When Tad Boyle took over the Colorado Men’s Basketball program, one of the first culture changes he made was to make sure former players, regardless of their era, were both welcomed and celebrated within the program.
It seems like a rather obvious concept, but nonetheless, it was one that took hold in the minds of Buffaloes both present and from years passed. Last year, the latest iteration of their pride and connection to the program took the form of a team, consisting of former players from the Ricardo Patton, Jeff Bzdelik, and Boyle regimes, coming together to compete in “The Basketball Tournament.” This year’s group features throwback names like Dominique Coleman, Jayson Obazuaye, and Scott Senger paired alongside Marcus Hall, Marcus King-Stockton, and Richard Roby. Even relative newbies like Levi Knutson, Austin Dufault, and Marcus Relphorde are back in Black (and Gold).
Dwight Thorne II has accepted coaching duties while names like Cory Higgins, Carlon Brown, and Chris Copeland may still be added to the roster. Add in names like Alec Burks, Andre Roberson, and Spencer Dinwiddie as supporters—The Basketball Tournament does not allow currently signed NBA players to participate–and you’ve got a virtual who’s who of the #buffstape family.
Yeah, it’s lit…I think that’s the right way to say it.
The Basketball Tournament pits teams from across the country against each other in a single-elimination tournament, with the winners taking home a prize of $2 million to be divided between the players and their…fans? Yes, the open enrollment tournament isn’t interested in participation medals, where anyone can sign up and get in and get smacked down by former college players, present and/or former professional players, or anyone else they choose to play with. Teams have to actually get voted in, by their fans. Thus, the recent hype and social media attention brought to the cause by former guard Beau Gamble (the GM for last year’s Team Colorado) and former big man Trent Beckley who, you guessed it, is handling this year’s GM duties.
https://t.co/MxCr56IkEy We need some help getting votes! Calling all #buffs where you at? @CUBoulderAlumni @CUBuffsMBB @CUnitBuffs
— Beau Gamble (@BeauGamble14) April 25, 2016
Sure, the main goal of the team, according to Gamble, is to connect Buffs across the world and bring them together, to bring them closer to the program that they represented. But if they’re going to enter their name into the ring for a chance at some serious cash–and a chance to compete against teams with alumni from schools like Kentucky, Syracuse, Boston College, VCU, Marquette, Villanova, Utah State, La Salle, Bradley, Utah, Temple, Davidson, Gonzaga, and Kansas State (the worst, right?)–they might as well do it right and try to make sure they’ve got a chance to win the damn thing.
If you’re wondering what you can do to help, which of course you are, being a Buff and all, there are two important pieces of information and action that you need to consider.
First, the team’s standing must improve via fan votes for a chance to qualify for the tournament. Visit this page where you can sign up, vote, and share that privilege with your friends and family.
Next, you can visit the team’s GoFundMe Page where they’re raising funds to get the band back together in Boulder for a mini-training camp, allowing the TBT team to practice with and against the current team in preparation for the main event. It’s Buffs helping Buffs helping Buffs, people. This is a great thing.
The 12 teams with the most votes in each region get in, plus four additional “at-large” selections that have at least 200 votes by June 1. As of publishing time, Team Colorado had received 88 votes.
