KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Basketball Tournament is coming to Kansas City for the first time.
After staging a regional in Wichita four times since 2019, the $1 million open-invitation TBT is moving to Municipal Auditorium with three games Saturday, a pair of regional semifinals Monday, and the regional championship game next Wednesday.
Alumni squads featuring former Kansas (JHX Hoops) and Kansas State (Purple Reign) players highlight the Kansas City regional, but the Sunflower Showdown rivalry got put on hold in recent days as the teams joined forces for the Wheat State Basketball Camp.
Former Wildcats guard Cartier Diarra, who played from 2016-19 in Manhattan and now plays alongside former Jayhawks star Billy Preston with NBA Africa’s Cape Town Tigers Club, is excited to return to Kansas City for the TBT.
“It made it more, I would say, appealing to players to come to Kansas City rather than being in Wichita," Diarra said.
Most of the K-State and KU alumni have fond memories of Big 12 tournament games and other appearances in Kansas City, but Diarra said the camp might be more important in the grand scheme.
“Your biggest impact on the game of basketball will always be through teaching and educating the next generation on your experiences and what it takes to make it to the next level,” Diarra said.
That’s why he and a half-dozen former players — including K-State’s Jacob Pullen and Jordan Henriquez along with KU’s Lagerald Vick and Nick Timberlake — worked with campers Tuesday and Wednesday at UMKC’s Swinney Recreation Center.
“That's exactly why I came,” Shawnee Mission West senior Max Bailey, who plays for the Kruse Elite Basketball AAU 17U squad, said. “I knew there were gonna be some ex-KU and K-State players, D1 guys that play professionally overseas. I came here because they're the best, so I wanted to learn from the best.”
Oregon Trail sixth-grader Colton Hoisington, who also plays for Kruse Elite’s program, was similarly starstruck.
“It's really cool because they've already made it to a top level, and they've made it to big schools, so it's fun to be coached by them,” he said.
Hoisington, an 11-year-old from Olathe, said playing a pickup game with the former Kansas and K-State ballers was the highlight of the week.
“I did pretty good,” he said. “I couldn't score because they're so tall, but I pretty much just passed it, got assists.”
Fans hoping for their own close encounter with the former Wildcats and Jayhawks stars will get that chance with the 2nd Wheat State Showdown, a scrimmage between the TBT squads that takes place Thursday at UMKC’s Swinney Rec Center.
“We know what they bring; they know we bring,” Vick said. “So, it's like, yeah — we’re definitely looking forward to that, just trying to get farther than what we did last year.”
As much as the players have bonded off the court after their college careers, that old ferocity easily returns with K-State and KU alums hit the hardwood together.
“I believe that the fans have a lot to do with that,” Diarra said. “Energy is real. So, regardless of how cool and friendly we are right now, once we step on that court and once we see each other's fan base, our fans don't allow us to be friends.”
Doors for the JHX Hoops versus Purple Reign scrimmage open at 6 p.m. with tipoff set for 7 p.m. Fans can interact with the players for photos and autographs after the game.
“Just be able to engage with the fans, we love that,” Henriquez said. “That is one of the reasons why we come back and play in TBT every year, because of our fan base. The support has been surreal, and we're really looking forward to (Thursday).”
Tickets cost $25 and can be purchased online or at the door.
Third-seeded Purple Reign opens regional play against sixth-seeded The Shine at 1 p.m. Saturday, followed by second-seeded JHX Hoops against OffDaHook at 3 p.m.
The final regional quarterfinal pits the Sheffield Sharks against DaGuys STL at 5 p.m., while Heartfire, which won the 2023 TBT championship, is the TBT Kansas City Regional’s top seed and has a first-round bye.
The semifinals, including a possible Purple Reign-JHX Hoops matchup, are set for 6 and 8 p.m. on Monday, with the regional final at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, with a spot in the TBT Quarterfinals at stake.
TBT Kansas City Regional tickets are available via Ticketmaster.
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KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
