On Sunday, though, as the Red Scare held its second practice for The Basketball Tournament, the former Dayton walk-on gave himself the green light. Gruden participated in a 3-point shooting contest against the Red Scare players and advanced to the final, where he lost to former Dayton guard Jordan Sibert, who doesn’t lose often on his old home court.
Gruden will not get the same opportunity Wednesday when the No. 1 seed Red Scare play No. 8 India Rising at 8 p.m. in the first round. He’ll coach the team for fifth straight year and have his former UD teammate, Jeremiah Bonsu, who missed only the 2020 tournament, at his side for the fourth time.
Gruden and Bonsu were popular players, even at the end of the bench, during their playing careers. They have added to their UD legacy by founding the Red Scare and leading it to a 9-4 record in the last four years. The dream of winning the $1 million prize remains a goal.
A year ago at UD Arena, the Red Scare won four games before losing to eventual champion Blue Collar U, a University of Buffalo team, in the semifinals.
“We actually watched that first thing once we got together as a team just to remind us how close we were,” said Gruden, who’s entering his second season as the director of basketball operations at Stetson University. “We were six points away right here in this arena, and we’ve got four of our starters back. We added some more pieces that I think are really good and can help us push over that hump.”
Bonsu said this is the best Red Scare roster in terms of offensive ability.
“Joey and I watched the TBT and reviewed ourselves,” said Bonsu, who’s the head video coordinator for the Houston Rockets. “We realized that the defensive part, it’s effort and it’s communication. The offense, you can’t gain cohesion in enough time. You’ve actually got to come in with better offensive players. That was the main focus we had. We wanted to add guys that added to our offensive ability, mainly in our spacing. The new guys are going to help with that.”
Dayton returns its top four returning scorers, all former Flyers: Scoochie Smith (14.6 points per game); Darrell Davis (13.2); Sibert (11.2); and Ryan Mikesell (7.2). Two other former Flyers are on the roster for the first time: Rodney Chatman; and Chris Wright, who was undecided about playing as of Sunday.
The other newcomers are former Wright State forward A.J. Pacher, former Davidson guard Jordan Barham and former Richmond forward Terry Allen.
“Terry and Rodney, those are 40% shooters right there,” Bonsu said, “and Jordan Barham is the best rebounder in TBT history. That adds to Jordan Sibert, who shoots 40%. Scoochie shot 38% this year. Ryan was at 41%. We’ll be focused on spacing and being able to shoot the ball, which will allow us to play faster.”
Credit: David Jablonski
The Red Scare plays in the final first-round game Wednesday. The four winners play in second-round games at 6 and 8 p.m. Friday. The Dayton Regional championship game will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday. Here’s a look at the eight teams in Dayton.
1 p.m.: No. 2 seed Friday Beers vs. No. 7 Athletics Miami
• Friday Beers lost in the second round last year to eventual champion Blue Collar U. In previous years, it was known as Armored Athlete. It has a 15-8 TBT record.
The Friday Beers roster includes: guard Gabe York, who scored 1,143 points at Arizona (2012-16); forward Mitch Creek, an Australian who played five games in the NBA in 2019; and guard Dee Bost, who scored 1,640 points at Mississippi State (2008-12).
• Athletics Miami is named after a sports facility in Miami. Its roster includes players from Manhattan, New Haven, UC Davis, Eastern Michigan, Florida International, etc.
3 p.m.: No. 3 Team Colorado plays No. 6 Men of Mackey
• The Colorado alumni team is 8-5 in TBT games. This is its first appearance since 2019. It reached the championship game in 2016, the third year for the TBT, and lost 77-72 to Overseas Elite.
The roster includes forward D’Shawn Schwartz, who averaged 15.5 points in his final season (2021-22) of college basketball at George Mason after playing four seasons at Colorado. He made a buzzer-beater 3-pointer to beat Dayton in Chicago in the 2019-20 season. That was the last loss for Dayton’s 29-2 team.
Three other players from that 2019 game are also on the Colorado roster: forward Evan Battey, who scored 1,307 points in his Colorado career; forward Tyler Bey, who had 1,113 points in three seasons; and guard Shane Gatling.
• The Purdue alumni team, Men of Mackey, is 3-3 in the TBT. It has lost in the second round in each of its three appearances.
Guard Kelsey Barlow returns after leading the team in scoring (17.5) last year. He averaged 5.4 points in three seasons at Purdue (2009-12) and averaged 14.8 points (2013-14) in one season at Illinois-Chicago. The roster also includes forward Robbie Hummel, who scored 1,772 points at Purdue (2007-12).
6 p.m.: No. 4 Carmen’s Crew vs. No. 5 Team Overtime
• The Ohio State alumni team Carmen’s Crew, the 2019 champions, returns to the tournament after a one-year absence. Its roster includes center Trevor Thompson, who played for the Red Scare the last three years.
A number of other familiar names from Ohio State are on the roster: Willam Buford; Andre Wesson; Kaleb Wesson; Kyle Young; and CJ Jackson. The team also includes forward Javon Bess, who played two seasons at Michigan State and two at Saint Louis.
Carmen’s Crew beat the Red Scare 85-71 in the third round in 2019. The teams will play Friday if they win Wednesday.
• Team Overtime had twins Amen and Ausar Thompson, top-five picks in the 2023 NBA Draft, on its roster last year but lost in the first round. Making its second TBT appearance, its roster includes players from Old Dominion, Georgia, N.C. State, Gardner-Webb, etc.
8 p.m.: No. 1 Red Scare vs. No. 8 India Rising
• The Red Scare is 9-4 in four TBT appearances and reached the semifinals last year at UD Arena with four victories.
• India Rising debuted last year and lost 90-62 to Boeheim’s Army, the 2021 champion, in the first round. The TBT describes India Rising as “a unprecedented basketball team bringing together the world’s best Indian-origin players.”
India Rising’s roster includes center Sukhmail Mathon, 1,043-point scorer at Boston University (2017-22); and guard Varun Ram, who played at Maryland.
“We’ve scouted them a little bit,” Gruden said. “They have a few guys from last year we’ve been able to see. A lot of is just trying to find where they played professionally and if there’s anything on YouTube. They have some guys who’ve been out of it for a while, but they’re a prideful team. They’re all playing for India, essentially, and I know they’re going to have good fans here. I know it’s a big deal for them in their community and in their country.”
• All of the Red Scare’s players have extensive European experience.
Sibert played in Greece last season. Smith played in Poland after two seasons in Serbia. Davis has played in six countries, most recently Sweden. Mikesell has played in Germany and France and will next head to Israel.
Chatman started his pro career in Denmark and will play in Poland next season. Wright played in Poland and Israel and in the NBA G League. He appeared in 32 games over two seasons in the NBA.
Allen played with Mikesell in France last season with Le Portel. Pacher has played in Italy the last four seasons. Barham has played in France and the Czech Republic.
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