Ethan Happ appeared in his first “The Basketball Tournament” game Sunday as a member of Team Hines. The Basketball Tournament, or TBT, is an annual $2 million winner-take-all summer tournament. 2020’s price was reduced to “just” $1 million due to COVID-19. The 2020 field was also reduced from the typical field of 64 to 24 participating teams. The teams in TBT are primarily made up of former NCAA standouts that didn’t make it to the NBA. You may remember the Badgers had an alumni team last year featuring Nigel Hayes, Vitto Brown, Ryan Evans, Jordan Hill, Trevon Hughes, Jordan Taylor, and Charlie Thomas. Happ did not play with this “Kohl Blooded” team due to an injury.
Ethan Happ’s Performance in Sunday’s Loss
Ethan Happ was invited to join Team Hines in the 7th annual TBT. The 11-seed Team Hines took on 22-seeded Sideline Cancer last Sunday on ESPN. Happ impressed many fans who haven’t seen him play on National TV in over a year. He scored 20 points, shooting 8-13 from the field and 4-5 from the FT line. His handles and post moves were on full display. Happ also added 6 boards, 2 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal in his 28 minutes of action.
Ethan Happ also held his own with a tough defensive assignment. He spent most of the game guarding Dominican High School (Whitefish Bay, WI) alum Diamond Stone. Stone is of course the 5-star recruit that famously opted to play for Maryland over Wisconsin. He was a one and done whose NBA career never quite panned out. In Sunday’s TBT game, Stone scored 19 points on 8-17 shooting in 27 minutes.
Team Hines led by as much as 12 points late in the 3rd quarter, but lost the lead and trailed in the 4th. TBT uses the Elam Ending system to finish their games, similar to the 2020 NBA All-Star Game. Team Hines worked back to a 91-91 tie with a target score of 92. Sideline Cancer had the first offensive possession when the game was in “next score wins” mode. Marcus Keene knocked down the game winning jumper to eliminate Team Hines in the first round.
Teams to Watch
There isn’t much to watch right now when it comes to live sports. If you are looking for a team to cheer for in the TBT, check out Big X, which is the Big Ten Alumni Team. That team features three former Badgers: Vitto Brown, Khalil Iverson, and Trevon Hughes. They came in as a 9-seed and advanced to the 2nd round after beating the 24-seed D2 by a score of 79-74 on Saturday. Hughes had 9 points, 3 assists, and a rebound. Iverson had a near double-double with 7 points and a game high 11 boards. Brown did not score but grabbed 3 rebounds. Their next game will be Wednesday, July 8th at 1:00 PM CST when they take on the 8-seeded Big Scare (Dayton Alumni). The game will be aired on ESPN.
You could also check out the Golden Eagles (Marquette Alumni Team). The Golden Eagles have made the Final Four the last two tournaments, including a trip to the championship game last year. They are a 4-seed this year and earned a first round bye. They won their first game 76-67 over the 13-seed, Team CP3. And yes, that is the CP3; Chris Paul acts as the team’s GM. Their next game will be on Friday, July 10th when they take on the 12-seed Brotherly Love.
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For more information about The Basketball Tournament, visit their website: www.thetournament.com.
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