While a few WSU basketball alumni are busy in the NBA summer league, another one is going after a more lucrative prize: Reggie Moore will play for team Grantland in this year's installment of The Basketball Tournament.
Reggie has played little since being dismissed by WSU after his junior season. He planned on transferring to Western Washington University but he never played a game in Sam Carver Gymnasium. He surfaced this year in Reno where he played for the Bighorns of the NBA D-league. According to his RealGM player page, he played in seven games, starting two, before being placed on waivers March 13.
So what is The Basketball Tournament? It is a 97-team, single-elimination tournament with a $1 million prize, split among the teammates. The teams are primarily made up of ex-NBA and college players. Teams gained entry to the tourney based on fan votes. It is in its second year of existence; last summer, Abe Lodwick played on a team that lasted a couple of rounds, and a team of Notre Dame alumni won the whole thing and took home $500,000. This year the prize money has doubled.
Team Grantland is full of talent, as its roster boasts names such as Brian Scalabrine, Jason Williams and Mike Bibby. You can read about how the team was put together here. They are the number one seed in the West Region and have a talent rating of 87 (on a 100 point scale). They will play the winner of The Revolution and VBL Dream team Saturday, July 11 at 5:45 pm PT.
This whole thing should be a lot of fun; going through the rosters of teams you will recognize plenty of names. La Salle's sweet 16 team from a couple years ago is getting the gang back together. The cinderella stories of Mercer and Florida Gulf Coast are joining forces for a shot at the money. The SB Nation site Liberty Ballers has a team named after it of Philadelphia area players that looks fearsome.
You should check it out and you should watch on August 1 and 2 when the semifinals and championship are broadcast on ESPN. With any luck Reggie and the rest of team Grantland will be celebrating a big pay day. Some single elimination summer basketball with a seven figure prize and a Coug involved -- what more could one ask for?
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