Boeheim’s Army has been blessed to be a part of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) every year since 2015. We look back at each team and look at what went right, what went wrong, and the best moments the Orange alumni team has had.
Boeheim’s Army, a collection of Syracuse Basketball alumni, has had the honor of gracing our TV sets every summer. Not surprisingly it wasn’t always that way. After students graduated, left early for pro careers, or transferred to another school to play, we often didn’t see them in Syracuse playing basketball again unless it was for charity or a celebrity basketball game during Orange Madness at the Carrier Dome to hype up a season.
The Basketball Tournament, also known as TBT for short, gave these former student-athletes a chance to get together once more (or in some cases, several times more) and extend their Orange careers, whether they’re past their best playing days or not.
Starting in 2014, The Basketball Tournament, had the ingenious idea of filling the summer basketball void by creating a tournament where players build their own teams and compete for a cash prize. The cash prize in 2014 was $500,000, but would increase to 1 million dollars in 2015, and eventually $2 million in 2016, according to ESPN.com. (In 2020, the cash prize in a paired down field of 24 teams will be $1 million, according to TheTournament.com) Even though Boeheim’s Army did not enter in TBT’s first year, the success of that first summer tournament opened the door for their entrance in 2015.
Led by Kevin Belbey, Boeheim’s Army was born in 2015. Though it was not a full collection of former Orange players, it was enough to get Orange fans excited about what the future could hold. Now, many years later, Boeheim’s Army is not only a staple of every TBT, but one of its premier and elite teams that competes for a chance at the title year in and year out.
Whether you are just hearing about this Syracuse basketball alumni team now, or have been with them from the beginning, there is no doubt this team bleeds Orange. Everything from their name, which includes the last name of their Hall of Fame Coach (Jim Boeheim), to their Orange jerseys, to having Otto attend their games both here in Syracuse and on the road, makes Boeheim’s Army special and uniquely Orange. With that in mind, join us as we look back and reflect on Boeheim’s Army’s past history in TBT.
Boeheim’s Army- 2015
The Inaugural Boeheim’s Army season was 2015, the second year of The Basketball Tournament. At that time, the fan base was still relatively low, especially since the first few rounds you had to stream on The Basketball Tournament’s website. The later rounds were then televised on ESPN’s family of Networks.
The Syracuse alumni team, as expected, was hard to piece together, but GM Kevin Belbey and Coach Lawrence Moten did their best to construct a competitive squad. Their roster that year looked like this:
- Eric Devendorf
- Hakim Warrick
- Demetris Nichols
- Baye Moussa Keita
- Terrence Roberts
- Mookie Jones
- Olu Famutimi
- Willie Deane
Though it was not a completely Orange squad with Olu Famutimi (Arkansas Alum) and Willie Deane (Boston College/Purdue Alum) the Orange alumni team had a good mixture of talent and size. Like other Syracuse basketball squads under Jim Boeheim, they played mostly 2-3 zone defense. That first year they beat four teams.
After a first-round bye due to their No. 1 Seed in The Northeast Region, Boeheim’s Army literally destroyed the NYC Superstars 91-73 in the second round, according to Syracuse.com. In their next game against the Liberty Ballers (Villanova and Siena alumni), they had a much harder time but still won 78-72, according to Nunesmagician.com. The third game is where things got interesting and immediately made Boeheim’s Army and captain Eric Devendorf a household name in TBT.
Against 20th and Olney (La Salle Alumni team), Boeheim’s Army really struggled. It was a chippy, hard-fought affair. The game went into overtime, but not before Devendorf got into a scrum with Steven Smith on the other team. Since it was their second altercation of the game both were ejected, according to the Daily Orange. Soon after the scrum, the Orange alumni team would lose their lead and the game would go into overtime. Though Boeheim’s Army won 92-91 and advanced to the Great Eight, it was a game that made you wonder just how much grit and talent it was going to take to win this tournament.
In the Great Eight of The Basketball Tournament, Boeheim’s Army finally met its match in City of Gods. Chock full of former NBA players with size, the Orange alumni team struggled to match up. They would fall just barely 80-76. Though the result was disappointing after such a deep run, a Great Eight finish in their first year only made the team hungrier to come back and give it another go in 2016.
Boeheim’s Army- 2016
In 2016, Boeheim’s Army entered The Basketball Tournament again. GM Kevin Belbey remade the roster to try and mold a team that would be much more balanced and full of SU greats.
First off, he brought in former Syracuse basketball great Ryan Blackwell to coach. Next, he brought back captain Eric Devendorf, and former members Hakim Warrick, Baye Moussa Keita, Terrence Roberts, and Willie Deane to provide stability. He then proceeded to fill in the roster with Darryl Watkins, Brandon Triche, Rick Jackson, and CJ Fair to provide additional depth.
The results were a mixed bag. The team was better all-around from a talent perspective, but other teams had gotten better as well and brought in more talent to compete for $2 million.
Boeheim’s Army got things rolling with another monster first game showing, defeating Basketball City NYC 87-59. In their second game against the North Broad Street Bullies (mostly Temple alums), it was tight-game throughout, with Boeheim’s Army only winning after fighting off a late surge to emerge victorious, 86-82, and advance to the Super 16.
Unfortunately, after advancing to their second straight Super 16, Boeheim’s Army would fall against better competition in The Untouchables. The Untouchables was a team of former Pitt alumni, according to ESPN, led by Gilbert Brown, Gary McGhee, Levance Fields, Brad Wanamaker, and Antonio Graves, just to name a few.
The game would also be close throughout, like the game before, but the Orange alumni team would fall just short this time, 91-84. However, after playing really well and going this deep in The Basketball Tournament two years in a row, Boeheim’s Army would come back in 2017, and this time it was here to stay and prove it was one of the greatest teams in the field.
