Syracuse Basketball: A look back at past Boeheim’s Army performances in TBT
By Josh Peelman
Boeheim’s Army- 2018
In 2018, Boeheim’s Army came back with a mission in mind, to at least make it back to where they were a year ago (be consistent) and possibly win the championship. Though they did not ultimately win The Basketball Tournament in 2018, they once again came very close.
New to The Basketball Tournament in 2018 was a new ending for games called the Elam Ending. In this new ending for games, after the first dead ball under the four-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the game clock would stop, but the shot clock would remain, and teams would play to a target score that was seven points above the team that was ahead, or tied, according to TheTournament.com (That rule would change to eight points in 2019) This ending was made to ensure needless fouling and make sure every game ended on some sort of made shot (even if it was a free throw). Needless to say, the new ending was a success, and Boeheim’s Army would provide one of the new ending’s greatest moments, a walk-off three-pointer to win the game, but we’ll get there.
Boeheim’s Army once against brought back the veterans: Head Coach Ryan Blackwell, Captains Eric Devendorf, and Brandon Triche. In addition, they added former Boeheim’s Army members: Hakim Warrick, Demetris Nichols, John Gillon, DaShonte Riley, and James Southerland. Their only new addition was former Syracuse big man Arinze Onuaku who was fresh off a great season in the G-League.
The roster had a lot of post players surrounded by good shooting and looked like it might be their best team yet. Up to that point, it probably was, and the results in The Basketball Tournament showed.
Per usual, Boeheim’s Army started off with a blowout win versus the South Jamaica Kings 90-72 led by John Gillon’s massive 32 point performance, according to Syracuse.com.
They then knocked off Team Fancy for a second straight year in another tight contest 60-55 to advance to the Super 16. That game was capitalized by a walk-off three-pointer in the corner by Demetris Nichols in the Elam Ending.
In the Super 16 for a third straight year, Boeheim’s Army made sure they made it to the Quarterfinals. They held onto a lead late in the second half, but when the Elam ending began, Armored Athlete was more than content to foul Onuaku who was having a good game down low. Knowing full well how bad a free throw shooter he was they continued to foul him to inch closer. However, Boeheim’s Army held on just long enough to secure a tough fought 73-69 win.
Once in the Quarterfinals, Boeheim’s Army once again found their match in Golden Eagles Alumni, a team of Marquette alumni led by Travis Diener. The game was one of the best in the tournament and was a very even affair throughout. The Orange alumni team held a lead late, but in the Elam Ending Travis Diener came to life and buried a long three to send Boeheim’s Army home with a 90-86 loss.
The game was 86-87 in favor of the Golden Eagles at the time of the shot, but with the target score at 90, Diener did what was necessary to make sure Boeheim’s Army did not get another possession. It was a disappointing ending for the team after two deep runs in back to back years. Still, a Great Eight Appearance for a second straight year was not shabby in the least.