Photo via Twiter / @TheTournament
While many sports are currently still sidelined, or in the process of coming back to limited play, a group of former Marquette basketball players took home a championship on Tuesday night. The Golden Eagles Alumni team won The Basketball Tournament, an independent, $1 million winner-take-all tournament held annually, where anyone can assemble a team and apply to enter.
Additionally, rather than playing a full fourth quarter, the game ends with the “Elam Ending," where a team must reach a target score, so that the game will end on a made basket. Diener hit a three-pointer to seal the $1 million for the Golden Eagles, defeating a Sideline Cancer team that featured Milwaukee-born player Diamond Stone.
The Golden Eagles Alumni team consisted mainly of former players, including former standouts Travis Diener, Darius Johnson-Odom, Dwight Buycks and more. The only non-Marquette alumni were forwards Mo Charlo, Jarvis Williams and Elgin Cook. This was the team’s fifth year in the tournament, and second appearance in the finals in a row, losing last year to Carmen’s Crew, a team of Ohio State alums.
While the Golden Eagles Alumni team is not directly affiliated with the university, they were embraced by fellow former students. Fans could register as official supporters of the Golden Eagles Alumni before the tournament, and take home a share of the team’s winnings. 567 supporters registered, and each will receive $88 as a payment for their fandom. Registration for the 2021 edition of The Basketball Tournament will begin next March, when the Golden Eagles Alumni will likely return to defend their title.
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