Zoo Crew begins TBT run tonight
The Zoo Crew is set to begin its quest for a million dollars tonight in the opening round of The Basketball Tournament. TBT is an annual winner-take-all event where teams play for a million dollar cash prize. The event started in 2014 and has been a summer tradition ever since.
Teams that make up the field are generally alumni teams from college basketball programs and the Zoo Crew is the Pitt entry for this year. The team’s first game is set for tonight with a 9:00 p.m. tip against Herd That, a team made up of Marshall alumni.
Tonight's game will be played at Wheeling’s WesBanco Arena and can be streamed on ESPN's website. Should the Zoo Crew notch a victory, a potential second round matchup against Best Virginia, the WVU alumni team would take place on Thursday evening.
The Zoo Crew played in the event previously but had taken a few years off before returning for the 2023 tournament. The year’s squad is made up of ten former Pitt players and will be coached by all-time Panther great, Dejuan Blair.
“It’s fun,” Blair told reporters about his first coaching gig. “Spreading your knowledge, and of course they are already great players, but you’re spreading your knowledge and trying to put them in the best position to win. Hopefully we can pull it out and go one game at a time.”
The roster spans several eras of Pitt basketball with a trio of players off of last season’s NCAA Tournament team. Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliott, and Nike Sibande will join forces with some Pitt legends in their pursuit for a million dollars.
“I think we’re going to be a really, really tough team No. 1,” Cummings said at the team’s open practice last week. “We’re a collection of guys who played for the University of Pittsburgh, so if anything you know you’re going to get a tough group from us.”
Cummings has a unique draw to playing on this team than perhaps his two teammates from last season. As a native of nearby Beaver County, Cummings grew up going to Pitt camps and even was around when Pitt greats like Levance Fields and Sam Young were with the program.
“It really hasn’t sunk in yet that I’m a part of that group,” the former Pitt guard said of playing on an alumni team. “It’s just kind of surreal for me still just being around these guys I used to idolize and being one of them, not just a little kid looking up to them anymore. It’s definitely a different feeling.”
Young was a second round pick in the 2009 NBA Draft and played in the league up through 2013. The former Pitt forward continued to play professionally overseas up through 2021. Even at 38, Young looks like he will be a focal point for this year’s team.
“Sam is going to start,” Blair said with a laugh when asked about the potential seating lineup. The roster also includes Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Ryan Luther, Jamel Artis, Taliib Zanna, and Josh Newkirk.
The pressure will certainly be in the air in the single elimination event. Blair believes it is best just to focus on the game at hand.
“Of course it’s there in the back of our mind, but we’re just out there hoopin’, just trying to give out best and go from there,” he said of the pressure in TBT. “If we lose, we didn’t come in there with nothing, so we’re not going to be as mad. We’ll be upset, but we don’t plan on losing.”
Cummings believes having a competitive edge will be key in making a run.
“I think all of us being that we’re all pros now, we all know how to play basketball, basketball is a simple sport,” he explained. “It’s not as much about X’s and O’s, it’s more about being competitive and really getting in shape. I think that’s going to be the biggest challenge for us, making sure we’re able to play as hard as we can for as long as we can.”
Justin Champagnie just finished off his second NBA season with the Boston Celtics. Champagnie himself is not suiting up for the Zoo Crew, but played some pick-up games at the Petersen Events Center with them in the days leading up to the tournament. He sees big things for his fellow alums.
“It’s not easy to come together for a couple of weeks and go out there and compete for some money,” Champagnie said. “I commend them seeing how they come in here all the time and do practice and go over plays and get out there and go hoop, so it’s dope to watch them.”
The dream towards a million dollars starts tonight on the court for Zoo Crew, but just going through this process has been like a dream for some.
“It’s just a full circle moment for me,” Cumming said of the opportunity. “I remember being a young kid watching these guys and hopping in some drills to now playing on the same team for a million dollars. It’s a full circle moment.”