By: TBT Staff
Below is the preview for the TBT 2024 Championship Game, which will take place August 4 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia. The game will air on FOX.
International viewers can watch all the action on thetournament.com/watchtbt.
Forever Coogs vs Carmen’s Crew, August 4, 2p EDT, Daskalakis Athletic Center
Two defensive-minded, team-first alumni squads from high-powered college basketball programs meet with $1 million at stake in Sunday’s TBT championship at 2:00 PM EDT on Fox. Below are previews for each team, including a breakdown from analyst Nick Bahe.
Forever Coogs
The Forever Coogs won the Houston Regional in their TBT debut this summer. Sharp-shooting guard Rob Gray leads the way offensively. The former Houston Cougar hit a pull-up jumper to win Friday’s semi-final over Eberlein Drive. Gray’s 20 points per game pace the scoring attack for the University of Houston alumni squad, which has won three of its five games this summer by five points or fewer. Justin Gorham controls the boards, averaging 8.6 rebounds per game.
Nick Bahe’s breakdown
How they can win: “You have to start with the fact that they have the best player in the tournament, and that’s Rob Gray. Sometimes having the best player is what matters most, especially when they’re a guard and have the ball in their hands. It’s a huge advantage. They’ve taken their identity from [Houston coach] Kelvin Sampson. They play incredibly hard. They find a way to track down offensive rebounds and loose balls and turn those into scoring opportunities. You better be able to find a way to match their energy and physicality. Fabian White, the winningest player in Houston history, joined the team for the last two games. He gives them versatility. He has made an enormous difference.”
Trouble spot: “The one flaw is that they are not a great three-point shooting team. When they’ve gotten into trouble is when teams protect the paint and force perimeter jump shots.”
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Carmen’s Crew has been here before, having won the 2019 title. Although many of the faces are new, the mentality remains the same for the winners of this summer’s Dayton Regional. Desonta Bradford and Jamel Morris each average 11 points per game. Morris has two game-winning treys this summer for the Ohio State University alumni squad, which has taken the most three-pointers of any team in the field. Jared Sullinger averages 10.4 points and a team-best eight rebounds per game. Kaleb Wesson (10.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg) also contributes.
Nick Bahe’s breakdown
How they can win: “They’re an incredibly big and physical team. They want to pound the ball inside with Jared Sullinger and Kaleb Wesson. They couple that with excellent three-point shooting, and it’s multiple guys that can knock down shots. That’s something that’s really unique about Carmen’s Crew. They’re also a really balanced team. They have a lot of different weapons. They’re a very experienced team in TBT. They have over 120 games played in TBT, and that matters. This is a unique tournament. They have a lot of guys that are very comfortable playing in this tournament, and that makes a difference.”
Trouble spot: “What guard can just go get their own shot? I’m not sure that they’re built to have one guy take control and create when things get late in the shot clock or late in the game.”
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