The man partially responsible for the resurrection of Carmen's Crew hit the shot that won them the 2024 TBT Championship on Sunday.
With a turnaround jumper that hit nothing but net off the hand of Jared Sullinger, Ohio State's alumni squad defeated Houston alumni team Forever Coogs, 69-65, in the championship game of The Basketball Tournament.
CARENS CREW ARE ONCE AGAIN YOUR @thetournament CHAMPS pic.twitter.com/SDj9BDtHqz
— Ohio State Hoops (@OhioStateHoops) August 4, 2024
Four different players hit double-figures scoring for Carmen's Crew in Sullinger, Desonta Bradford, Kaleb Wesson and Andre Wesson. Sullinger, who was named the MVP of this year’s TBT, led the way with 18 points while Kaleb Wesson scored 15, Andre Wesson scored 13 and Bradford, an East Tennessee State alumnus, scored 11.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | FINAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #3 CARMEN'S CREW | 18 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 69 |
| #2 FOREVER COOGS | 21 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 65 |
Carmen's Crew split its $1 million prize evenly among its players and staff, with each member of the team receiving $62,500.
KALEB WESSON WENT WILD WHEN THE @Zelle DEPOSIT HIT HIS BANK ACCOUNT! @CarmensCrew @OhioStateHoops pic.twitter.com/i9gsbDxvWl
— TBT (@thetournament) August 4, 2024
It's the second TBT Championship for the Ohio State alumni squad, which won with an entirely different roster in 2019. Carmen’s Crew becomes the second TBT team to win multiple titles, joining Overseas Elite, which won four straight championships from 2015-18.
The first half stayed within a close margin most of the way, with Forever Coogs building a small advantage at 21-18 by the end of the first quarter and Carmen's Crew responding with a 7-0 run early in the second period to take a 30-28 lead.
That margin got as large as five points before the Ohio State alumni squad carried a 36-34 lead into halftime.
The third quarter is when some former Buckeyes got some real separation for the team. Andre Wesson scored five consecutive points with a 3-pointer and a mid-range jumper, then his brother Kaleb Wesson muscled in a layup off a pick-and-roll and converted a free throw after to make it 48-38 Carmen's Crew.
Forever Coogs answered with a 7-0 run capped by a left-wing triple from Shawndre Jones, but Bradford found space for a deep 3 off a jab step and a few dribbles to stop the bleeding. A couple of exchanges later, Carmen's Crew entered the final fourth quarter of the tournament with a 55-49 edge.
A layup from Tevin Glass and two free throws from Sullinger made the lead 10 points again to open the fourth quarter, but the Houston alums chipped away to make it a 60-56 score as the Elam Ending hit and a target score of 68 was set.
Three combined free throws from Kaleb Wesson and Sullinger put Carmen's Crew five points away from victory. Devin Davis and Rob Gray worked to cut Forever Coogs' deficit down to a score, however, before Wesson answered with another free throw – the more important result from which was the fouling out of star Coogs forward Fabian White.
Andre Wesson took his turn in the waning moments of the shot clock to put Carmen's Crew on the doorstep of a title. A pump fake drew contact and while falling to his face, Wesson banked home a layup and made the ensuing free throw to put Carmen's Crew one point away at 67-60.
Forever Coogs refused to go quietly, scoring the next five points, but Sullinger hit his game-winner immediately afterward to seal the victory.
