After a three-year absence, The Basketball Tournament is scheduled to return to Charleston this summer and will feature the state’s two alumni teams — Herd That (Marshall) and Best Virginia (WVU).
The city of Charleston announced TBT’s return on Wednesday. TBT games will be played at the Charleston Coliseum from July 18-23.
TBT is a single-elimination basketball tournament that originated in 2014. The tournament is most notable for its Elam Ending.
The prize for winning the tournament is $1 million.
“Charleston has been an amazing host for TBT,” TBT founder and CEO Jon Mugar said in a press release. “The West Virginia fan base has always been extraordinary, and now it has the opportunity to host games all the way through the championship. We can’t wait to return this summer.”
Charleston was one of the host cities for TBT in 2021 and 2022.
The state of West Virginia remained a host state in 2023 as a regional moved to Wheeling.
The Mountain State didn’t host any TBT games last season as Herd That played in Lexington, Kentucky, and Best Virginia played in Pittsburgh.
“We are thrilled to welcome The Basketball Tournament, and the excitement and energy it brings, back to our capital city,” Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin said in the release. “We look forward to joining fans from across the region to watch Best Virginia compete in the 2025 West Virginia Regional — creating lasting memories and being part of the excitement that makes this event so incredible.”
Best Virginia returns for its sixth season in TBT. The Mountaineer alumni team’s first showing was in 2019 in Richmond, Virginia.
Best Virginia didn’t play in the 2020 TBT due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I like when it’s in West Virginia,” Best Virginia GM and coach Chase Harler said. “West Virginia does a great job of drawing a crowd. You want a great atmosphere when you’re playing in the summertime. Pittsburgh was pretty good. Wheeling was OK and an odd time with some festivals and construction going on around. I played in the TBT in Charleston a few times, and the atmosphere when I played in Charleston was great.”
The closest Best Virginia got to the $1 million prize was in 2022, when the Mountaineer alumni team lost in the quarterfinal round in Dayton, Ohio.
The WVU alumni team has featured players such as Kevin Jones, John Flowers, Erik Stevenson and Tarik Phillip.
Harler didn’t want to give away too many names, but he is excited to bring in some former Mountaineers to compete for the title.
“The biggest adjustment I’m going to make when putting the roster together is having guys that can shoot and score,” Harler said. “Last year, we were pretty solid defensively. Obviously, we didn’t show that against Pitt [Zoo Crew], but, on paper, we were going to be good defensively.
“Basketball is evolving. It’s who can put the ball in the basket. I’m going to tailor my roster to more offensive and defensive personnel. We’ll see how that treats me.”
Herd That was rebranded in 2020 after initially being named the West Virginia Wildcats.
The Marshall alumni team is 10-5 since 2020 and reached the TBT semifinals after advancing out of the Wheeling Regional in 2023.
“It’s huge for us and the Best Virginia team,” former Thundering Herd star Jon Elmore said. “It’s also huge for the state and bringing the regional back. The turnout in Charleston has gotten bigger and bigger. I’m excited for the third year in Charleston. It’s going to be the biggest yet.”
Herd That is 6-2 in the last two TBTs, reaching the third round before being bounced in Rupp Arena last season.
Elmore feels that Herd That has been put in a good position in recent years, but he, along with the other players, are ready to build off of the success and possibly win it all.
“Year in and year out, it’s a different team with a different journey,” Elmore said. “Our goal is to keep that same Marshall core as our main base. There might be some new faces this year and maybe some new alumni. We’re still putting the pieces together, but we’re excited to run it back.”
A format change for this year’s TBT eliminates late-tournament neutral games, allowing for home-court advantage for one team all the way to the title game.
Both Harler and Elmore love the idea, they said, and hope to have the championship round in Charleston.
“That would be awesome for the state,” Harler said. “TBT is such a cool tournament because the time of the year it happens, there’s not a ton of sports going on. Obviously there’s baseball, but there’s not any basketball. That excites people. I see it from every angle, with having it in Charleston because of the travel cost.”
Elmore concurred with Harler.
“That was a huge new addition for the tournament this year,” Elmore said. “They want to create those environments. They want to have ticket sales and fun atmospheres. I think rewarding those teams or those home sites that do sell tickets and do support the tournament will be unique.
“It’s going to create a big-time advantage, whether that’s a West Virginia team or not. Somebody’s going to have a crazy atmosphere with a lot of support.”
The rest of the teams in the Charleston Regional are to be announced.
