Triple B Posted April 14, 2017 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,610 Content Count: 74,513 Reputation: 10,800 Days Won: 422 Joined: 11/25/2005 Share Posted April 14, 2017 This is too cool to mince words about, so let’s cut to the chase: a handful of the best USF basketball alumni of the past decade have put together a team to enter this year’s TBT (The Basketball Tournament), an annual, five-on-five competition open to any team that can stir up enough fan support and votes. You can read more about it here if you’re unfamiliar, but some key points: fans vote for squads to make the 64-team bracket, the winning team gets $2 million to split amongst themselves, and the whole thing is televised by ESPN affiliates. Of course, I would be remiss not to mention the fact that the top 100 fans who vote for the winning team all receive a cut of the prize ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 if their teams wins. The more voters you recruit, the better chance your team has to qualify, and the bigger your slice of the pie if your team manages to win it all. Full disclosure: I did some work for TBT’s southern regional in Atlanta a couple years back, and I could not be more into this tournament. It’s really awesome seeing the likes of local, YMCA squads compete on national TV against ex-NBA players, and I’ve always wanted to see a USF-centric team get put together. Thanks to former USF graduate assistant Michael Brown, this dream is now a reality: say hello to your Tampa Bulls, a team assembled entirely of former USF basketball standouts. So far, Tampa Bulls consists of the following players*: Corey Allen Jr. Ron Anderson Jr. Anthony Collins Toarlyn Fitzpatrick Augustus Gilchrist Javontae Hawkins Hugh Robertson *There are some big names yet to be announced, but I don’t want to spoil the surprise for Michael and company. Think of the biggest USF stars of the past decade, and you’ve probably already guessed them. This team is absolutely loaded with NCAA Tournament veterans and players who spent time in the NBA D-League. They’ve really, really got a shot to win this thing, but they need your help to make it into the field. Right now, the Bulls have just 61 votes, and the top teams in the South region have hundreds. With the support of the Bulls’ fanbase, however, the Tampa Bulls can make their way into this tournament, and hopefully do a little damage once they’re in it. You’ll get to watch your favorite USF basketball players compete once again on ESPN, and possibly make you thousands of dollars. This is a win-win-win-win. Let’s show TBT what USF nation can do, and throw our wholehearted support behind the members of the best basketball team in USF history. You can vote by following the link below. Don’t forget to spread the word, so that Tampa Bulls have a better chance to qualify (and, yes, so you make more potential money). Vote: https://www.thetournament.com/teams/tampa-bulls-usf-alumni/fan/58eabeae93b94361967264 Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple B Posted April 14, 2017 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,610 Content Count: 74,513 Reputation: 10,800 Days Won: 422 Joined: 11/25/2005 Author Share Posted April 14, 2017 Only takes a minute to register and vote. Would love to see those guys back on the court together. Have to figure at least a couple of the mystery additions may be DoJo and VR. Not sure who else would fall under the "biggest USF stars of the past decade" ... KG, SoJo, Chris Howard, maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple B Posted April 15, 2017 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,610 Content Count: 74,513 Reputation: 10,800 Days Won: 422 Joined: 11/25/2005 Author Share Posted April 15, 2017 Pinning this for awhile .... This is cooler than most online voting nonsense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ionbull Posted April 16, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 8 Content Count: 2,610 Reputation: 635 Days Won: 3 Joined: 12/17/2015 Share Posted April 16, 2017 On 4/14/2017 at 2:02 PM, Triple B said: Only takes a minute to register and vote. Would love to see those guys back on the court together. Have to figure at least a couple of the mystery additions may be DoJo and VR. Not sure who else would fall under the "biggest USF stars of the past decade" ... KG, SoJo, Chris Howard, maybe? McBuckets? Zach LeDay? haha jk. This is really cool. I guess they enjoyed their time at USF together to form a group based off of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raptorcj Posted April 17, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 18 Content Count: 8,878 Reputation: 1,266 Days Won: 28 Joined: 07/12/2013 Share Posted April 17, 2017 Can Stan coach them? That would be cool. I'm thinking Victor Rudd for one, those guys got pretty tight with the tourney run and all... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DELdaBull Posted April 17, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 86 Content Count: 17,061 Reputation: 1,429 Days Won: 19 Joined: 09/15/2005 Share Posted April 17, 2017 This does seem cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple B Posted April 17, 2017 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,610 Content Count: 74,513 Reputation: 10,800 Days Won: 422 Joined: 11/25/2005 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 5 hours ago, DELdaBull said: This does seem cool. It really is. Looking around the site a little, saw that Gransberry is on another team already but Blake Nash is a free agent .... and the father of our most recent departure actually played in it last year. Hopefully at least half who've viewed the thread take a minute and vote. Top 9 vote getters in each region automatically make the 16 ... we're currently sitting at 16. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DELdaBull Posted April 17, 2017 Group: Member Topic Count: 86 Content Count: 17,061 Reputation: 1,429 Days Won: 19 Joined: 09/15/2005 Share Posted April 17, 2017 How often can we vote? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple B Posted April 17, 2017 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,610 Content Count: 74,513 Reputation: 10,800 Days Won: 422 Joined: 11/25/2005 Author Share Posted April 17, 2017 9 minutes ago, DELdaBull said: How often can we vote? Looks like you can only vote once per team but can vote for up to 4 different teams, per email account. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Triple B Posted April 18, 2017 Group: Moderator Topic Count: 1,610 Content Count: 74,513 Reputation: 10,800 Days Won: 422 Joined: 11/25/2005 Author Share Posted April 18, 2017 USF alumni team gearing up for national hoops tourney Former USF guard Anthony Collins is set to compete for a Bulls alumni squad hoping to gain entry into a national tournament to be broadcast on various ESPN platforms. Joey Knight, Times Staff Writer Tuesday, April 18, 2017 11:30am The roster exodus has shifted into reverse. The Bulls who bolted not terribly long ago are returning. JaVontae Hawkins is back. So is Anthony Collins. Day by day, the lineup is further fortified. The alumni lineup, anyway. All indications are, USF will field an alumni team in a fledgling 64-team national tournament known simply as "The Basketball Tournament" (TBT). Coach Anthony Brammer, a former video assistant for Stan Heath, says the squad -- known as the Tampa Bulls -- has commitments from the minimum seven players required, and has received the minimum 100 fan votes needed for eligibility. Those voters also get a cut of the $2 million winner-take-all prize if the Bulls win. Among those joining Hawkins and Collins will be King High alumnus Toarlyn Fitzpatrick, Gus Gilchrist, Ron Anderson Jr., Hugh Robertson and Corey Allen Jr. Michael Brown, a former Bulls manager, is the "GM." Teams can gain entry into a 16-team region in one of three ways: Nine teams are chosen based on popularity (fans can vote for their team of choice here), while six others who meet eligibility requirements (at least seven players, 100 fan votes) are chosen at-large. One team in each region can play through in the "TBT Jamboree." Brammer, now a loan officer and assistant hoops coach at Lecanto High, said he believes his club will receive an at-large bid when the field is announced June 6. It's currently eighth in the latest TBT "Power Rankings." "They want us in this tournament," he said. The tournament begins in early July and ends Aug. 3 in Baltimore. All games will be televised on one ESPN platform or another. Teams must pay their expenses the first two rounds (at four different sites nationwide), but the event pays the way from there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now