Riding into Houston this week’s The Basketball Tournament quarter-finals with a 3-0 record after “sweeping” the alumni squads from three Kansas universities (KU, KSU and Wichita State), Team Colorado challenges a squad of mostly of former University of Houston players for a spot in “final four” of the $1-million event.
Team Colorado plays Forever Coogs on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (MT) on FS1 for a spot in the “final four” set for Philadelphia on Friday and Sunday (August 2 and 4). The Forever Coogs advanced to the “Elite 8) by winning three games this past week in Houston.
On Monday in Louisville, third-seeded Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State) plays seventh-seeded Takeover BC at 7 p.m., followed by a pair of second-seeded teams in the regionals – The Ville (Louisville) versus La Familia (Kentucky). Before the Team Colorado game on Tuesday, fifth-seeded Happy Valley Hoopers (Penn State) meets sixth-seeded Eberlein Drive.
For the second straight TBT, Zach Ruebesam coordinates and coaches Team Colorado. A Berthoud High prep product, Ruebesam will start his fourth season as an assistant coach and director of player development at Tad Boyle’s Buff staff.
Before returning to Colorado, where he graduated in 2016, Ruebesam was an assistant at the University of Denver (2016-2019) and Belmont Abbey (2019-2021). He was an assistant for Team Colorado in the TBT in 2019 and was slated to be the head coach in 2020 before Covid canceled the event.
Team Colorado is making its seventh overall appearance in The Basketball Tournament as the collection of former Buffs have compiled an 11-6 record with a second-place finish in 2016. BFICCC.com caught up with Ruebesam and asked:
Are you surprised by your team’s success in Wichita by “sweeping” Kansas? “I’m not surprised by the success. Early on in the team-building and recruiting process, I had a great feeling that this group had a chance to be special. With that said, we understood it would be a tough road taking on K-State, Wichita State, and Kansas, all in their home state. I’m very proud of the fight and never-give-up mentality that our team showed.”
How difficult is it to coach a team where you had little to prepare for the regional, along with not knowing much about your opponents (except knowledge of the individuals)? “It is very unique. Coming from the college game, we are very detailed. We watch multiple games and, at times, have a better feel of what the opponent is trying to do better than they do! With this type of tournament, you try to do as much preparation as possible but also emphasize that this is about “us.” It doesn’t matter as much what the opponent is trying to do as long as we play the right way and execute what we are trying to do both offensively and defensively.”
How did you add players like Lottie, Adams, and Holyfield? – “2024 is the first year that we have added players who did not play at the University of Colorado. This was not a decision that was made lightly. It is a credit to the success that we have had at Colorado, a lot of our professional players are making too much financially to risk playing in the TBT Tournament. With that in mind, we made the decision to open the roster up. I was not just going to add anyone. We are “Team Colorado,” and I wanted to add players who were Colorado guys. Players that would take pride in representing their home state.”
Lottie: “I’ve known Jaizec since he was in high school. We were on a Global Sports Academy tour five years ago, and we really built a good relationship. He has continued to get better and better in his professional career.”
Adams: “Josh and I are both Colorado guys and graduated from high school in the Class of 2012. I didn’t know Josh well before this; we were more of acquaintances. But we both shared a close friend in Derrick White. Derrick was instrumental in connecting us and getting Josh on the 2024 roster.”
Holyfield – “Mike is the only player on the roster without a connection to Colorado. A couple of weeks before the tournament, we had our big man back out due to a contractual obligation for next season. We were left with a hole at the 5 spot. Mike is an Albuquerque native but lives in San Antonio, TX, in the offseason. He is good friends with George King and Andre Roberson. When we needed a 5, those two highly recommended him.”
Finally, you have time to prepare for the next game and have had time to watch the Forever Cougars. What are your thoughts on the Forever Cougars, and what is your road map to victory? – “I’ve been really impressed with Forever Coogs. They are organized, well-coached, and play extremely hard. We will have to be dialed in defensively… they run good actions to get you out of position. Offensively, we cannot settle for quick jump shots. We must get the ball moved and make them guard us. Ultimately, it is still about us. We must hold them under 40% FG & out-rebound them by 8. If we do both of those things, we will be in a great position to come out with a W.”
