018) will give the team the kind of scoring punch it needs. The team is still hoping to reel in some big fish, which include former NBA players Michael Beasley, Bill Walker, and Jacob Pullen.

#6 Seed. Sideline Cancer: Another one of TBT’s original teams, Sideline Cancer continues to use basketball as a platform in their fight for the cause. Proceeds from the team’s winnings would go to the Greg and Cathy Griffith Family Foundation, which looks to find a cure for pancreatic cancer. The team might have their best shot at taking home the $2 million prize this year, by adding 2017 NCAA D-1 scoring leader Marcus Keene (Central Michigan) to a roster that already included Maurice Creek (Indiana/George Washington) and All-WAC Second Teamer Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno State/UNLV).

#7 Seed. Iowa United: Iowa United brings together some of the best talent Iowa, Iowa State, and Drake University have produced over the past few years. The Hawkeyes are represented by 2017 First-Team All-Big 10 member Peter Jok, recent graduate Nicholas Baer, Cyrus Tate, and 2019 Women’s National Player of the Year Megan Gustafson. The Bulldogs have roster spots held by Reed Timmer (Drake’s all-time leading scorer), 2019 graduate Nick McGlynn, and Josh Young. Marcus Fizer, the 4th overall pick in the 2000 NBA Draft, and 2019 FIBA Europe Cup champion Tyrus McGee represent the Cyclones.

#8 Seed. Fort Hood Wounded Warriors: What happens when a bunch of childhood friends put a team in TBT? In the case of Fort Hood Wounded Warriors, you get some pretty good basketball. A mix of pro players and veterans, the team has vowed to donate a portion of the winnings to the Wounded Warriors Project should they win. Even though they’re certainly the underdog, there’s still a bunch of notable names on the roster: Rashard Odomes just finished a solid four-year career at Oklahoma, Devon Wilson dropped 36 points in the team’s first round win over Utah Valor last summer, and Nikko Acosta was a valuable player off the bench for Lamar from 2011-2013.

“The lineup of teams that we have playing in Wichita is incredible. Any of these eight teams has the talent to win this Regional and advance to Chicago,” said Brian Hargrove, Executive Director of Sports Development at Visit Wichita. “We are excited to welcome these teams and their fan bases to our great city. The atmosphere at Koch Arena will be an impressive example of just how much of an energetic sports city Wichita is.”

The full TBT 2019 schedule is as follows:

  • Columbus, hosted by Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State Alumni) – July 19-21
  • Greensboro, hosted by Team CP3 (Chris Paul’s team) – July 19-21
  • Lexington, hosted by Bluegrass Boys (Kentucky Alumni) – July 19-21
  • Memphis, hosted by Memphis State (Memphis Alumni) – July 19-21
  • Salt Lake City, hosted by Team Fredette (Jimmer Fredette’s team) – July 25-27
  • Wichita, hosted by AfterShocks (Wichita State Alumni) – July 25-28
  • Richmond, hosted by Ram Nation (VCU Alumni) – July 26-28
  • Syracuse, hosted by Boeheim’s Army (Syracuse Alumni) – July 26-28

Championship Week in Chicago at Wintrust Arena:

  • Quarterfinals Day 1 – Thursday, Aug. 1, 7p EDT & 9p EDT
  • Quarterfinals Day 2 – Friday, Aug. 2, 7p EDT & 9p EDT
  • Semifinals – Sunday, Aug. 4, 12p EDT & 2p EDT
  • $2 Million, Winner-Take-All Championship – Tuesday, Aug. 6, 9p EDT

TBT is a single-elimination, 5-on-5 tournament, with a winner-take-all prize of $2 million. New this year, each of the eight Regional Champions will earn a prize equal to 25 percent of that region’s ticket sales. Currently, the Wichita Regional has sold the most regional tickets and the winning team will receive a large cash prize (currently over $50k and rising). In fact, the Wichita Regional has already sold more tickets than any region in the history of TBT. Fans also are rewarded, as the top 1,000 fans of the winning team who signed up on TheTournament.com share $200,000.

TV information for the Wichita Regional is as follows. (Subject to change)

G1 – Thursday, July 25 – 6pm Central – (3) Self Made vs (6) Sideline Cancer – ESPN
G2 – Thursday, July 25 – 8pm Central – (2) AfterShocks vs (7) Iowa United – ESPN
G3 – Friday, July 26 – 6pm Central – (1) Golden Eagles vs (8) Ft. Hood – WatchESPN
G4 – Friday, July 26 – 8pm Central – (4) Team Colorado vs (5) Purple & Black – WatchESPN
G5 – Saturday, July 27 – 1pm Central – Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner – ESPN
G6 – Saturday, July 27 – 3pm Central – Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner – ESPN
G7 – Sunday, July 28 – 2pm Central – Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner – ESPN

Tickets for all TBT game days and events are on sale now at www.thetournament.com. For more information, please contact [email protected].