Meet Eberlein Drive, the lost cause of The Basketball Tournament

***** It was a development that, for them, was simultaneously awesome and difficult to grasp. Prior to their appearance in TBT, no one had heard of their
Meet Eberlein Drive, the lost cause of The Basketball Tournament
Meet Eberlein Drive, the lost cause of The Basketball Tournament /

The unlikely squad featured ex-college players Velton Jones (No. 2) and Nick Christian (No. 25) plus friends Joe Oster, Craigen Oster, Jacob Hirschmann and would-be mascot Aeneas Koosis (left to right).
The unlikely squad featured ex-college players Velton Jones (No. 2) and Nick Christian (No. 25) plus friends Joe Oster, Craigen Oster, Jacob Hirschmann and would-be mascot Aeneas Koosis (left to right) / The Basketball Tournament
Luke Bonner and Big Apple Basketball cruised to a 42-point win over Eberlein.
Luke Bonner and Big Apple Basketball cruised to a 42-point win over Eberlein / The Basketball Tournament

*****

Jacob Hirschmann's swollen elbow was a painful reminder of how overmatched Eberlein was.
Jacob Hirschmann's swollen elbow was a painful reminder of how overmatched Eberlein was / Courtesy of Luke Winn

It was a development that, for them, was simultaneously awesome and difficult to grasp. Prior to their appearance in TBT, no one had heard of their street name. Soon they would be making the long trip back, winless but with jerseys and T-shirts and box-score evidence and a ridiculous story to tell. Eberlein Drive, if you find it on a map, is actually a one-block dead-end -- or if you're being nice, a cul-de-sac. There's enough pavement in front of the Osters' house for a car to turn around. "When we come back next year, if we can get Corey [Maggette] and a few other guys," Hirschmann said, undaunted, "I really think we'll have a shot."


Published
Luke Winn
LUKE WINN

Luke Winn joined Sports Illustrated in 2002 as a web producer and is now a senior writer. He primarily covers college basketball, but has written about baseball, the Olympics and more.