TBT Website | TBT Tickets • Columbus | TBT Tickets • Charleston, W. Va. | 2021 TBT Bracket
BOSTON - Two former NM State men's basketball stars are hoping to parlay their professional roundball talents into a million-dollar payday this summer.
Former Aggie greats Troy Gillenwater and Jemerrio Jones saw their respective teams get selected to participate in the 2021 edition of The Basketball Tournament Monday morning. The 64-team single-elimination tournament is in its eighth year of existence and will see its winning squad take home a $1 million prize.
Jones is one of 10 players on an Armored Athlete squad which has drawn the fourth overall seed in the West Virginia region. That crew will begin its quest for one million dollars at noon MT on Sunday, July 18 at the Charleston Coliseum & Convention Center in Charleston, W.Va., when it tangles with 13th-seeded HBCUnited.
Up in the Columbus region of the bracket, Gillenwater is one of 11 players on Team Hines - the fourth overall seed in the region. Team Hines starts its run for one million dollars at 2:00 p.m. MT on Friday, July 23 when it takes on 13th-seeded Brown & White (a team comprised primarily of alums from St. Bonaventure) at the Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.
Two teams will advance from each of TBT's four regionals to compete in Championship Weekend in Dayton, Ohio at UD Arena. Quarterfinal games will be played on July 31, and semifinals on August 1. The TBT Championship game will be August 3, where one player will hit a shot during the Elam Ending to win his team $1 million.
For the fourth year in a row, TBT games will feature the Elam Ending, the end-of-game format adopted by the NBA All-Star game for the past two years that eliminates the game clock after a certain point and features teams playing to a Target Score. First team to the Target Score, wins.
All of the 2021 TBT games will be broadcast on the ESPN family of networks with specific information set to be released in the coming weeks.
One of the most electrifying players to sport an NM State uniform, Jones concluded his two-year tenure (2016-18) in Las Cruces ranked third all-time in rebounds per game (10.8) and tied for eighth in total rebounds (737). He is also second in the single-season record books in rebound (450) and tied for third in rebounds per game (13.2). Jones notably became the first player in the 21st century to record 20-plus rebounds in three consecutive games according to ESPN Stats & Info and Stats LLC (since 1997).
The 2018 WAC Player of the Year latched on to his fair share of individual hardware following the conclusion of his senior year in 2017-18. Included in his impressive haul of accolades that season were AP All-American Honorable Mention, All-WAC First Team, WAC All-Defensive Team, WAC Tournament MVP, NABC All-District Six First Team and USBWA All-District VIII First Team honors. A two-time NCAA Tournament participant, Jones led NM State to WAC Tournament crowns in 2017 and 2018 and collected a WAC regular season championship in the 2017-18 campaign.
As a pro, Jones began his career with the NBA G League's South Bay Lakers in 2018-19. On March 31, 2019, Jones was called up to the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers and played in six contests. Jones remained in the NBA G League from there, signing on with the Wisconsin Herd in 2019-20. Jones averaged 10.8 points, 12.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.3 steals per game for the Milwaukee Bucks' affiliate squad and earned All-NBA G League Third Team honors in the process. For the 2020-21 NBA G League season, Jones got a spot on the Delaware Blue Coats' roster and helped the team advance to the NBA G League championship game.
A three-year letterwinner for the Aggies from 2008-11, Gillenwater closed the books on his collegiate career with 1,065 points (28th-most in program history). The Boston, Mass., product found himself on the receiving end of All-WAC First Team and NABC All-District Six First Team honors in the 2010-11 season.
Gillenwater assisted the Aggies in claiming the 2010 WAC Tournament title and took part in the 2010 NCAA Tournament that same season. To this day, he ranks among the program's top ten players in terms of total blocked shots (82, 10th). Since his departure from NM State, Gillenwater has enjoyed a lengthy professional career in locales such as Israel, Turkey, Russia, Puerto Rico and Japan. Most recently, Gillenwater suited up for the Shandong Heros in China. In 22 games with the Heroes in 2020-21, Gillenwater averaged 19.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
For complete coverage of NM State athletics throughout the summer and as the Aggies prepare for the 2021-22 season, visit NMStateSports.com - the official home of Aggie athletics - and follow the Aggies on Facebook (NM State Aggies), Twitter (@NMStateAggies) and Instagram (@NMStateAggies).
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