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If you were wondering what you’re doing this summer, Monday provided at least one answer. Per a report from Syracuse.com’s Donna Ditota, Boeheim’s Army will be back in action once more for The Basketball Tournament.
We don’t yet know the roster, but one would expect news starting to trickle in soon on that front since the event begins on July 16. Unlike some previous iterations of the event, where the Syracuse Orange alumni squad played some games in New York State, this year’s event would put Boeheim’s Army “on the road” the whole time. TBT 2021 will have regional brackets in Wichita, Kan.; Charleston, W.Va.; Columbus, Ohio; and Peoria, Ill. The championship site will be in Dayton, Ohio. Last year’s entire event was in Columbus due to the pandemic.
One familiar face we already know will be involved is long-time Boeheim’s Army general manager Kevin Belbey. Joining him this year, however, is Adam Weitsman, who will serve as the team’s chairman of business operations. As Ditota gets into a bit more in the piece, it appears that will mean more financial incentives for players to participate.
Syracuse hasn’t struggled to attract talented former Orange stars to play, but they’ve still largely been competing with overseas leagues to secure commitments. We don’t know how much Weitsman will have to offer these players. But one could assume it’s more than they were previously being compensated.
The 2020 Boehem’s Army team was seeded third overall in the bracket, but was knocked out in the quarterfinals of the 32-team event by Sideline Cancer. The 65-48 loss was a debacle, as the SU alums shot too poorly from three to keep up with Sideline Cancer. In general, TBT squads have gravitated more and more toward perimeter shooting while one of Boeheim’s Army’s strengths (on paper) has been size in the middle.
We’ll see what happens with this year’s roster, and if it looks fundamentally different from the 2020 group. There’s been a lot of consistency on this team, which is a good thing. But as we discussed last summer, some change in roster construction may be needed to maximize their potential going forward.