This is one of the coolest things a Syracuse basketball fan could ask for. A bunch of former Syracuse players are getting back together to play for $1,000,000 in a nationwide tournament. Oh, and they named their team “Boeheim’s Army”.
Who’s on this team, you ask? Syracuse alums such as Eric Devendorf, Baye Moussa Keita, Mookie Jones and more have all signed up. The team has also brought in two from the outside in Willie Deane of Purdue and Olu Famutimi out of Arkansas. You can take a look at the full roster here.
The Basketball Tournament¬†is a 97-team basketball tournament made of all shapes and sizes. Anyone can sign up, and that’s not an exaggeration. Here’s how the field is selected:
– 72 teams get in by fan vote. The teams who sign up on TheTournament.com and put together the largest fan bases get in, regardless of skill level.
– 24 teams are hand-picked by The Basketball Tournament. “We select the teams that exhibit the most passion for playing, have the best attitude, and have assembled a great team,” says the tournament’s website.
– 1 spot is reserved for the reigning champions (The Notre Dame Fighting Alumni). The Fighting Alumni get to skip the first weekend and are automatically put into the “Super 17”.
The 96 teams playing in the first weekend are split into four regions, and the top 8 teams (in fan votes) from each region get a first-round bye.¬†Boeheim’s Army has the most fans of any team in the tournament, and yesterday the squad got the #1 seed for the Northeast Region (The seeding is one of the only¬†factors actually determined by skill).
Boeheim’s Army will play its first game on July 18 in Philadelphia against the winner of TEAM OOHWAY and Nycsuperstars. The full bracket can be found here.
You can become a Boeheim’s Army fan by clicking here, and you can even get a limited edition Boeheim’s Army jersey here (I’ve already ordered mine).
All games will be streamed online at TheTournament.com for registered users, and the Championship Game will air on ESPN on August 2.
Posted: Nathan Dickinson
