The Basketball Tournament is a March
Madness-style event featuring a $1
million winner-take-all prize airing on FOX Sports
LOS
ANGELES, May 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Basketball
Tournament (TBT), the summer basketball event with a $1 million grand prize aired live on FOX Sports,
today announced the addition of the Stars of Storrs to its 64-team field, an alumni team
representing back-to-back national champions UConn. Stars of Storrs is organized by Marc D'Amelio and the
D'Amelio Huskies Collective.
D'Amelio will serve as the team's general manager, and
Chris Smith, UConn's all-time leading scorer, will be the team's
head coach. Current commitments for the team include former
Huskies stars Ryan Boatright, DeAndre
Daniels, and Joey Calcaterra,
all three of whom won national championships during their time at
UConn.
If the Stars of Storrs wins
TBT's $1 million prize, $100,000 will be donated to the D'Amelio Huskies
Collective, an NIL collective exclusively for UConn student athletes.
Stars of Storrs will compete in
TBT's Pittsburgh Regional at the Petersen Events Center
July 19-23. While their first-round
opponent is to be determined, the regional will also feature alumni
teams from the University of
Pittsburgh, West Virginia
University, Penn State, and
more.
Before Stars of Storrs departs
for Pittsburgh, there will be an
open practice for fans to attend in Connecticut. The date and time will be
announced on Stars of Storrs
social media platforms, @starsofstorrs.
"Initially, a UConn fan on Twitter
asked me to put together a team," general manager Marc D'Amelio
said. "I love building brands, teams, and UConn Basketball, so
assembling a UConn TBT team combines everything I am passionate
about."
"We plan on donating $100,000 of
the $1,000,000 championship prize
winnings to D'Amelio Huskies Collective. So, a championship win for
The Stars of Storrs will directly
impact and support our current UConn
athletes. UConn fans can expect to
witness a unique partnership of UConn
fan favorites, from players to coaches, all coming together like
never before."
"Marc D'Amelio presented the opportunity to me to coach the
team. It feels amazing to be the first coach of the team," said
head coach Chris Smith. "To be one
of the first highly recruited people from Connecticut to be the head coach is amazing. I
feel like I am giving back to Connecticut and also if we win, we get a
chance to give to Marc's collective. To be able to coach ex-Husky
players from different time eras will be fun for myself and for the
players. They will get a chance to play with guys they watched as
well."
"Representing UConn in this tournament means everything because
you get to put those colors on again and play for a common goal:
winning another championship on a national stage with your
brothers," said Stars of Storrs
guard Ryan Boatright."
"Reuniting with Deandre will be fun and I'm super excited about
it. We did some amazing things together on the court and are
looking to continue that success this summer. But also getting to
play with older and younger guys that share that love and
dedication to the program and had success during their time in
Storrs will also be fun. I'm
looking forward to us all coming together and creating new
memories!"
"All of us will need to buy in and commit to playing the right
way to compete at a high level! That starts now with guys making
sure they're in shape and ready to hit the ground running. This
year's TBT will be a very competitive tournament and one slip up
means you're out."
The D'Amelio Huskies Collective has been assisting UConn student athletes with name, image, and
likeness (NIL) opportunities since being founded by Marc D'Amelio
in May 2022. Current D'Amelio Huskies
Collective athletes include UConn men's
basketball players Donovan Clingan,
Stephon Castle, and Hassan Diarra.
The D'Amelio Huskies Collective joins collectives from
Kansas, Florida, and UMass
to enter teams in TBT.
TBT's 64-team field is composed of eight regionals with eight
teams in each, all hosted on the campus of a powerhouse college
basketball team. If Stars of Storrs advances out of the Pittsburgh
Regional, they'll play in TBT's quarterfinals on July 29.
TBT's semifinals and $1 million
championship game will be held August
2 and August 4 at Drexel University in Philadelphia.
Now entering its 11th year, The Basketball Tournament has grown
tremendously in popularity amongst both fans and players. A record
77,000 fans attended TBT games across the country last year,
including 7,202 for TBT's quarterfinals, a new TBT single-game
record. More than 75 players with NBA experience competed in TBT
2023 as well, the most in tournament history.
TBT is the home of the Elam Ending®, the alternate ending to
basketball games where teams play to a Target Score™, which has
previously been used in the NBA All-Star game and is currently in
use in the G League, the CEBL, and other events across the
globe.
Tickets for the Pittsburgh Regional and TBT 2024 can be
purchased at TheTournament.com/tickets
About The Basketball Tournament
The home of the Elam Ending®, The Basketball Tournament has grown
from a unique idea among friends to one of the most exciting and
engaging events on the summer sports calendar, with national
exposure, social media buzz and regional championships across the
country - culminating in a winner-take-all $1 million game. Every year it attracts some of
the best players in the world. For more information on TBT's tenth
season, visit www.thetournament.com
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Jake Pavorsky, TBT
Enterprises – PR@thetournament.com
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SOURCE The Basketball Tournament (TBT)