Inside The Panthers

TBT Sets Up Potential Pitt-West Virginia Matchup

The Pitt Panthers' alumni will square off with West Virginia's former players in the first round.

Stephen Thompson

TBT Sets Up Potential Pitt-West Virginia Matchup
TBT Sets Up Potential Pitt-West Virginia Matchup /
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PITTSBURGH -- The opening round of the The Basketball Tournament, a national single-elimination competition between semi-professional basketball teams made up primarily of former college basketball stars with a grand prize of $1 million for the winners, is drawing near and the Zoo Crew, which will represent the Pitt Panthers, has it's bracket assignment. 

Pitt's alumni, awarded a five seed in the West Virginia region - will face off against Heard That, a group of former Marshall players. A win could set up a date with Best Virginia, a group of West Virginia alumni, in the second round. Best Virginia draws the Dubois Dream. 

The Zoo Crew, formerly known as the Untouchables, have played three times in TBT since its inception in 2013, most recently in 2018. The team will feature 10 former Panthers on the roster, led by general manager Gilbert Brown, a former Pitt center who currently serves as the men's basketball program's Director of Player and Alumni Development.

Brown will play alongside Gary McGhee, Jamel Artis, Mouhamadou Gueye, Ryan Luther, Nelly Cummings, Nike Sibande, Greg Elliot, Levance Fields and Mike Young. Cummings, Sibande and Elliot, three key cogs in the program's return to the NCAA Tournament in 2023, and Gueye will get their first taste of TBT this year.

The Zoo Crew will compete in the West Virginia regional in Wheeling, West Virginia. They will participate in a five-day training camp at the Petersen Events Center from July 17-22 before beginning their tournament run on July 25. 

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Stephen Thompson
STEPHEN THOMPSON

Stephen Thompson graduated with a bachelor's degree in communications and political science from Pitt in April 2022 after spending four years as a sports writer and editor at The Pitt News, the University of Pittsburgh's independent, student-run newspaper.  He primarily worked the Pitt men's basketball beat, and filled in on coverage of football, volleyball, softball, gymnastics and lacrosse, in addition to other sports as needed. His work at The Pitt News has won awards from the Pennsylvania News Media Association and Associated College Press.  During the spring and summer of 2021, Stephen interned for Pittsburgh Sports Now, covering baseball in western Pennsylvania. Hailing from Washington D.C., family ties have cultivated a love of Boston's professional teams and Pitt athletics, and a fascination with sports in general.  You can reach Stephen by email at stephenethompson00@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter. Read his latest work:

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