Boeheim’s Army- 2017
Anyone who has watched Boeheim’s Army in The Basketball Tournament loves this 2017 Boeheim’s Army Team. Why do you ask? Well for starters, this team was well balanced, had lots of talent to meet the field, showed it could compete with anyone, and had a rally for the ages that Orange fans everywhere will not soon forget.
Boeheim’s Army once again revamped the roster, but kept Head Coach Ryan Blackwell, and brought back Captains Eric Devendorf and Brandon Triche for the roster.
They also added former 2015 members Rick Jackson and CJ Fair. However, to give the team some youth it added three-point specialist Trevor Cooney, recently graduated John Gillon, and DaShonte Riley. Former freshman star Donte Greene would also be added in their second game after traveling to join the team, and sharpshooter James Southerland would be added as the ringer in their third game.
The results were outstanding. For the third straight year, Boeheim’s Army obliterated their first matchup against Dubois Dream, 99-66, according to Syracuse.com. In that game, Brandon Triche would get a triple-double of 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 12 assists.
Next, they would barely hold off Gael Nation (Iona alumni), winning 106-100 in double overtime, according to the Daily Orange. Gael Nation had a 20-point comeback to force overtime, but heroics and leadership by Devendorf kept them in the game long enough to advance.
Boeheim’s Army would then have another tough go of it in the Super 16, but this time would advance to their second Quarterfinals appearance. In order to do so, they had to get through Team Fancy 65-61, who would not back down. Leadership by Triche and Devendorf late helped Boeheim’s Army secure the victory, according to Nunesmagician.com.
Next up, was a matchup with Team FOE. The game would instantly be a TBT All-Time classic, and become one of Syracuse basketball fans’ favorite games of all-time. Boeheim’s Army would struggle against the length and toughness of Team FOE. With the game getting really out of hand midway through the second half and down 25, Boeheim’s Army would mount a comeback for the ages.
The Orange alumni team mixed things up on offense going inside-out and hampered down hard on defense to get steals which led to transition points. James Southerland, suddenly out of nowhere started shooting the lights out, hitting three after three to spark the run. Those were followed by drives and transition steals to the rim by Triche and Devendorf. It took almost 10 minutes, but with 1:53 left in the game, Devendorf would make the comeback complete and give Boeheim’s army a one-point lead. They would hold on to win 72-67 and advance to the Semifinals (Final Four).
Unfortunately, after such a dramatic win the game before, Boeheim’s Army would still fall just short of making it the championship, losing to eventual TBT 2017 winner Overseas Elite, 81-77. In those games they showed they had more than enough talent and experience to keep up with the defending champions of TBT.
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.
Boeheim’s Army- 2019
For the 2019 edition of Boeheim’s Army, the roster focused on getting more shooters on the team while still keeping the general veterans on board. The roster included Head Coach Ryan Blackwell, Captains Eric Devendorf and Brandon Triche (but was injured and could not play), and also brought back veterans: Hakim Warrick, Arinze Onuaku, John Gillon, and Darryl Watkins.
The team also brought in good wing players who could play multiple positions to surround those guys in Michael Gbinije, Andrew White III, BJ Johnson, and Jordan Crawford (Xavier alum). Chris McCullough was also added to the roster, but the PBA playoffs in the Philippines (which he helped them win) kept him overseas and never made it back before TBT ended.
All in all, the roster had huge potential to be great, but injuries and age affected the team’s ability to get out and run in transition. In addition, inconsistency on offense really hurt the team at times as well.
Eric Devendorf, per usual was dynamic and as consistent as ever and carried the team game after game despite not playing professionally in years. In addition, Andrew White III and BJ Johnson`s ability to hit open threes or slash to the rim provided new options the team could turn to when they needed a basket.
The bad news for this team was that Arinze Onuaku and Darryl Watkins really struggled to be consistently good on offense, and get rebounds on defense as they had been in previous years. As a result, opposing teams outrebounded Boeheim’s Army and got multiple second-chance opportunities, which you just can’t allow in a tournament full of professionals and veterans who will make you pay for it time and time again. As good of athletes as this team had, the age showed a little bit, and made it obvious Boeheim`s Army would need more youth on its roster, especially in the post, going forward.
Unlike previous years, this team struggled right out of the gate in their first game even though they were playing in front of the hometown crowd in Syracuse at Onondaga Community College’s SRC Arena for the first time. The Syracuse alumni team barely beat a feisty and persistent WeAreD3 team (a collection of former Division III players), winning 68-65, according to Syracuse.com.
Next up, Boeheim`s Army had to fight off the always competitive Gael Nation squad. Though Boeheim’s Army was clearly the better team, their ability to not get stops and hit the easy shots really killed them, making the game a heck of a lot tighter than it needed to be. In the end, Boeheim’s Army would prevail, 84-74, but the win did not inspire confidence for the team going forward.
Sure enough, in the third round (Super 16) of The Basketball Tournament, a tough Philadelphia-based Team Brotherly Love proved too much for Boeheim’s Army to overcome. The inability of Boeheim’s Army to not get stops and rebounds hurt them for a third straight game. Team Brotherly Love quickly gained a lead they would not relinquish, and the Syracuse alumni team never really caught back up even though their offense started clicking better. They would fall 84-72 in heartbreaking fashion in front of the hometown crowd.
Once again, Boeheim’s Army fell short of winning The Basketball Tournament, but they learned new ways they can get better as well.
Hopefully, those mistakes and lessons learned will lead Boeheim’s Army to greater success in The Basketball Tournament and a TBT title in 2020 and beyond.