For the first time since 2016, The Basketball Tournament will take place without Carmen's Crew.
Head coach and general manager Jared Sullinger announced Tuesday that the Ohio State basketball alumni team, which won the tournament back in 2019, will not participate in this summer's event.
@CarmensCrew @thetournament pic.twitter.com/5J0fKZpAGC
— Jared Sullinger Sr. (@Jared_Sully0) June 7, 2022
“Carmen’s Crew fans, we’re disappointed to share that we will be unable to compete in TBT this summer,” Sullinger wrote on Twitter. “Since 2017, we’ve greatly enjoyed the opportunity to get back together and represent The Ohio State University, and we look forward to doing it again in 2023. We hope that all of our fans will continue to support TBT at their events in Cincinnati, Dayton, and around the country this summer.”
Carmen's Crew took home the $2 million prize for winning it all in Chicago three summers ago, but had less success in each of the past two tournaments. A No. 1 seed in 2020, Carmen's Crew was bounced in its very first game, and the group of former Buckeyes bowed out in their second tournament matchup a year ago – a contest that took place at the Covelli Center on Ohio State campus.
Following the game, both Aaron Craft and Jon Diebler announced their retirement from the tournament and their careers as professional basketball players in general. Without either former Buckeye guard, Carmen's Crew may have been a bit shorthanded in the backcourt in 2022, unless Sullinger and company added some names to the roster.
The group participated in the event every year since 2017, when it debuted under the name Scarlet & Gray. Carmen's Crew holds a record of 15-4 in TBT competition, and was a No. 1 seed in four of its five tournament appearances.
