Colorado University Athletics
CU Alumni Team Set To Play In 'The Basketball Tournament'
May 09, 2016 | Men's Basketball, Neill Woelk
BOULDER — Approximately one dozen former Colorado basketball players will set their sights this summer on a $2 million prize.
That's right: one tournament, six games, $2 million, winners take all.
It's called, appropriately enough, simply The Basketball Tournament. It begins with a 64-team bracket spread over four regionals in early July, followed by a “Super 16” in Philadelphia and a final four championship round in New York.
The championship round will be broadcast by ESPN. The field is peppered with alumni teams from some of the nation's traditional college powerhouses, and the rosters are loaded with former college stars, overseas standouts and even a few former NBA players.
It is the midsummer answer to a hoop junkie's dream.
The prize, however, is secondary. The main goal — for the Colorado team, at least — is much more lofty. According to team organizers, their aim is to continue building the culture of Colorado basketball across all eras and reuniting former CU hoopsters in support of the program.
“That's the driving force,” said former Buff Beau Gamble, one of the team organizers who helped the CU team make its debut a year ago. “Really, we want to get people from all eras talking about Colorado basketball, especially now that we're relevant. Our main goal is to reunite players and create that bond between all players from all the years.”
The roster for this year's team — one subject to change, of course — includes players, coaches and a GM that represent three different coaching eras at CU: Ricardo Patton, Jeff Bzdelik and Tad Boyle. Names that will quickly ring a bell for avid Buffs fans include Richard Roby, Austin Dufault, Marcus Hall, Levi Knutson and Marcus Relphorde.
Former Buff Trent Beckley will serve as the team GM and Dwight Thorne as the coach. Other players on the current roster include Dominique Coleman, Marcus King-Stockton, Jason Obazuaye and Scott Senger.
Almost all the players on the roster have enjoyed solid professional careers after leaving Colorado.
The idea, though, said Gamble, is to help them re-establish their CU roots.
“There were some great players like Richard Roby that didn't get to see the success that we've been having for the last five or six years under Coach Boyle,” Gamble said. “It's nice to get him back and connected to the program again. I think things like that are what is really important to us.”
This will be the second appearance for the CU Alumni squad. A year ago, the Colorado squad lost in the first round to the eventual runners-up in the entire tournament.
One new twist for the Colorado team this year: the alums actually plan to practice at a mini “training camp” in late June in Boulder prior to their opening game.
“Trent said if we're going to do it this year, let's do it right,” Gamble said. “Let's bring the guys in for a mini-training camp here. Let's have the culture be reunited with the former players, just like any powerhouse basketball schools. Our passion is the Buffs, and our goal is to continue to build that through all the former players.”
Gamble said the hope is that the tournament and training camp helps begin an annual basketball alumni get-together of sorts.
“We want to create a bond between players of all eras,” Gamble said. “You see that happen at the basketball powerhouse schools, and we want to get that kind of atmosphere here. The bigger goal is to get everyone who has been associated with CU basketball to get connected and continue to make that bond bigger and stronger.”
The Buffs aren't actually yet in the final bracket. Teams are selected by fan voting, with the top 12 vote-getters in each region earning automatic bids and four additional at-large bids sent to each region. Fans can vote by going to The Basketball Tournament's website.
As of Monday, Colorado was not among the top 12 in votes in the West region, but fans have until June 1 to cast their ballots.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
