JHX Hoops kept finding answers when the game tightened, and that’s the reason Sherron Collins believes this run can keep going in TBT.
The Kansas alumni squad is one of four teams still standing on the Alumni Champion side of the bracket, and getting here took a fight. Their three-game stretch against Purple Reign, the Kansas State alumni team, had moments where it looked like the whole thing might slip away. JHX opened with an 80-61 loss that exposed how little chemistry the group had early on, even with plenty of talent on the floor.
But the response came fast. Two days later, JHX erased a deficit that grew to 14 points and leaned on Frank Mason III, who scored 10 points in the ELAM period to help force the series to a deciding game. Mason finished that one with 23 points, and four JHX players reached double figures as the team evened things up at one game apiece.
Friday night brought the finale, and it was every bit as tense. JHX fell behind 16-9 after the first quarter, then kept grinding until they reached ELAM needing 11 more points to advance. After a hard-fought 5:16 stretch, Mason finished it with a layup that sealed a 62-55 win.
Afterward, Collins pointed straight to the way his group handled the moment.
“It was so unselfish”
“These dudes played together; they didn't care who was scoring, it was so unselfish,” opened the former two-time All-American.
Everyone who played for JHX on Friday scored except Mario Chalmers. Zeke Mayo led the way with 25 points, and Jacob Hanna added 10 more.
“It was so great to be a part of and watch. That's why Carlton [Bragg Jr.] got that three.”
Collins was talking about a Mason drive that drew the defense and left Bragg open in the left corner. Mason found him, Bragg buried the shot, and Kansas moved ahead 57-53 in ELAM.
“Frank earned the right to shoot shots if he wanted to, but he played the right way. That's why all of our guys play the right way; they follow that lead,” finished Collins.
Mason has been a steady piece throughout the tournament, averaging 14 points in nearly 35 minutes per game. Friday wasn’t his cleanest scoring night - he finished with 9 points on 3-for-12 shooting - but he still chipped in 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Now the path gets shorter and harder at the same time. JHX is two wins away from reaching the TBT final against the winner of the Non-alumni bracket.
On their side of the board, the remaining teams are La Familia, Boeheim’s Army and the Aftershocks. La Familia and Boeheim’s Army meet in one quarterfinal, while JHX draws the Aftershocks on Monday night at Charles Koch Arena.
The Aftershocks are the defending champions after beating Eberlein Drive 82-67 in last season’s title game, and they bring back seven players from that team: Conner Frankamp, Rashard Kelly, Marcus Keene, Markis McDuffie, Marcu Santos Silva, Trey Wade and James Woodard.
Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. CT on the 27th.
In Other News...
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Phil Steele pointed to the imbalance as one of the biggest reasons this season could get uncomfortable fast for Kansas. The bye week comes in Week 4, but after that the Jayhawks will be on the move for nine straight games, a stretch that leaves little room for recovery and even less margin for error as Leipold faces one of his toughest tests yet. [Read more 🡒]
JHX Hoops Survived Another Ugly Start To Eliminate K-State
Another rough opening did not sink JHX Hoops on Sunday, and for a Kansas alumni team that has made a habit of surviving tense TBT moments, that mattered more than style points. The Jayhawk group shook off an early hole and outlasted Kansas States Purple Reign 62-55 in a best-of-three series, pushing on to the second round of The Basketball Tournament with a win that felt equal parts relief and relief.
Now the path gets a little murkier, with JHX Hoops set to draw either Wichita State or New Mexico alumni next, and the site of that game still tied to how that matchup plays out. For a team built around former Kansas standouts, the bigger question is whether this run can keep surviving the same kind of uneven starts that have made every round feel a little too close for comfort. [Read more 🡒]
Kansas Analyst Sees One Encouraging Sign In Rebuilt Offensive Line
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The encouraging sign, at least for Kansas, is that the line is now in the hands of Darryl Agpalsa, whose work has long been tied to keeping quarterbacks upright. That matters for a team trying to stabilize up front after a major turnover, because protecting the passer will be one of the clearest tests of whether this overhaul can hold up once the season gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]