BY JOE CLARK, SPORTS EDITOR

The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an open-application single-elimination tournament held every summer. Teams usually consist of college alumni from specific schools.

Xavier has never had an official team in TBT, but former players, including Remy Abell this past summer, have participated in TBT. This summer, a Xavier alumni team said they would apply for TBT 2021.

Thanks to Xavier’s basketball prowess, there will be no shortage of former players to choose from, Xavier’s alumni team could be one of the favorites to win the tournament. .

Guard: Dee Davis

Davis would be the perfect pure point guard for this roster. He’s a great facilitator, and his scoring abilities would fit in well with the rest of the roster.

He’d be a tough guy to cover, and he could rack up assists with the scorers around him.

Guard: Jordan Crawford 

Crawford’s NBA days are over, and he’s currently playing overseas. Him and Davis would be a dangerous pairing in the backcourt. Crawford can still score from all three levels, and he would definitely be a serious contender to make the all-tournament team.

Guard: J.P. Macura

Macura is currently playing in Turkey, and would be the perfect fit for Xavier’s TBT team. Not only is he a fan favorite, but he’s still a great player on both ends of the floor.

As Mick Cronin knows all too well, Macura is also a master at getting under the skin of other players and coaches, and he could definitely use that skill to his advantage in a tournament like TBT.

Guard: Remy Abell

Abell was one of the best players in the tournament last year while playing for Sideline Cancer. He’s a good shooter, and he would pair well with the other guards on the roster.

The Scoring Punch From the guard group is fantastic, and all of them are capable of being the primary ball handler if needed. Abell was also clutch for Sideline Cancer, hitting some big shots in key moments for them.

Wing: Trevon Bluiett

Blueitt is still playing in the NBA G-League, and it’s unknown whether or not he’d want to risk injury by playing inTBT. However, if he did, he would immediately become one of the better players in the tournament and could give this team a second go-to scorer, along with Crawford.

Blueitt would be tough to cover from perimeter, and will immediately be one of the best players in the tournament. If Bluiett played for the Xavier alumni team, they could be really tough to defeat in the tournament.

Wing: Kaiser Gates

Similar to Blueitt, Gates is also in the G-League. However, if he played for Xavier’s TBT team, he could provide defense as a solid on-ball defender. He’s also athletic

enoughtomakesomeplaysat thehoop.He’salsoaquality shooter who could help the team out by spacing the floor.

Big: Jalen Reynolds

Reynolds is a tough, physical, big man who would provide Xavier a solid interior presence who can rebound and score well in the paint. He’d be a very nice addition to this team.

Big: Matt Stainbrook

Stainbrook is a fan-favorite who’s a very talented presence on both sides of the ball.

Stainbrook would add some real size to the team, and his physicality alongside Reynolds would improve Xavier’s interior defense on this team.

Obviously, it’s not known yet who is actually going to play for Xavier in the 2021 TBT or what form it could take with COVID-19 (last year, they played in a bubble). No matter who plays though, it’s a guarantee that Xavier will have a very competitive team that could make a run to the TBT championship.