Maryland basketball alumni will compete in “The Basketball Tournament”, a single-elimination contest where the winning team walks away with $1 million. Andrew Terrell, a main proponent behind “Shell Shock TBT”, is looking to build a powerhouse for years to come.
Terrell, a former four year player at Maryland, had the initial idea for the team and joined forces with all-time Maryland greats Melo Trimble and Jake Layman to make it a reality. From there the recruiting began and the ball started to roll. Terrell along with head coach Nima Omidvar, a current assistant coach at Coastal Carolina, began to gauge players’ interest.
Omidvar had heavy involvement with on-campus recruiting at Maryland from 2014-2018. Terrell said it’s important to get someone the players enjoy being around and know well as a coach for this event.
Terrell explained aside from Anthony Cowan, nearly everyone he reached out to about playing had interest. “I respect Anthony for wanting his summer to do what he wants. I didn’t want to have to convince anyone to play, if they wanted to do it, they wanted to do it,” Terrell said.
The process of choosing who to ask to be on Shell Shock TBT was a simple one for Terrell. “I basically said to Melo, “who do you want”,” Terrell said.
A handful of players were former teammates of Trimble’s and others like C.J. Williams, who played at N.C. State, had a connection to the former Maryland point guard.
Terps fans can expect to see some of their favorite players like Trimble, Layman, Robert Carter, Damonte Dodd, Darryl Morsell, Richaud Pack and Reese Mona rep the black, white and gold this summer.
There are 12 spots on the roster and with a few still left to fill, the team will be finalized on June 30.
Shell Shock TBT is raising money through a GoFundMe page to cover expenses for the tournament, such as housing and travel. In a joking, but serious tone Terrell said, “We need your money.”
Supporters can find the GoFundMe page and donate to the team on the Shell Shock TBT Twitter account. Other ways to support the team’s financial efforts include merchandise and a uniform patch.
In the team’s inaugural year it’s a tough expectation to go out and win the entire tournament. Yet, Terrell sees an opportunity for the former Maryland players to go out and surprise the basketball world. “I wouldn’t be doing all of this if I didn’t believe we could win. We have one of the best players in Melo and enough talent,” Terrell said.
Terrell believes if done right, this team can be around in the years to come. “This hopefully isn’t a one-and-done thing. We’re laying the groundwork in this first year…[We could be playing] five years down the road until these guys retire from professional ball,” Terrell said.
Shell Shock TBT takes the court for the first time on July 26 against “Gataverse,” a University of Florida alumni team, in Louisville. All games will be broadcast by the ESPN family of networks.
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