Syracuse, N.Y. — In years past, Boeheim’s Army would gather at the Melo Center a few days before its first game in The Basketball Tournament. Once inside the basketball building, players would work on their games, install a few plays, scrimmage the current crop of Orange men and anybody else who might wander into the gym.
But there’s nothing usual about these unprecedented Covid-19 times.
Boeheim’s Army will again play in TBT this year. The $1 million winner-take-all summer tournament announced Tuesday the 24-team field and the bracket for games that will begin July 4. Boeheim’s Army, the No. 3 seed, will play its first game July 7 (time and TV to be announced) against the winner of Heartfire and Men of Mackey.
With just 24 teams (plus two alternates), Boeheim’s Army players expect every game to be intense and competitive. They need only to point to last year’s opening-round game in Syracuse, where We Are D3 made the host team work for its victory, despite its unknown and ultimately under-appreciated roster.
And that was when the tournament had a full 64-team field.
“Every game is going to be tough,” said Boeheim’s Army guard Eric Devendorf, a veteran of these TBT experiences. “It’s not the first or second game you’re going to get an easy one. Every game from the jump you gotta be ready.”
The Basketball Tournament will be played in Columbus, Ohio, this summer. Boeheim's Army, a Syracuse-based team, gets a bye until July 7.
How the team prepares will be different this summer.
TBT has implemented testing rules for the coronavirus that could have devastating consequences. Teams will submit to four Covid-19 tests before playing a single game. Players and staffers will take their first Covid-19 test at home three days before they arrive in Columbus.
If a team gathers for practice before it arrives in Columbus and one player (or staffer) tests positive during its at-home test, the entire team is disqualified from the tournament. But if teams don’t practice before arriving in Columbus, a positive test eliminates only the positive player. Any player, coach or GM who tests positive after arriving on the Columbus “campus” will also erase the entire team from competition.
Boeheim’s Army had considered holding team practices before heading out to Columbus. But with players arriving from various parts of the nation, some of them (Florida, Texas) coronavirus hotspots, team members decided to wait to practice in Columbus.
“We’ve gotta be cautious and aware,” Devendorf said. “Once we get there, we’ll have 4-5 days of practice and a shoot-around.”
“It’s just better because of the way the restrictions are,” Boeheim’s Army coach Ryan Blackwell said. “It’ll give us a couple hours a day to work out and less distractions.”
Players will be restricted to the tournament hotel, a Hilton property, and to specific practice courts that will be built in a convention center linked by walkway to the hotel. They will be under strict quarantine restrictions that prohibit freely coming and going. Meals will be provided for them.
Blackwell has watched plenty of TBT basketball over the years. He believes defending champion Carmen’s Crew, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, will be a formidable opponent. He appreciates the Golden Eagles, the Marquette team. As he scans the tournament field, he sees plenty of teams with legitimate shots of winning the $1 million.
Successful TBT teams, he said, share a few common characteristics.
“Those teams are physically and mentally tough,” he said. “They’re willing to do the little things. They share the ball.”
MORE TBT COVERAGE
Boeheim’s Army learns its first opponent; TBT announces 2020 bracket
Boeheim’s Army and the TBT 2020 bracket: Is the Syracuse squad the best team?
TBT announces 2020 site, dates and multi-year television deal with ESPN
Boeheim’s Army adds a ninth player: This guy shoots the ball and crashes weddings
Boeheim’s Army gains another scorer as roster moves closer to being settled
TBT founder Jon Mugar on specifics of new plan: Tests, site qualities, quarantine strictness, more
Donna Ditota is a reporter for the Syracuse Post-Standard and syracuse.com. Got a comment or idea for a story? Reach her at dditota@syracuse.com.
"easy" - Google News
June 18, 2020 at 01:59AM
https://ift.tt/2YOkX5D
How Boeheim’s Army will prepare to play ‘no easy games’ in TBT - syracuse.com
"easy" - Google News
https://ift.tt/38z63U6
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "How Boeheim’s Army will prepare to play ‘no easy games’ in TBT - syracuse.com"
Post a Comment