D2 Waymakers look to prove that Division II has serious basketball power.
Division I gets the attention thanks to the big brands and of course March Madness, but there is a lot of skill at the D2 level as well. They’ll look to showcase this throughout the TBT and let the world know not to judge a book by its cover.
They return after a 2-year hiatus, where they went 2-3 over a three year span. Now the D2 Waymakers are back and would like nothing more than to get back on tracking and increase that record.
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Current Roster:
- Armoni Foster (Buffalo & Indiana University of Pennsylvania)
- Brandon Armstrong (Lincoln Memorial)
- Carlos Carter (Shippensburg)
- Dante Lombardi (IUP)
- Eamonn Joyce (Southern New Hampshire University)
- Ethan Porterfield (IUP)
- Gage Davis (St. Cloud State)
- Gerel Simmons (Brevard & Lincoln Memorial)
- Jacobo Diaz Alejano (IUP)
- Jordan Floyd (Albany State & King University)
- Navar Elmore (Livingstone College)
Coaching Staff:
- Joe Lombardi (Head Coach)
Region: Lexington
All-time Record: 2-3
First Matchup: vs. War Ready (July 19 at 6 p.m. on TBT Live)
Team MVP: Ethan Porterfield
Porterfield concluded his college career this year and was incredibly impressive from start to finish. In his senior season, he averaged 20 points a game, and 8.57 rebounds. He can stretch the floor at 6-8 and shoots it well from the free-throw line. He’s also an underrated passer, which makes him so difficult.
Now he’ll have the opportunity to audition his skills to scouts worldwide. Obviously, he isn’t getting the same exposure at the D2 level as a D1 player would, so this tournament is that opportunity. He can match up against anyone he faces, making him extremely valuable for this D2 Waymakers team.
Make-or-break Player: Gage Davis
You can make a strong argument that Gage Davis should be the team MVP, and you wouldn’t be wrong after his most recent season overseas. In Denmark, he is coming off a season where he averaged 21.3 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG. Not only is that impressive, but he shot 54.4% from the field and 38.8% from the three. Davis is a flamethrower and is extremely active on both ends of the floor. He’ll be a pest for the opponent and defenses will have to focus their attention on him.
The make or break is how good can he be. Can he hit that 20-point mark? 30? They’ll look to him to be the primary scorer, and while they are loaded with D2 talent, he’ll be the main focus. If he can live up to that, he has a serious chance of leading his team to a deep run. If not, it’ll be a short trip for the team.
Team Outlook
The Basketball Tournament rewarded D2 Waymakers with a 5 seed after their break from the action. They’ll face War Ready, the Auburn alumni team in the first round. With the game being in Lexington, don’t be surprised if the crowd backs D2 Waymakers to spite the conference rival. If they win that one, it gets a lot harder, as they’d most likely have to face Herd That, the Marshall alumni team, and then La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team. This region is stacked, and unfortunately for them, they’ll need their A game, and a little more to make a deep run.
Navar Elmore played for Team Gibson last year and scored 10 points while adding 11 rebounds. If he can do that again, things will look up for the D2 Waymakers. Brandon Armstrong is also on the team, and at 44 years old might be the oldest player in the tournament. They also only have one coach on the roster, which is a bit of a surprise when you see other teams with multiple head coaches and 4-5 assistant coaches. However, sometimes less is more, and all they need is Joe Lombardi if they want to win the one million.