UNM Alumni Team Accepted into TBT's 64-Team Field
BOSTON, Mass. — The Basketball Tournament – the $1 million, winner-take-all summer basketball event broadcast live on ESPN networks – revealed Monday that The Enchantment, the New Mexico alumni team, has been admitted into TBT’s 64-team field. The Enchantment will be competing in the Wichita Regional at Koch Arena from July 16-20.
The Enchantment, which will host an exhibition alumni game on July 11 at 6 p.m. in The Pit (Tickets), is organized by former New Mexico assistant Brandon Mason and coached by former Lobo star and NBA veteran Kenny Thomas (UNM: 1995-99). In addition, former Lobo men’s basketball director of operations and current associate AD at UNM, Ryan Berryman, will serve as the team’s assistant general manager.
The current roster is comprised primarily of UNM alumni including:
- Jamaal Smith (2006-08)
- J.R. Giddens (2006-08)
- Phillip McDonald (2008-12)
- Darington Hobson (2009-10)
- Drew Gordon (2010-12)
- Kendall Williams (2010-14)
- Cleveland “Pancake” Thomas (2012-14)
- Tim Williams (2015-17)
- Anthony Mathis (2015-19)
- Antino Jackson (2017-18)
“Being a head coach for ‘The Enchantment’ New Mexico alumni team is an honor,” former Lobo, NBA great and The Enchantment head coach Kenny Thomas said. “I am looking forward to building something with this group of guys.”
The Enchantment enters the tournament the #8 seed and will take on the #9-seed Stillwater Stars in the teams’ first-round game on Saturday, July 17 at 7 p.m. CT (6 p.m. MT). Fans will be able to watch (broadcast info TBA) or can purchase tickets to attend in Wichita (thetournament.com/tickets).
If The Enchantment advances to the second round, the team will face the winner of Eberlein Drive and NG Saints on Sunday, July 18 at 8 p.m. CT (7 p.m. MT). The third and final game of the Wichita regional will take place on Tuesday, July 20. TV broadcast information will be announced soon.
“It is exciting to have a team representing New Mexico in this year’s TBT,” current Lobo head coach Richard Pitino said. “I’m looking forward to watching so many of our storied Lobo alumni in pursuit of the TBT title. Go Lobos!”
Two teams will advance from each of TBT’s four regionals to compete in Championship Weekend in Dayton, Ohio at UD Arena. Quarterfinal games will be played on July 31, and semifinals on August 1. The TBT Championship game will be August 3, where one player will hit a shot during the Elam Ending to win his team $1 million.
For the fourth year in a row, TBT games will feature the Elam Ending, the end-of-game format adopted by the NBA All-Star game for the past two years that eliminates the game clock after a certain point and features teams playing to a Target Score. First team to the Target Score, wins.
Tickets for TBT summer events can be found at thetournament.com/tickets. Tickets will be sold at limited capacity in accordance with all local health and safety regulations. For venue-specific safety protocols, please visit thetournament.com/regions.
Prior to departing for TBT, the New Mexico Alumni will practice and train at The Pit and other Lobo Basketball facilities. On July 11, 2021 at 6:00 p.m., the alumni team will participate in an exhibition game in University Arena – The Pit against other notable Lobo alumni. Tickets for this exhibition game are on sale now at GoLobos.com/TBT. Tickets are general admission starting at $10.00 plus applicable fees.