Penny Hardaway may be getting his team ready to take the floor this fall, but this week alumni of the Memphis Tigers will compete for big money in a national tournament.
In just two days, the Beale Street Boys will play their first game in The Basketball Tournament, competing for $1 million. While the money is the goal, BSB players are excited for a chance to represent Memphis even years after some of them hung up their Tigers uniforms.
Willie Kemp’s motivation for putting together this year’s team for TBT was to show that Memphis hoops is alive and well.
"Penny, he’s doing great things over here at the University. We wanted to show the fans, show the country we have some alumni that are still playing at a high level," Kemp said.
Kemp played for the Tigers from 2006 to 2010. He was a part of the Memphis team that went to the 2008 national championship game that lost to Kansas in overtime. After a 10-year professional career, he’s now putting his basketball expertise to use as head coach at Whitehaven High and will act as head coach for this year’s TBT team.
TBT is a 64-team single elimination tournament, that features teams full of alumni of some of the best basketball programs in the country and the world.
Repping the M with generations of Tigers beside him sounded really good to Alex Lomax, who just finished a five-year career as a Tiger.
"Just growing up in Memphis and hearing these guys name a lot, seeing them a lot and now I’m around them and competing with them everyday and just hanging out," Lomax said. "It just goes to show Memphis goes a long way from generation to generation with great talent."
Memphis has always touted itself as the city’s team – but that pride extends well beyond basketball. Players say the 901 is with them everywhere, from the NBA G-League to Europe, Africa, and the Caribbean.
Chris Crawford played for Memphis from 2010 to 2014 and played high school ball at Sheffield High School. He now plays in Senegal for AS Douanes.
"You rep Memphis everywhere you go, not just with this TBT Tournament. It’s everywhere we step outside of Memphis. You're representing your city, your state, everybody around you. Your family, everybody," Crawford said.
It takes six wins to be champion of TBT. Just like the N-C-A-A Tournament that so many of them played in, they’ll be focused until they’re hoisting a trophy and the prize is theirs.
"We can win five and lose the sixth and we don’t get nothing. We gotta be locked in every game. Hopefully we’re gonna take it one game at a time and hopefully we can get six games and bring that $1 million dollars back to Memphis, TN," said Kemp.
The Beale Street Boys will play their first game on Thursday night in Wichita, Kansas. You can catch the games on ESPN+.
Here’s a look at the roster for The Beale Street Boys:
Adonis Thomas – Memphis (2011-2013)
Alex Lomax – Memphis (2018-2023)
Chris Crawford – Memphis (2010-2014)
Jeremiah Martin – Memphis (2015-2019)
Shawn Taggart – Memphis (2007-2009)
Will Coleman – Memphis (2009-2011)
Antonius Cleveland – Southeast Missouri State (2013-2017)
Eric Frederick – Texas Wesleyan (2011-2012)
Marcanvis Hymon – Ole Miss (2014-2018)
Ty Gordon – Nicholls State (2020-2022)
Willie Kemp – Coach – Memphis (2006-2010)
Stevie Matthews - Asst. Coach - Memphis (2008-2009)
Marshun Newell - General Manager - UT Martin (2013-2015)