Former Indiana star Yogi Ferrell to lead 'Assembly Ball' in The Basketball Tournament
Yogi Ferrell, a five-year NBA veteran and former Indiana star, will lead "Assembly Ball," a team of Hoosiers alums, in The Basketball Tournament this summer, TBT announced on Thursday.
It was announced earlier in May that Indiana would have its own team of alums in The Basketball Tournament for the first time in the event's 11-year history. Former Hoosiers standouts Devonte Green, Juwan Morgan, Troy Williams and Miller Kopp were among the players named to the team when the formation of "Assembly Ball" was announced.
Ferrell headlines the group of former Hoosiers. He started every single game in his four-year career at Indiana (2012-16), serving as its starting point guard through the program's brief resurgence in the middle of the 2010s. He averaged at least 16 points per game in each of his final three seasons, averaging 4.6 assists over his career. He was named first-team All-Big Ten twice, helping the Hoosiers win two regular season Big Ten Titles and reach the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament twice.
Following his standout career at Indiana, Ferrell bounced around over five seasons in the NBA. An undrafted rookie, Ferrell made the NBA's All-Rookie second team in 2017, recording 11.3 points and 4.3 assists per game with the Dallas Mavericks. Ferrell currently plays for Budućnost of Prva A liga in Montenegro.
Morgan and Williams were both teammates of Ferrell's at Indiana, with each also enjoying brief NBA careers. Green has been a standout player overseas ever since his career at Indiana ended in 2020, winning the Swedish League Finals MVP with the Norrköping Dolphins in 2022. Kopp is a relatively younger player in the TBT, finishing up his time at Indiana in 2023 after transferring from Northwestern. Kopp, who's the Big Ten's all-time leader in games played, helped the Oklahoma City Blue win the G League title this past season.
"Assembly Ball" will play in the regional held at Hinkle Fieldhouse in Indianapolis from July 19-23. Butler, which plays at Hinkle Fieldhouse, is also set to have a team of alums in The Basketball Tournament for the first time in the event's history.
The 64-team field for this summer's The Basketball Tournament includes former NBA players Eric Bledsoe and Willie Cauley-Stein of La Familia, the Kentucky alumni team, and Montrezl Harrell of The Ville, the Louisville alumni team. There will also be a team of ex-UConn players called Stars of Storrs, which will include former national champs Joey Calcaterra, Ryan Boatright and DeAndre Daniels.
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal announced that he was backing a team in TBT earlier in May, which will be called "Team Diesel."
[Everything to know about The Basketball Tournament]
TBT will exclusively be broadcast on the FOX family of networks for the first time in 2024, with games airing on FOX, FS1 and FS2. The 64-team, March Madness-style tournament is known for featuring past notable college basketball stars — such as Jimmer Fredette — on alumni teams, as well as popularizing the hit "Elam Ending."
The team that wins the tournament will receive a $1 million prize.
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