Syracuse, N.Y. — Take your right pinky finger, place it on your bottom lip and say it in your best Dr. Evil voice.
One. Million. Dollars.
Addressed to Boeheim’s Army, please.
Cha-Ching.
The Army defeated Team 23 69-67 in the championship game of The Basketball Tournament on Tuesday night to take the title and the lump sum of $1 million that comes with it.
It took an infusion of outside talent and a new approach for Boeheim’s Army to climb to the top of the mountain after seven years of not receiving a single dollar from the TBT ATM.
Keifer Sykes, Deandre Kane, DJ Kennedy, Tyrese Rice and head coach Jeremy Pope not only earned a lot of money on Tuesday night but were welcomed into the Orange family after being strangers just a few weeks ago.
“We had to bring in some killers to seal the deal and it worked out,” TBT and Syracuse legend Eric Devendorf said.
Sykes hit the electric game-winning 3-point shot for The Army and led all scorers with 21 points to seal the deal in yet another Elam Ending thriller.
“We ran a play called Duke’s choice,” Sykes said. “I got my feet up under me. I’ve been practicing it all my life.”
Sykes cashed out in more ways than one on Tuesday night. It was announced after the game that he signed an NBA deal with the Indiana Pacers.
Rice was simply a monster for The Army, but especially when willing the team to victory in the Elam Ending against Florida TNT. His blue-collar approach and basketball presence from a mere 6-foot-1 frame won’t soon be forgotten by SU fans.
Tyrese Rice of Boeheim's Army against Team 23 in The Basketball Tournament championship game on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Dayton Ohio.
Rice was the team’s leading scorer and was named the 2021 TBT MVP.
Kennedy didn’t have his best overall tournament but won his fifth TBT title by crashing the boards and doing what was asked of him in the grind.
“I can’t believe it,” said Kennedy, a prior TBT champion with Overseas Elite who joined Boeheim’s Army this summer. “I don’t think people realize how hard it is. I’m just happy that we were able to get it done.”
Kane became a four-time TBT champion by providing the best defense on The Army’s roster. BA had to sustain without Kane in the title game after he was forced out due to a groin injury.
The Corvette Kane plans to buy with his $80,000 share should make that injury feel better.
The mercenaries brought in by Boeheim’s Army chairman Adam Weitsman and GM Kevin Belbey literally paid off, but there was plenty of Orange flavor in this winning recipe.
Weitsman was one of the few who can say winning TBT was not about the money. To paraphrase Bruce Springsteen in “Pink Cadillac,” baby, he’s got plenty of that.
With a title in hand, Central New York’s most visible basketball fan will donate $1 million to local charities.
It was poetic that Devendorf was on the floor at the end after the gallons of blood, sweat and tears poured out as the only player to appear in all seven TBTs with Boeheim’s Army.
“We never quit,” said Devendorf. “We never stopped fighting. That’s the kind of team we wanted to put together. Everybody contributed. People had to sacrifice something. We came together as a group and made it happen.”
Eric Devendorf and Jim Boeheim hug after Boeheim's Army beat Team 23 in The Basketball Tournament championship game on Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, in Dayton Ohio.
Chris McCullough provided clutch play in the Elam Ending for The Army and showcased a game that has come full circle. He attacked the rim with ferocity and flashed a smooth outside shot.
McCullough also sent a message to NBA teams that they better take another long, hard look at him.
Former Syracuse stars C.J. Fair, Andrew White and Tyler Lydon helped get the band back together for a grand finale.
Fair mastered the paint again and, frankly, should have played more minutes. White hit some clutch shots for The Army and provided key minutes off the bench.
Lydon rebounded with ferocity and attacked the rim. He did it through gritted teeth as a series of injuries have dented his career to the point that he will retire as a player.
What a way to go out.
Jim Boeheim, the namesake of Boeheim’s Army and the center of the Syracuse basketball universe, sat courtside on Tuesday night in Dayton along with his wife, Juli, and sons Buddy and Jimmy, and got to be a fan for once in a basketball arena.
After the final buzzer sounded, hell must have frozen over for about a minute because I have never seen James Arthur Boeheim smile for that long.
It’s all over now for Boeheim’s Army.
The money is literally in the bank, with each player’s share deposited into accounts shortly after the game ended Tuesday night.
Nothing short of victory would be acceptable for Boeheim’s Army in 2021.
This was its best shot at the big payday and The Army cashed it in, giving Syracuse basketball fans a summer thrill ride along the way.
Contact Brent Axe: Email | Twitter
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Boeheim’s Army box score vs. Team 23 in The Basketball Tournament
Keifer Sykes hits game-winner for Boeheim’s Army, then signs with Indiana Pacers
Axe: Boeheim’s Army goes outside Syracuse basketball family for best shot at $1 million