Sullivan to Play in TBT for Team D2

The University of Findlay men's basketball program will be represented this summer in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a $2 million winner-take-all event, as former All-American Taren Sullivan will play with team D2.

"Our TBT team D2 is comprised of former elite Division II players that all finished their careers in college at NCAA Division II institutions," said GM/Head Coach Grant Leonard. "The majority of the players are all having successful pro careers ranging from the G-League and Overseas. We aren't here for fun and games, we are hunting the big prize."

Sullivan has played in the NBA G League for the past two seasons after graduating from Findlay in 2018. He has career averages of 7.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game. This past season, Sullivan played with the Erie Bayhawks and averaged 7.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per outing.

During his career at Findlay, Sullivan racked up 1,595 points, the 12th-highest total in school history. He was named first team All-American by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 2017-18 and was voted the 2017-18 Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) Player of the Year.

The TBT is a 64-team, single-elimination tournament now in its seventh campaign that is open to the world's top standouts and competitive teams. Eight teams are selected to compete per region. Games will take place in July and August and air on ESPN. Eight regional winners will advance to the Championship Week set for Aug. 6-11 in Dayton, Ohio.

The winning team takes home $2 million and the winning team's fan base will take 10% of the cut. GMs negotiate with each team member over his/her share of the final prize. Teams are selected to compete from an application poll, which runs until June 15. All dates and events are subject to change due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year, in 2019, a total of 59 players with NBA experience participated. In addition, 34 players have gone on from the TBT to sign deals with NBA teams. Teams are seeded based on each team's talent, chemistry and reliability. Games also utilize the Elam Ending, which eliminates the game clock at the end of play and sets a Target Score.

The associate head coach at Queens University, Leonard put together a team for the first time in the event last year and the D2 squad shocked the field by dominating the Bluegrass Boys, a squad of former Kentucky alumni by a 77-62 score. The team is expected to be even stronger this year and Leonard has molded the roster to fit the tournament style.

Supporters can become fans of the team by logging onto thetournament.com, create a fan account and click on #TeamD2 to become a fan and perhaps get a share of the winning prize. Fans can also follow the D2 team on twitter @D2Unheralded or @D2unheraldedTBT.