Purple Hearts return for year two hoping to grab their first win.
Purple Hearts was brought together to raise gun violence awareness in inner cities. Last year, the team entered Lubbock and faced off against one of the favorites, the Air Raiders. The team took a difficult loss, 83-62. Two players return from last year’s team: Dylan Causwell and Leonard Harper-Baker.
The team added one other TBT player from last year, Sage Tolbert. The rest of the players are all new to this tournament. Everyone in Wichita will be rooting for these Purple Hearts as they try and go the distance.
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Current Roster:
- D’Vauntes Smith Rivera (Georgetown)
- Darius Adams (University of Indianapolis)
- Davon Haynes (Arkansas Pine Bluff)
- Deshaun Highler (ELAC/Sacramento State)
- Dylan Causwell (Loyola Marymount)
- Ethan Jacobs (Colgate)
- Greg Foster (Saginaw Valley State University)
- Hegel Augustin (Prairie View A&M)
- Jaden Causwell (University Science & Arts of Oklahoma)
- Joshua Caldwell (William Penn)
- Leonard Harper-Baker (Southern Mississippi)
- Nolan Causwell (Laramie County CC/Tennessee Tech/Southern Indiana)
- Rozelle Nix (Pittsburgh)
- Sage Tolbert (San Jose State/Temple)
Coaching Staff:
- Braxton McCory (GM, Assistant Coach)
- Derek Harrell (Assistant Coach)
Region: Dayton
All-time Record: 0-1
First Matchup: vs. Carmen’s Crew (July 20 at 7 p.m. on Big Ten Network)
Team MVP: Hegel Augustin
Hegel Augustin has just one year of overseas professional basketball under his belt. He is a 6-foot-3 point guard that has all the right tools. Augustin can score in every way. He can drive for the lay-up or dunk, jump, stop, or fade away for his strong midrange shot.
Augustin can shoot from a 3-point range, and last year, Austria averaged 22.8 points per game, 11.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game. While he can score, he draws in defenses that lead to shots for his teammates. His skill set has prepared him for TBT, and he will likely get some serious attention.
Make-or-break Player: Greg Foster
Greg Foster is a TBL guard. He isn’t a big 3-point shooter, but he does score. He sees the court and has gas. Foster is quick, and he is scoring if he catches you flatfooted. If you pick him up, he dumps it off to a teammate for the points. He finds open space for himself and his team. Foster thinks ahead, and even on fast breaks, he makes the right decisions. He can score from anywhere but prefers the two-point shot over the three. Foster’s creativity in getting his teammates the ball could be interesting. Joining a team that doesn’t know him could end up having turnovers.
Team Outlook
One of the issues for TBT is that the regions are broken into seeds. With new teams usually getting a lower seed, this happens again here. Purple Hearts are 0-1 record-wise and only have one year of TBT experience. The team faces off against a likely favorite in Dayton in Carmen’s Crew. Even worse, the Dayton Regional has some of the most experienced teams and the defending champion. This is a difficult draw, but of the opponents, Purple Hearts received a decent seed and have a shot at taking down Carmen’s Crew.