MOUNT GREENWOOD — Think you and your basketball buddies have a shot beating those guys on the end of the bench in the NBA?
Aspiring hoopsters will have a chance to prove just that July 16 and 17 at Saint Xavier University in Mount Greenwood. The Basketball Tournament will play its Midwest regional games at the university's Shannon Center.
The 3,000-seat arena at 3700 W. 103rd St. will host 16 teams chosen via online fan voting. Many of the teams are made up of former collegiate basketball players, such The Bluegrass Boys hailing from the University of Kentucky and the Golden Eagles Alumni team from Marquette University.
Active collegiate players are ineligible from playing as the winning team takes home all of the cash at the end of the tourney, said Jon Mugar, founder and chief executive officer of the tournament.
"It's really brutal for the team that loses the championship game," Mugar said Wednesday.
Teams made up of former collegiate players rely on alumni voting to push them into the tournament. While others, such as the Sideline Cancer team, tap charities to help drive online votes. In fact, the last slot in each region this year will go to whichever team raises the most money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Mugar said.
A few other teams find their way into the tournament each year simply by tapping family and friends. Often these are highly skilled recreational players who want a shot at the top prize, Mugar said.
A few former NBA players get in the tournament as well. This year, Mike Bibby, the second overall pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, will play in the tournament along with Jason "White Chocolate" Williams, who was drafted seventh overall the same year, said Mugar, adding that both are expected at the Chicago regional.
Saint Xavier is the first step for the teams of 7-12 players in the tournament. Four teams advance from each of the four regions to play July 21-23 in the Super 16 in Philadelphia. Those games will be broadcast on ESPN2.
The championship rounds will be shown on the main ESPN network. The semifinal games will be played July 30, and the champion will be crowned Aug. 2 at Fordham University in New York.
This is the third year of the professional tournament, and 11 games will be televised. Exposure from previous tournaments has earned a few players the opportunity to tryout for NBA developmental leagues and play overseas, Mugar said.
"What grabbed my attention is how unbelievably good these guys are, and they aren't in the NBA," he said.
The application deadline for teams interested in being part of the single-elimination tournament ends Wednesday. Already, 260 teams have applied to be in the field of 64. All players must be 18 and older.
It's free to play in the five-on-five tourney. Collegiate rules are used in the games featuring 18-minute halves. The first prize was $500,000 in 2014, but doubled last year and doubled again for this year.
"It's six games to win $2 million," Mugar said.
Spectators can take in as many games as they'd like at Saint Xavier for $20 per day. Eight games will be played July 16, and four games will be played on July 17.
"We want to be in smaller venues until we can prove that we can fill larger venues like the United Center," Mugar said.
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