Boeheim’s Army: The family reunion for former Orange stars

Kevin Belbey had been waiting literally months for The Basketball Tournament’s tip off this weekend at LIU-Brooklyn. The Boeheim’s Army General Manager is in his fourth year at the helm of the alumni Syracuse Orange basketball team and has never felt more confident in the team he’s assembled.

“These guys got along from the first second they got on campus,“ said Belbey. “These guys seem to be on the same page. There are no egos here, everyone knows that we’re playing for each other. There’s no glory in getting second place in this competition.”

It’s obvious after watching BA gut out two victories in Brooklyn that this group is special. While their opening win may be have anticlimactic, a second matchup versus a motivated Team Fancy required the best of the 2-3 zone to win by five.

If you can’t tell by the way the team openly communicates or proudly supports their community on and off the court, this is more than a group of guys who played at the same school coming together for an All-Star tournament.

“It’s like a big family reunion, but with $2 million on the line playing basketball instead of cornhole,” said Belbey. “Everyone seems to know to what their roles are, and we’re prepared. We pride ourselves on being more prepared than anyone else.”

When this tournament started, it was sort of a fun secret just how much this experience was a microcosm of their student athlete days. Not anymore. Every ‘Cuse alumni player and current player now knows who and what Boeheim’s Army is, and the support they’ll get donning the Orange again.

Boeheim’s Army sits four wins away from the title. There are $2 million reasons why every single game will be a grind, regardless of the seeds. But there’s a reason that a title would mean so much more than an early paycheck, as best summed up by Kris Joseph.

“If this tournament was just for clout -- who’s the best alumni college team in the country? I would have come, because I love these guys and consider them brothers.”