$1M basketball tournament set at Petersen Events Center, hosted by Pitt’s Zoo Crew
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The Basketball Tournament, a $1 million, winner-take-all national event, enters its 11th year next month — with a local twist.
For the first time, the opening round of games July 20-24 are scheduled for Petersen Events Center. The Zoo Crew, a Pitt alumni team, will be the host.
Zoo Crew will be the second seed in the Pittsburgh region and will play Million $ Worth of Game at 8 p.m. July 20. Alumni teams from Penn State (Happy Valley Hoopers) and West Virginia (Best Virginia) are among the eight teams competing in the region. Winners from the games will play July 22, with the regional championship scheduled for 7 p.m. July 24.
The semifinals and championship game are scheduled for Aug. 2 and Aug. 4 in Philadelphia and will be televised by FS1 and Fox, respectively.
The Zoo Crew is organized by former Pitt player and men’s basketball assistant coach Gilbert Brown. The eight Pitt alums on the roster combined to score 7,995 points and record 3,684 rebounds in their time playing for the Panthers.
The Zoo Crew roster includes Nelly Cummings (2022-23), Nike Sibande (2020-23), Jared Wilson-Frame (2017-19), Ryan Luther (2014-18), Mike Young (2013-17), Jamel Artis (2013-17), Lamar Patterson (2009-14), DeJuan Blair (2007-09) and Dustin Sleva, a Shippensburg product.
“TBT has been a great summer basketball event that unites and engages alumni groups and fan bases,” Pitt coach Jeff Capel said in a statement.“The Zoo Crew has trained at the Petersen Events Center each of the past two summers in preparation for the TBT and it has been terrific for our program to have them around. We look forward to hosting the Zoo Crew and the other teams at our home venue this summer.”