The NCAA season has come to a close, the NBA playoffs are in full swing and basketball’s calendar year has little time remaining.
Not to worry, basketball fans – The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a five-on-five tournament consisting of 64 teams that begins in the four corners of the United States, is back July 8 with $2 million on the line.
With the return of TBT comes the return of famed Ole Miss alumnus Marshall Henderson, known for his late-game antics and excitable persona that lead Ole Miss hoops to an SEC championship and NCAA Tournament in 2013.
Henderson, who announced his return on Twitter, is one of the tournament’s general managers who typically arrange teams based on which schools the player attended or which teams he had experience competing for. This year’s Henderson-led squad, “Ole Hotty Toddy,” will compete in the Southern bracket region of TBT and will feature many familiar Rebel faces.
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/status/850767845826985988
“We got the Rebels from Ole Miss creating a team,” Henderson said. “You know we’re coming for the wins, coming for the good competition and coming for that money.”
According to a tweet from Henderson, the first-ever Ole Miss alumni team will consist of veteran TBT ballers and a smattering of fresh faces.
https://twitter.com/NativeFlash22/status/850767894413795329
Having played on last year’s Super 16 TMD squad with Henderson, 6-foot-9 Mississippi native Aaron Jones will head the frontcourt, while Chris Warren will bring his speed and opponent-troubling outside game to the backcourt after catching fire in last year’s tournament.
FINAL: Marshall Henderson and TMD defeat Josh Selby and Team BDB 112-91 pic.twitter.com/VKAUhacLxo
— TBT (@thetournament) July 10, 2016
Warren, who started 114 of the 115 games he played in a Rebel uniform, was the all-time leading scorer in Ole Miss history, second all time throughout the SEC and was near-automatic from the free-throw line.
Terrico White rounds out the returning Rebels, bringing agility to the backcourt following a one-year stint on the Bluff City Blues, the Memphis Alumni team, in last year’s TBT. White, the 2009 SEC Rookie of the Year, said the opportunity to reconnect with former Rebel teammates and friends is the start of something special.
“When the idea came to form an alumni team for the tournament, I’m sure everybody was on board from the start,” White said. “Our professional basketball careers have taken one another all around the world and we barely get to talk to each other. But we all are familiar with each other’s skillsets, and it’s going to be like old times once we get on the court.”
TBT newcomers Dwayne Curtis, Murphy Holloway, Terrance Henry, LeDarius “Snoop” White and Stefan Moody are scheduled to join what appears to be a stacked roster in this year’s pursuit of glory, Henderson said.
Holloway, the 6-foot-7-inch big man of the group, grabbed 1,093 boards during his career at Ole Miss and continues to dominate the glass overseas, which he says is a different style of play.
“The game in America is more athletic, but the game over here [in Europe] requires a better skillset,” Holloway said.
The only player in SEC history to score 1,400 points, snag 1,000 rebounds and record 190 steals over the course of his college career, Holloway will be a staple for this group in the paint.
“[This tournament] is more than just playing basketball,” he said. “I’ve never played with Dwayne Curtis. I’ve never had the opportunity to hang with some of those guys, but I look forward to getting that chance with Rebel Nation behind us. We won’t let you down.”
Snoop White, who saw the Tad Pad off in its final full season in commission, brings a more familiar face to the younger generation of Rebel fans. Currently playing in Slovakia, White’s versatile 6-foot-6-inch frame can finish on the dribble or pull up and drop a dime in your face. White will play alongside the most recent graduate of the bunch, high-flier Stefan Moody.
Moody, who most recently played for Trabzonspor of the Turkish Super League, is known for his uncanny hops and sopping shooting. The 5-foot-10 dynamo will presumably be the team’s primary guard.
While the lineup appears to be well-rounded, versatile and full of athletic prowess, Marshall Henderson and the rest of the alumni on Team Ole Hotty Toddy will still need the support from Ole Miss and fans.
“Can’t wait to be out there on the court,” Henderson said.
We can’t wait either, Marshall. We can’t wait either.
Show your support by voting for the rebel-filled team. Or watch the former Rebels ball with your own eyes and purchase tickets.
