TBT Team Colorado Training Camp Quickly Becoming Tradition
June 29, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Alumni C Club, Neill Woelk, Scripps Leadership & Career Development
BOULDER — It began as a "training camp" for a team of Colorado alums chasing a major payday.
It is quickly becoming a tradition, a reunion that means much more than just a handful of former Buffs getting together to practice and prepare for a basketball tournament.
Not that the members of Team Colorado aren't serious about their pursuit of the $2 million, winner-take-all-prize up for grabs in the 72-team The Basketball Tournament. After coming up just short two years ago by making it all the way to the TBT finals, members of Team Colorado are clearly invested in their pursuit of a big payday. They gathered together Friday for a pair of workouts on the CU campus, and had two more scheduled for Saturday before they reconvene in two weeks for their July 14 tournament opener in Los Angeles.
Friday's practices were intense. Most of the 12 players on Team Colorado played professionally overseas last year; with the others just a year or two removed from their playing days. They scrimmaged, they ran — and to a man, they quickly were reminded how Boulder's altitude can indeed have an effect.
"It still gets you right here," said former Buff Michel Morandais, pounding his chest. "You remember what that was like."
But they also had time to catch up with one another, talk to former players who were on hand just to be part of the weekend, as well as get acquainted with current Buffs.
"This whole weekend is just a great experience," said Team Colorado coach Dwight Thorne, whose "day job" is Director of Basketball Operations at Denver University, working with Rodney Billups. "Trent Beckley, Beau Gamble, Remy (Marder) do a great job in working out all the details so all we really have to do is show up and play and coach. What's great is we all get to see guys from other eras, meet current players and reconnect. It's great for the program."
For the second straight year, Thorne is getting some help from former Buffs great and NBA standout Jay Humphries. Now working with the U.S. Basketball Academy out of Eugene, Ore., Humphries has collected years of coaching experience — mostly overseas — since his playing days.
Humphries said the TBT weekend — as well as the annual "era" reunions held each season by CU coach Tad Boyle — are something the program has needed.
"I played in the pros for years and I've been around a lot of pros," Humphries said. "Guys from North Carolina, guys from Duke, guys from all these different schools who have a family, have a camaraderie. … That was something we didn't previously have, the unity of the basketball program. What Tad has done has been great, to be able to bring guys together. To be able to give back and do this is neat."
Most of Team Colorado's players played for one (or two) of CU's most recent coaches: Boyle and former coaches Jeff Bzdelik and Ricardo Patton.
Boyle has been a staunch supporter of the TBT team since its inception, traveling to Philadelphia two years ago to watch Team Colorado in the finals, and each year hosting a get-together on Friday night. He views the weekend as a chance for his current players to not only connect with the past, but also gather some wisdom from former players who have made a living playing the game either in the NBA or overseas.
"For us and our players and our program, the best thing about having these guys back is the connections they can make, whether it's playing pickup or off the floor," Boyle said. "Getting to know what the past is all about. These guys are all either playing professionally or have played professionally, so they can really give insight to our guys about what that's all about. That's obviously where our guys want to go."
And, Boyle said, the former players can provide a little advice in terms of things they wish they would have done differently while in school — mistakes current Buffs won't have to make if they listen. After Friday's practice, Boyle talked with Team Colorado and asked them to share some of those insights.
"What are the things that you can share with them, advice you can give them as they go through their college career," Boyle said. "It's just a different voice in their ear. … They're voices that I think our players respect and admire and hopefully some relationships can be built as they move forward."
Those relationships go both ways. A year ago, members of Team Colorado had a chance to meet CU's George King. Earlier this month, they watched with pride as King was selected in the second round of the NBA Draft.
"It's always good to see Buffs get drafted, but when you see a guy like George King get drafted that you've interacted with, it's a little different," said former Buff Dominique Coleman, who has put in a decade of playing overseas. "It had me jumping up when the Suns got him. It felt good for me to see a Buff get drafted who I'd had the chance to meet."
Former Buff Richard Roby, who has also earned a nice living playing overseas, said the weekend/reunion has become something he looks forward to each summer.
"Even when I stop playing, I'll probably come back and see the guys and spend time with them," Roby said. "It's a good time. We need that type of culture. A lot of schools have that and it's great to see Colorado get involved and start doing this. It means a lot for the program."
Along with Coleman, Morandais and Roby, this year's roster includes Chris Copeland, Marcus Hall, Austin Dufault, Marcus Relphorde, Shannon Sharpe, Xavier Talton, Calvin Williams, Jeremy Williams and James "Mookie" Wright.
Many of those players played two years ago when Team Colorado came within a few minutes of collecting the winning check. Last year, Team Colorado made it to the Super 16 before being eliminated.
Now, this year's field may be the best yet. Along with three-time defending champion Overseas Elite, alumni squads from such schools as Syracuse, Utah, Georgetown, VCU, Gonzaga, Wake Forest and Memphis are also entered.
But, as Thorne pointed out, it's still basketball, and the same philosophy that applies in the college and pros works in the TBT.
"What we've learned is that the team that plays harder longer and plays defense wins," Thorne said. "All the teams are loaded with enough talent to be able to score. What our guys have to do is commit to playing harder longer than anyone else and playing defense If we do that, we have as good a chance as anybody."
For more information on the TBT, go to www.thetournament.com/
For info on Team Colorado, go to www.thetournament.com/teams/team-colorado-colorado-alumni-0
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
