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Penn State Alumni Team Tops Pitt Alums, Wins Regional Title at The Basketball Tournament

Happy Valley Hoopers advance to the quarterfinals of the $1 million event with rivalry win over Pitt's Zoo Crew.

Mark Wogenrich

Penn State Nittany Lions guard Sam Sessoms shakes hands with the Penn State student section following the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Bryce Jordan Center.
Penn State Nittany Lions guard Sam Sessoms shakes hands with the Penn State student section following the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Bryce Jordan Center. / Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
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A Penn State alumni basketball team moved within three wins of $1 million by earning a huge in-state rivalry victory. The Happy Valley Hoopers are part of an exciting summer for Penn State basketball.

The Happy Valley Hoopers, an alumni team organized by former Nittany Lions star John Harrar, defeated the Zoo Crew, a Pitt alumni team, 85-82 to win the Pittsburgh regional of The Basketball Tournament. Playing in their second TBT, the Happy Valley Hoopers advanced to the quarterfinals of the $1 million, winner-take-all tournament that features 64 college alumni basketball teams from across the country.

The Happy Valley Hoopers return to the court July 30 against Eberlein Drive, the Butler alumni team that has played in the event since 2014. The quarterfinal game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. ET tip-off in Houston and will be broadcast on FS1.

Seeded fifth in the Pittsburgh regional, Happy Valley won three games, all against higher-seeded teams, to claim the regional title. The Hoopers, who went 0-1 in their only other TBT event, defeated the top-seeded Stars of Storrs (Connecticut) and the second-seeded Zoo Crew to claim the region. Happy Valley delivered a huge comeback Wednesday night in Pittsburgh to claim the victory over the Panthers alumni team.

The Zoo Crew led by 11 points with 8 minutes left when Happy Valley began its comeback. Sam Sessoms, who most recently played professionally in Romania, led the rally, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter. Sessoms delivered this savvy drive late in the game to help seal the victory.

Sessoms finished with 27 points and nine assists to lead the Hoopers over the Zoo Crew. Greg Lee scored 23 points, and Curtis Jones had 17. Sessoms, who transferred from Penn State to Coppin State in 2022, is the team's leading scorer through three games, averaging, 21.7 points per game.

If the Happy Valley Hoopers win Monday's quarterfinal game, they'll have a bit of home-court advantage for the semifinals. The semis and championship game will be played at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Meanwhile, another Penn State basketball alum is making news internationally. Tom Hovasse, who starred for the Nittany Lions in the 1980s, is coaching the Japan men's basketball team at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Hovasse led the Japan women's team to a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, after which the Japan Basketball Association hired Hovasse to lead the men.

Under Hovasse's direction, Japan qualified for its first Olympic men's basketball tournament since 1976 (the team received an auto bid as host of the Tokyo Olympics). Hovasse said that Penn State basketball, and his experience playing for former coach Bruce Parkhill, guides his coaching style today.

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Penn State on SI is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on X (or Twitter) @MarkWogenrich.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is Editor and Publisher of AllPennState, the site for Penn State news on SI's FanNation Network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs and three Rose Bowls.

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