TBT & ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla breaks down Tuesday night’s million dollar, winner-take-all Championship Game between Americana for Autism and Blue Collar U, to be televised on ESPN at 8:00 PM EST.
Below are excerpts from Fraschilla’s preview:
Americana for Autism (Autism Army)
“They’re playing for a million dollars, of course, but also for autism awareness. Three of the players on this team – Delroy James, Isaiah Swann and J’Covan Brown – all have children with autism, so this ability to go far in the tournament and get national TV exposure on ESPN has done wonders for that cause of autism. J’Covan Brown is an excellent point guard–great distributor. Isaaih Swann–he’s supposed to be retired at age 37, but he’s still playing great basketball. Delroy James is 36 years old and is a physical wonder…They have moxie.“
Blue Collar U
“…Primarily, we’re talking about guys like Nick Perkins, Wes Clark, CJ Massinburg and so many other good players that won three straight MAC titles…They have a really good young team. They’re all professional players…Also, they’re playing for the victims of the (Buffalo-area) Tops supermarket shooting. That’s why they’re called Buffalo Strong. You’ll see that on their jerseys, and [they also have] the names of the victims on the backs of their jerseys. Yes, they’re playing for a million dollars, but they’re also playing for the awareness of these people who tragically lost their lives.”