Well that was fast.
Keifer Sykes, an honorable mention All-American and two-time Horizon League Player of the Year at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, delivered the knockout blow in Tuesday night’s The Basketball Tournament title game in Dayton, stunning Team 23 (led by G League alum Eric Griffin) on a walk-off three-pointer. Sykes’ dagger over Eric Washington gave Boeheim’s Army (their roster, as the name would suggest, is comprised almost exclusively of past Syracuse players) its first title in seven TBT appearances and a $1-million grand prize to be split between Sykes, Eric Devendorf, CJ Fair, DeAndre Kane, DJ Kennedy, Tyler Lydon, Malachi Richardson, Andrew White III, former Brooklyn Nets first-round pick Chris McCullough and tournament MVP Tyrese Rice.
Sykes’ celebration was reminiscent of a similar scene involving teammate Eric Devendorf, who famously stood atop the scorers’ table at Madison Square Garden after draining what he believed to be the game-winning shot. Officials ruled his three had come after the buzzer as Syracuse would ultimately need six overtimes to survive UConn in the 2009 Big East Tournament.
Mere minutes after his clinching bucket lifted Boeheim Army’s to championship glory, the Pacers rewarded Sykes with the opportunity of a lifetime, signing him to an NBA contract. Since going undrafted in 2015, the 5’11” point guard has mainly played overseas, enduring stints with professional teams in Korea, Turkey, Italy, China, Greece and most recently, Australia. The 27-year-old also spent a season in the G League, appearing in 50 games including 37 starts for the Austin Spurs in 2015-16.
The Basketball Tournament first debuted with a 32-team field (since expanded to 64) in 2014. It’s been a summer staple ever since with games broadcast on ESPN. Notable past participants include Mike Bibby, Brian Scalabrine, Jason Williams, Matt Bonner and former first overall pick Greg Oden of Ohio State and Portland Trail Blazers fame.
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