Oregon Men’s Basketball Alumni Unite on “Team Always Us”
“Always Us.” It's a mantra that Dana Altman’s teams have used for several years to bring a sense of unity and teamwork.
This summer, that mantra will mean something a little different.
Ten former Oregon men’s basketball players have formed an alumni team — called Team Always Us — that will compete in The Basketball Tournament for a shot at the $1 million prize. The tournament will begin on July 16 and will air on ESPN.
The roster includes:
- Casey Benson (2014-17)
- Johnathan Loyd (2010-14)
- Joe Young (2013-15)
- Jalil Abdul-Bassit (2013-15)
- Dwayne Benjamin (2014-16)
- MiKyle McIntosh (2017-18)
- LJ Figueroa (2020-21)
- Paul White (2016-19)
- Shakur Juiston (2019-20)
- Elijah Brown (2017-18)
Team Always Us will be coached by current Oregon men’s basketball Director of Operations Josh Jamieson. The general manager will be former program manager Robbie Ellis, and current manager Brian O’Reilly will serve as the assistant general manager.
The eighth annual tournament will consist of 64 teams playing across four regional sites — Wichita, Kansas; Charleston, West Virginia; Peoria, Illinois; and Columbus, Ohio — in a single-elimination format. The championship game takes place in Dayton, Ohio, on Aug. 3.
This year’s tournament is back to its normal 64-team format after a 24-team tournament and was used and all of the games were played in Columbus last summer due to the pandemic. The reigning champion is the Golden Eagles — consisting of mostly Marquette alumni — led by 2020 Most Valuable Player Darius Johnson-Odom.
Former Oregon guards Anthony Mathis and Devoe Joseph will also compete in the tournament, but Mathis will play with The Enchantment — a team made up of New Mexico alumni — and Joseph will play with Tubby Time — a team consisting mostly of Minnesota alumni.
Team Always Us is already considered to be one of the best rosters in The Basketball Tournament field, as Inside TBT, the official podcast of the tournament, ranked the team No. 6 on its power rankings list.
The Basketball Tournament will give Oregon fans another chance to watch some former Oregon greats donning the green and yellow once again.
More from Ducks Digest
Oregon DL target Sir Mells previews Oregon visit
2022 wing Jennah Isai commits to Oregon Ducks women's basketball
Dana Altman continues building Hall of Fame Resume
Stay connected with Ducks Digest on Social Media
Follow Dylan on Twitter: @drksportsnews
Like and follow Ducks Digest on Facebook: @DucksDigest
Follow Ducks Digest on Twitter: @Ducksdigest
Subscribe to Ducks Digest on YouTube: @DucksDigest
Find more Oregon Ducks content at Ducksdigest.com
