Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: The North Carolina Tar Heels TBT team

By Horran Cameron

Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Theo Pinson (1)c celebrates with fans after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 3, 2017; Phoenix, AZ, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Theo Pinson (1)c celebrates with fans after beating the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the championship game of the 2017 NCAA Men's Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

In late July, ESPN will air the 2017 The Basketball Tournament (TBT) with the winning team taking home $2 million

This tournament is a five-on-five single-elimination tournament and the process for the TBT is quite lengthy. The tournament starts with 64 teams from four regions of the United States.

This year, the four regions are Charlotte, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Las Vegas, Nevada and Bradley University (Peoria, Illinois).

ESPN and ESPN2 will air the games when it gets cut down to 16 teams. Hmmmmm, sounds like another tournament that takes place every March and April.

More from UNC Basketball

Some colleges like Ohio State, Syracuse, Virginia Commonwealth (VCU), Pittsburgh, Villanova, Texas Tech and several other schools have some of their former players participating in this tournament.

Usually, individuals who take part in the TBT tournament are not current NBA or D-League players.

TBT participants are typically former college basketball players and overseas ballers. There have been former NBA players who took part in the TBT, though. In the 2016 TBT, former NBA ballers Mike Bibby and Jason “White Chocolate” Williams played on a team together.

The North Carolina Tar Heels don’t have a team full of alumni but what if they did? It would certainly be beneficial and would be cool to see some former Tar Heels play.

But who would play? Well, we came up with a roster of our own. Introducing our dream UNC team for TBT:

  • Kendall Marshall
  • David Noel
  • Reyshawn Terry
  • Marcus Ginyard
  • Deon Thompson
  • Dexter Stickland
  • Leslie McDonald
  • J.P. Tokoto

A good uptempo “small ball” starting lineup would be Marshall (point guard), McDonald (shooting guard), Tokoto (small forward), Noel (power forward) and Terry (power forward).

Strickland is a good combo guard who can spell Marshall and the two wing players. Thompson would be the closest thing to a legitimate post player on this team.

Marshall would be the perfect floor general for this team.

The athleticism of Tokoto, Terry, Noel, and Strickland could cause some matchup problems for opponents.

McDonald and Terry would be the main outside shooters, in particular, McDonald.

Other notable players who would be good fits for this team include Ed Cota, Will Graves, and Joseph Forte.

Cota is one of UNC’s best point guards ever. He knows how to set up teammates for highlights.

Graves has the frame of a linebacker, but one of the most underrated shooting touches of any UNC recruit. Although his college career was brief, Graves showed flashes of stardom with a few lights-out performances from three-point land.

Forte’s midrange shot has never been duplicated at North Carolina since he went pro in 2001. He can handle the ball, play on the perimeter or merely use his athleticism.

Some of these guys may be in their 30s, but remember what former UNC basketball player Rasheed Wallace loves to say, “Ball Don’t Lie.”

Unfortunately, the North Carolina Tar Heels do not have a team comprised of former UNC players in this year’s TBT.

However, if they did, this team would have a good chance of pocketing $2 million bucks. There is still time to set this team up!

Home/UNC Basketball