Rutgers Basketball Alumni Enter As Team uKnighted In The Basketball Tournament

It’s only been about a month since the Rutgers men’s basketball season ended and I have already been counting the days until next year’s opening game. Spoiler alert, it is roughly 245 days away, give or take a few. However, a fun and exciting development has occurred in the past few days. It was announced that a Rutgers alumni team has formed as an entrant in this summer’s The Basketball Tournament, which has gained significant notoriety over the previous two years that it took place.

The Basketball Tournament emerged as a must watch for all hoops fans during the summer. Teams were formed from all over the country, with alumni of several colleges coming together and competing for the $1 million dollar prize in the past. A fun development has been college basketball programs forming alumni teams. Boeheim's Army, made up of Syracuse alumni including Laurence Moten and Eric Devendorf, has gained a huge following the previous two years. Games were broadcast on ESPN and they were fun to watch. This year, the winning pot is $2 million dollars and there are incentives for fans as well. Now it is up to Rutgers fans to make sure we have our own alumni team to cheer on!

Last year, a Rutgers based team attempted to enter, but they never got off the ground, as they didn’t garner enough votes to qualify for the 64 team tournament. Men’s basketball team managers Alex Neumann and Matt Johnston are the masterminds of Team uKnighted and are off to a fast start in their second effort with building a squad. This year the roster is already shaping up to be an All-Star team of former Rutgers players. Here is who is already confirmed for Team UKnighted:

Myles Mack & Kadeem Jack

Yes & yes! They are two favorite sons that handled themselves with class and dignity during arguably the most tumultuous period in Rutgers basketball history.

Mack is one of the greatest to ever put on a Rutgers uniform, period. He ranks second all-time in steals, fourth in assists, and seventh in scoring. However, his legacy is much more important than that and I wrote about how he should be remembered here.

Jack was a tremendous pairing with Mack during their careers and scored over 1,000 points in his time on the banks, as well as finishing eleventh all-time in blocked shots for the program. He has toiled in the NBA’s Development League since turning pro and we spoke with him about his journey here.

Seeing these two playing together again will be a sight for sore eyes, for sure! That’s if they get enough votes. Let’s continue breaking down the current roster.

Dane Miller

Miller was one of the most talented and interesting players in program history. While he was an 1,000 point scorer in his career, Miller made the little things his craft. He finished seventh all-time in blocks, eighth in rebounds, ninth in assists, and eleventh in steals. It would be a pleasure to see Mr. Versatility share the court with Mack & Jack once again.

CJ Gettys

Combining three of the best players in recent program history with one of the most popular is in a word, brilliant. CJ Gettys made his one season on the banks a memorable one and the thought of him playing alongside Mack, Jack, and Miller would be pure delight. The big fella left his heart at the RAC and will be hard to replace next season. It would be nice to root for him again this summer.

What We The Fans Need To Do

The top 9 teams in each region are guaranteed entry. To learn more about the details of the Basketball Tournament, click here. Team uKnighted is based in the Northeast region and so far alumni teams from Iona and Pitt have the most votes. The process began on April 1st and runs through June 1st. To vote for Team uKnighted, click here.

As if watching a Rutgers All-Star team wasn’t enough incentive to vote, the top 100 voters of each team will share 10% of the $2 million dollar prize. To read more, see below from the TBT Frequently Asked Questions Page here:

How do I get involved?

Register as a Fan here. Find a team you wish to vote for and vote for that team. You may vote for one team before June 1 and three additional teams after (four teams total). Voting starts on April 1 and ends prior to games.

I'm thinking of voting for a team. I get why it helps Players and GMs, but what's in it for me?

The top 100 voters of the winning team share 10% of the $2 million dollar prize, or $200,000, per the Contest Rules. The top fan wins $20,000.

How do I become one of the top 100 voters of a team?

By accumulating points:

• Each time you vote, you get a point
• Each time you recruit a voter through the links provided on your Account Page, you get a point

If you enter the Official TBT Bracket Contest, you get 20 points

What’s Next

Alex and Matt are still working to fill out the roster for Team uKnighted. They will post updates from their team twitter account here. The team page on the TBT site is here. I will post another update on Team uKnighted as the voting and roster announcements continue. For now, I wanted to get the word out and spread the news of their endeavor. If you ever wondered what it would be like to watch Myles Mack set up CJ Gettys for a dunk, voting for Team uKnighted is your chance! Let’s do this Rutgers fans!

To vote for Team uKnighted, click here.