Coming off of back-to-back second-round exits, Fort Wayne Champs look to prove everything is bigger in Texas, especially the million-dollars.
Last year, Fort Wayne Champs started off with a bang, winning their opening-round matchup by 33, the widest margin of victory in the entire tournament. However, against the one seed in their region, they couldn’t bring that same energy, losing by double digits.
The team will look very different than last year, with just two players returning, but they bring back their star Stephan Hicks. Look out for Fort Wayne, which should be a must-watch.
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Current Roster:
- Bobby Petras (Tiffin University)
- Brandon Gilbeck (Western Illinois)
- Darius Quisenberry (Fordham)
- Dree Gholston (Kent State, Milwaukee, & Missouri)
- Glynn Watson (Nebraska)
- Jay Schumate (Toledo)
- Kahliel Spear (Robert Morris)
- KeyShawn Feazell (Creighton, McNeese State, Mississippi State)
- Rashard Odomes (Oklahoma)
- Solomon Young (Iowa State University)
- Stephan Hicks (Cal State Northridge)
- Takal Molson (Canisius, Seton Hall, & James Madison)
- Trevion Crews (Bethel University)
Coaching Staff:
- Garrett Martz (GM)
- Kevin Bloom (Asst. Coach)
- Nate Routsong (Assistant Coach)
- Walker Russell Jr. (Head Coach)
Region: Butler
All-time Record: 12-6
First Matchup: vs. Men of Mackey (July 19 at 3 p.m. on TBT Live)
Team MVP: Stephan Hicks
Remember that 33-point win? Well, Hicks scored 25 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in that win. He followed that up with 14 and 5 in the following game, which is definitely a step-down, down but still a solid performance. He’s been a quality scorer in the G-League for years and rebounds at a high rate for his 6-6 height.
He isn’t necessarily the best defender, but the Fort Wayne Champs have surrounded him with players that are so he can maximize his main talent, which is scoring the basketball. At 32, he’ll be a leader on the court, and would like to do what he did last year, and lead his team to not just one win, but multiple.
Make-or-break Player: KeyShawn Feazell
Winning the rebounding battle is a must to succeed in TBT, and Feazell can do just that for the Fort Wayne Champs. In his lone appearance last year, Feazell grabbed nine of them and added seven points. At 6’9, he has the size for it, and has that drive to grab one whether it’s to extend a possession or end the opponent. Feazell is the second tallest member of the roster, behind the 7-foot Gilbeck, so he’ll most likely have to go up against the opponent’s biggest guy.
If he can hold his own, it’ll do wonders for his team, and allow guys like Hicks and Solomon Young to operate at a high level as well.
Team Outlook
Fort Wayne Champs have only been bounced once in the first round since they joined TBT in 2017, which is extremely impressive. This year’s team does have a lot of turnovers, and they’ll be the lower seed as they face Men of Mackey, the Purdue alumni team in the first round. If the higher seed wins their games in the region, Fort Wayne will have to deal with a lot of adversity. They could potentially face three Indiana alumni teams in the state, which would be far from an easy task. Assembly Ball, the Indiana alumni team would be the potential second-round opponent, and All Good Dawgs, the Butler alumni team would be the third.
The other returner besides Hicks is Gilbreck, who averaged just 4 points a game last year. At 7’0, he might find himself more minutes if the opponent’s big man becomes an issue. They also bring two high-volume scorers in JT Schumate. Both players had 30-point potential on any given night and were key reasons for their college teams’ success. They have an uphill climb, but they’ve shown year after year that they can win, so don’t sleep on these champs.