The Basketball Tournament 2023: JucoProducts Team Profile

In an area of underrepresentation, JucoProducts want to show that they can compete with anyone in TBT.

JucoProducts will face off against a more veteran team in Team HeartFire in their first time playing in the TBT. These two new teams will play in Wichita. JucoProducts is given away by the name but comprises the best talent JUCO has to offer. With the chip on their shoulders, these players plan to compete against D1 and NBA talent to show they belong. JucoProducts has seen the TBT as their power is focused on their guard play. Let’s see how that works out for them.

For more TBT team profiles, click here.

Current Roster:

• Anthony Roberts (Kent State, St. Bonaventure, & Stony Brook)
• Antonio Williams (Kent State)
• B.J. Gladden Jr. (Georgia Southern Akron & Eastern Florida JUCO)
• Bijan Johnson (New Mexico Military Academy)
• Dru Kuxhausen (McNeese State & Northern Colorado)
• Freddie McSwain Jr (Neosho CC & Indiana)
• Gideon George (New Mexico Junior College & BYU)
• Jordan Jackson (Texas Tech & UTRGV)
• Noah Horchler (Providence)
• Osayi Osifo (Eastern Florida State College, Florida, & Jacksonville)
• Shamarkus Kennedy (McNeese State)
• Yuat Alok (New Mexico State, TCU)

Coaching Staff:

• Brandon Goble (GM)
• Jacob Lorbach (GM, Asst. Coach)
• Jeremy Shulman (Head Coach)
• Adrian Maloney Jr. (Asst. Coach)
• Douglas Byrd (Asst. Coach)
• Kyle Drennan (Asst. Coach)
• Truman Moore (Asst. Coach)

Region:

• Wichita, Kansas

Team MVP: Dru Kuxhausen

This guy is a shooter and does so effectively. Dru Kuxhausen played in the Georgia Superleague and Caucasus basketball league, averaging over 19.0 points a game. He did this while shooting 39.9% and 44.3% from 3-point range. Kuxhausen also is one of the better free throw shooters knocking down over 90% of his opportunities at the charity stripe. He will likely be involved in most offensive plays as he boasts above 3.6 assists per game average. Kuxhausen has a confident shot, and teams will need to pick him up immediately after crossing half-court. He is not afraid to shoot it from there and can make it.

The worry with Kuxhausen is when he gets cold shooting. His boldness can be an issue, as opted for fastbreak threes at time over the easy two. Kuxhausen’s assist ratio will need to show up if he gets cold, as he can draw defenders and find open teammates.

Make-or-break Player: Bijan Johnson

The other half of Dru Kuxhausen will likely be Bijan Johnson—the other 3-point specialist on the team. Johnson shot 39.4% playing in Australia. With Kuxhausen’s long-distance shots, Johnson will be the down-and-dirty guy. Doing more of the work in the paint, Johnson creates space and knocks down his shots. He has an excellent basketball IQ, can decipher when to pass and when to shoot, and has a creative way of finding his rhythm. While Kuxhausen can get cold, Johnson’s approach is more consistent. With Kuxhausen hitting more 3-pointers than twos, Johnson is more balanced.

His quickness will be an asset, but Johnson must also not get sucked into the big men down low. The expectation is that Johnson will need to learn from his teammates to succeed. JucoProducts must be on the same page to win games in the TBT.

Team Outlook

We’re less than a week away!!!!

The first ever @thetournament JUCO team @JUCOPRODUCT_TBT will take on @team_heartfire at 12PM EST on ESPN2!!!!

Want to help out? Donate here to help our squad get to Wichita!!! 👇https://t.co/QvARxlTXfE pic.twitter.com/8CKgEmoL72

— JUCOadvocate – Brandon Goble (@JUCOadvocate) July 15, 2023

JucoProducts will match up well with a lot of teams. The guard play will be crucial outside of them. Gideon George is potentially their best forward but has no professional experience after graduating from BYU this year. He averaged 10.4 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.1 steals. B.J. Gladden has experience with the TBT as he played last year with Virginia Dream, but only had limited minutes and scored 3 points.

The other two guards must pick up the pace and keep things fresh for JucoProducts. Anthony Roberts played in France this year, averaging 21.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. Antonio Williams played in Iceland, averaging 19.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.7 steals. With four solid guards, this team can score and keep tempo. However, if there is a team that is bigger and has some talent in the center, it could be a big issue for JucoProducts. One of the big guys will have to step up and show out. That’s the case against their first-round matchup with Team Heartfire. The good news is in TBT, anyone has a shot and can get hot.