Zoo Crew will face an alumni team compiled by Marshall to compete in the Thundering Herd’s backyard. Dubbed ‘Herd That,’ the Huntington, West Virginia, squad includes players who both played at Marshall and other universities.
Beginning in the West Virginia regional, the winner of Pitt-Marshall will face the victorious team between Dubois Dream and Best Virginia (West Virginia University).
Marshall is led by former Thundering Hurd four-year starter Jon Elmore. Elmore played at Marshall from 2015 to 2019 and averaged 19.8 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.8 rebounds during his career. He also owns the program and Conference-USA record in points (2,638), made three-point shots (356), and was a significant distributor with 783 assists. This will be Elmore’s fifth year in TBT.
Six other players joining Elmore that have previously donned a Marshall uniform are James Kelly (Owens Comunity College, Miami (Fla.), & Marshall), Jarrod West (Marshall & Louisville), Rondale Watson (Wake Forest & Marshall), Ryan Taylor (Marshall), Stevie Browning (Fairmont State & Marshall), and Taevion Kinsey (Marshall).
The remaining roster contains Derek Cooke Jr. (previously Cloud County Community College & Wyoming), Jacorey Williams (Arkansas & Middle Tennessee State), JP Tokoto (North Carolina), Luke Fischer (Marquette), and Rob Gray (Houston).
OT Elmore is the general manager and head coach of ‘Herd That’ while Marcus Reed is an assistant coach of the team.
Marshall’s alumni team is 4-3 all-time in TBT. The championship rounds will take place in Philadelphia. The winning group needs to win six games to become champions, similar to the NCAA Tournament and split the $1 million grand prize.
Zoo Crew is represented by Pitt’s Nelly Cummings, Greg Elliott, Sam Young, LeVance Fields, Talib Zanna, Gary McGhee, and others. The core is led by former NBA second-rounder and Panther legend DeJuan Blair.
