E&J SPOTLIGHT: ALL IN FOR EACH OTHER
Three TBT Players On the Power of a Team Mentality

DAYTON, Ohio—One month after the epic TBT showdown in Dayton, Eric Devendorf recalls how it felt to win the championship with his team Boeheim’s Army.

“It means a lot to win it this year,” Devendorf said. “To be able to lace them up for my alumni team, to be able to get back together and play with my brothers means everything.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by TBT players across the board: that the hustle means nothing without a team mentality. Marcus Keene, who played with Sideline Cancer, agreed.

“Team is everything,” he said. “You can’t win if you’re not on the same page.”

Like a lot of players, Keene cites his off-court team in his success as much as his brothers in basketball. For him, it’s his mother. For Devendorf, his mom and sisters. And for Corey Sanders, who played for the Jimmy V Foundation, it’s his grandmother—who he says would support him in any of his life goals, basketball or otherwise.

Sanders says it’s that special bond—and the ones he has with his teammates—that allowed him to step back and appreciate the TBT experience while he was in it. And that’s his advice to future ballers: to enjoy the moment as much as possible.

“Don’t get caught up in everything else,” he said. “It’s a great chance for everyone around you, including yourself. Hold yourself accountable.”

Keene agreed, saying that he’s learned that the key to success is teamwork and on-court focus.

“Every possession matters in TBT, and you have to know the rules of the ELAM ending,” Keene said. “You have to play extremely hard and together, but also smart, if you want to win games.”

That idea of “together,” Devendorf says, is everything.

“Playing as a team means to be together, to stick together through the ups and downs of the game,” he said. “It means to believe and trust in each other. It means to be willing to sacrifice for the greater good.”

And when it happens? On-court magic, he says.

“I never take those moments for granted.”

Follow our ballers on social:
Eric Devendorf: @ED23HOOPS (IG and Twitter)
Marcus Keene: @Mjrk3 (IG) & @Marcus3Keene (Twitter)
Corey Sanders: @_sanders3 (IG) & @C_sanders3 (Twitter)

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