The Basketball Tournament (TBT): Proposing The Idea Of An Oregon State Alumni Team

As many of you know (or have seen on your television screen and said what the **** is this?), currently “The Basketball Tournament” is taking place across the United States, as the premier professional level basketball tournament with a huge, winner-take-all cash prize at the end. Simply put, it’s an awesome idea invented by some clearly awesome people that really helps fill the summer void for many of the basketball lovers out there.

But one void it will not fill for any of you out there in Beaver Nation is your unrivaled and undying love for all things Oregon State. While many colleges and universities have unofficial “alumni teams” with playful names (Boeheim’s Army - Syracuse, Scarlet & Gray - Ohio State, etc.), it is currently operating without an Oregon State alumni team in the mix.

So we put our heads together here at BTD and formulated our own list of potential candidates for a potential Oregon State alumni team, if there ever was a chance some of these guys would finally get their acts together and form one down the road. So yeah, we’re calling out you all the famous basketball alumni who are most definitely not reading this. Get your acts together! Start a team!

Longshots For The Team

• Gary Payton II (Los Angeles Lakers) - Unfortunately for Payton II, some guy named Lebron James signing with the Lakers franchise probably means he should get comfortable in his G-League jersey. Current NBA players rarely partake in TBT, but a fringe guy like Payton II could take a chance on it. After all, the $2 million at the end makes things a bit more tempting.
• Eric Moreland (Detroit Pistons) - Like Payton II, Moreland will probably stay focused on sticking on an NBA roster for next season, which actually could happen if he replicates his end-of-year form for the Pistons. If Moreland could find some time in his summer schedule to suit up for some cleverly named OSU-related team, he’d be one of the squad’s top talents.
• Drew Eubanks (San Antonio Spurs) - Eubanks wouldn’t risk his chance to stick in the NBA for this kind of format but he’d be a great addition if he did want to suit up. Like the two guys above him, proving himself as a legitimate NBA talent will be his main priority for the next few years. However, if he’s cut after the NBA Summer League in a few months, maybe he’d try it.

More Likely Candidates

• Omari Johnson (Age: 28) - Johnson actually looked like he’d stick with the Grizzlies, but they cut him after the end of the 2017-2018 season. Hands down, probably the team’s MVP.
• Roberto Nelson (Age: 27) - Nelson was the enigma of all enigmas during his time at Oregon State but he’s been a pretty steady contributor down at the pro level in Mexico.
• Angus Brandt (Age: 28) - As a relied upon player at the club level down in his native Australia (and New Zealand), Brandt could actually be one of the team’s best talents.
• Joe Burton (Age: 27) - The last we heard of Burton he was balling out in the French Pro B League. He’d be a much-needed, bruising type of front-court presence for the team.
• Seth Tarver (Age: 30) - The Portland native and Jesuit High School legend hasn’t played professionally in the US since 2013, but he’s still is living out a solid pro career over in Japan.
• Marcel Jones (Age: 32) - Every team needs a steady vet and Jones could be Oregon State’s aging leader. Interesting fact, in his pro career, he’s played for over 20 different teams.
• Langston Morris-Walker (Age: 24) - He wasn’t a huge statistical contributor for the Beavers but he’s young and has some basketball left in him. He’d be a useful reserve combo guard.
• C.J. Giles (Age: 32) - The one-time Kansas transfer had a D-League stint with the Westchester Knicks back in 2015, before heading back overseas. He’d surely help the cause.
• Olaf Schaftenaar (Age: 25) - The 2016-2017 Dutch Basketball League Rookie of the Year would have to be on the roster. C’mon now, nobody knows basketball like Holland does.
• Roeland Schaftenaar (Age: 29) - You’d assume the eldest Schaftenaar would come as a package deal. Although, you never know how much 6’ 11” guys really want more basketball.

Team Name Ideas

If you haven’t noticed, clearly a catchy alumni-related team name is vital to the overall success of the group, so we tried our hand at thinking up some of those as well. We apologize in advance for our awful ideas, but don’t worry you can vote on the ones you like or suggest your own below. The poll closes on Friday at midnight though, so get your votes in as soon as possible.