The Basketball Tournament 2024: Team Colorado Team Profile

Team Colorado is looking for a bounce-back after a rough first-round exit in 2023.

Team Colorado traveled to Dayton Regional last year. In their lone game, they fell to the Men of Mackey, the Purdue alumni team, 68-70. This team is revamped and has a much shorter trip this year. With five players returning from last year, Team Colorado has TBT experience and added some recent NBA talent in Devon Baulkman and Andre Roberson. Andre Spight, Jaizec Lottie, and Daylen Kountz are all current professional basketball players overseas.

This team continues to change it up and figure out what works and doesn’t. Team Colorado won’t accept a repeat of last year, and look to not only make it out of Wichita but go the distance. 

For more TBT team profiles, click here.

Current Roster:

• Andre Roberson (Colorado)
• Andre Spight (Northern Colorado)
• D’Shawn Schwartz (Colorado & George Mason)
• Daylen Kountz (Colorado & Northern Colorado)
• Devon Baulkman (Gulf Coast State & Tennessee)
• Evan Battey (Colorado)
• George King (Colorado)
• Ibrahim Sylla (Northern Colorado & NC A&T)
• Jaizec Lottie (Flagler College)
• Joshua Adams (Wyoming)
• Michael Holyfield (Sam Houston State)
• Shane Gatling (Colorado)
• Shannin Sharpe (Colorado & Cal Poly Pomona)

Coaching Staff:

• Cameron Armitage (GM, Asst. Coach)
• Josh Repine (GM)
• Zach Ruebesam (Head Coach)

Region: Wichita

All-time Record: 8-6

First Matchup: vs. Purple Reign (July 20 at 3 p.m. on FS2)

Team MVP: Evan Battey

Evan Battey is more of a battering ram. He fights for rebounds, drives hard, finds space, and can shoot anywhere. Battey is a big, strong player. He can finish through contact and has an uncanny ability to create space. Battey has a high basketball IQ, follows shots, and does what is asked of him.

Battey played in the tournament last year for Team Colorado and finished with 11 points and 6 rebounds. Having TBT experience is crucial to success for many teams, and Battey having that one game, while it isn’t a massive sample size, will benefit him significantly.

Make-or-break Player: Andre Roberson

Any diehard NBA fan remembers Andre Roberson as the defensive specialist for the OKC Thunder teams with Westbrook and Durant. With 7 years of NBA experience, Roberson is amongst the most experienced NBA guys in the Tournament, a valuable asset for team Colorado. As mentioned, he is a terrific defender, and at 6’7, brings great size to the team. He’s only 32 as well, which may surprise some due to his long NBA career.

There are some questions, which is why he’s the make-or-break player. He’s never been a great NBA shooter, and his opponents may use that as an opportunity on defense. He’s also been out of the league since 2020-2021. Most players in TBT are playing some sort of professional basketball, so there’s always the concern of rust. However, the best of the best make the NBA, and an even smaller amount is good enough to start for multiple seasons, something Roberson did. If he can do what he does best, Team Colorado is in a great position to succeed.

Team Outlook

It’s another exciting build for a TBT team. With a good amount of talent, this team is more defense-focused. Team Colorado will have to be diligent on both ends of the floor. With players who can get hot and aren’t afraid to force the issue, this team will need to have plays they can fall back on. With the speed and size, the expectation of breakaways is high. 

They will take on Purple Reign, the Kansas State alumni team in Round 1. It will feel like a road game, but nothing that this team can’t handle. They bring back several key contributors from last year’s team in addition to Battey. Shannin Sharpe (not that one) led the team in scoring last year with 13 points in the loss. He’s back. DeShawn Schwartz grabbed 10 rebounds for his team last year. He’s back too. With this combination, the ceiling is high, making this team a must-watch.