A group of Valparaiso University alumni has come together with plans to represent their alma mater in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) 2022, an annual summer event that is televised by the ESPN family of networks.

Jason Karys ‘17, M.S. ‘19 and Darryl Jackson ‘16 will serve as coaches for the team as part of a staff that also includes General Managers Kendall O’Banner ‘16, M.S. ‘18 and Lexus Williams ‘17. In addition, legendary Valpo player Alec Peters ‘17 is part of the staff as an adviser/donor.

The team will be comprised of 10 players, at least seven of which will be Valpo alumni. Jubril Adekoya (2013-2017), Keith Carter (2013-2016), E. Victor Nickerson (2014-2016) and Lavonte Dority (2012-2014) are among the former Valpo players who have committed to participate on the TBT team.

The 64-team, single-elimination tournament will begin with regionals at various host sites from middle to late July. The quarterfinals, semifinals and championship are slated to occur from July 29 to Aug. 2. The final will be televised on ESPN and the tournament offers a winner-take-all prize of $1,000,000.

Adekoya was the 2014-15 Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year and has gone on to play professionally for the Leicester Riders of the British Basketball League. Carter averaged double figures in scoring in his final season at Valpo and has professional experience both in Portugal and with the 2020 Oklahoma City Thunder Summer League team. Nickerson was a 2015 Horizon League All-Tournament Team selection and has gone on to play in the NBA G League and overseas. Dority was a 2014-15 first-team all-conference selection and the 2012-13 Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year. He plays professionally for the T71 Dudelange in Luxembourg.

Peters was an All-American and Horizon League Player of the Year during his time at Valpo, where he set career program records for both points and rebounds. He has gone on to a professional career that included time in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns in 2017-2018 and he currently plays for Saski Baskonia in Spain.

Karys is an assistant coach at Stonehill College, Jackson is an assistant at Garden City Community College, Williams is a special assistant to the head coach at Boise State and O’Banner is a marketing/sales associate for the Chicago White Sox.

For more information on the TBT event, visit https://thetournament.com/. For more information on the Valpo team, follow @The_cru_valpo on Twitter. To contact the team, email thecruvalpo@gmail.com.