Gruden and Bonsu, the former Dayton walk-ons who founded the first Dayton Flyers alumni team in The Basketball Tournament in 2019, are teaming up again this week as that team, the Red Scare, seeks the $1 million prize in the 64-team event.
“We’ve got our most complete roster,” Gruden said.
The Red Scare includes eight former Flyers and two former Ohio State Buckeyes, Trevor Thompson and CJ Walker, and the group practiced together for the first time Monday. Everyone but Devin Oliver, the 2014 UD grad who helped lead the Flyers to the Elite Eight as a senior, was present. He was scheduled to arrive in Dayton on Monday evening and will be with the team the rest of the week.
The Red Scare announced the addition of Walker, who played the last two seasons at Ohio State, on Sunday.
“We were always kind of actually still looking for a point guard,” Bonsu said, “and we got a guy who’s been a leader at Ohio State, a captain. I watched Ohio State a lot, so I was really excited when Joe called me. I said, ‘Let’s get him.’ We’re glad to have a whole team of guys who are healthy and ready to play.’”
The first practice included a short reunion for the 2019-20 Flyers, the team that won 29 games and rose to a No. 3 national ranking. Dayton associate head coach Ricardo Greer and director of basketball operations Brett Comer stopped by to say hello — and dish out hugs — to Trey Landers and Ryan Mikesell, two members of that historic team who are playing for the Red Scare for the second straight year.
Ricardo Greer and Brent Comer made a cameo at @FlyersTBT practice. I don't know if this is the first time Ricardo has seen Ryan Mikesell and Trey Landers in person since March 2020, but the hugs made it seem like it. pic.twitter.com/SRhzE5oHP2
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) July 19, 2021
Former Dayton guard Ibi Watson, who’s working out for NBA teams and seeking a chance at the next level this summer, also stopped by to watch the practice. He was accompanied by Sean Damaska, the video coordinator for the UD men’s basketball team.
This entire week is also a reunion of sorts for another famous Dayton team, the 2014-15 group that won two NCAA tournament games. The two coaches, Gruden and Bonsu, both played for that team as did Jordan Sibert, Darrell Davis, Kendall Pollard and Devon Scott.
Gruden said the Red Scare will practice in Dayton until heading to Columbus on Friday. Sibert will leave a day earlier because he’s representing the team in the TBT’s 33-point contest, a 3-point contest that will award $33,333 to the top shooter. Each of the four regions will send two shooters to the championship round, which will be held Aug. 1 at UD Arena.
The Columbus Regional of the TBT starts Friday. The Red Scare, which is seeded second in the region, plays its first game at 3 p.m. Saturday at Ohio State’s Covelli Center. The opponent is No. 15 seed BC Vahakni City. The game will be televised on ESPN3.
» EARLIER COVERAGE: What to know about Red Scare’s preparation
If the Red Scare wins Saturday, it will play at 2 p.m. Sunday against No. 7 seed Wolf Blood (N.C. State alums) or No. 10 seed Category 5 (Miami Hurricanes alums). That game will be televised on ESPN.
If the Red Scare wins its first two games, it will play again at 7 p.m. Tuesday. That game will be on ESPN. The possible third-round opponents are: No. 3 seed Zip ‘Em Up (Xavier alums); No. 4 Ohio 1804 (Ohio Bobcats alums); No. 6 Blue Collar U (Buffalo Bulls alums); and No. 11 The Nerd Team (Ivy League alums).
The Red Scare will have to win three games to advance to the final three rounds, which will be held at UD Arena from July 31-Aug. 3.
The Red Scare won two games before losing to Carmen’s Crew in the third round in 2019 at Capital University in Bexley. In the 2020 tournament, which was played at Nationwide Arena in Columbus in a quarantined environment without fans, the Red Scare won two games to reach the semifinals in a 16-team field before losing to a team of Marquette alums.
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