Second TBT run a learning experience for Stars of Storrs

Momentum was building for the Stars of Storrs as the team built around UConn alumni advanced through the first two rounds of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) over the last week.

But Ryan Boatright, the 2014 national champion serving as captain and GM, couldn’t shake the ankle injury he suffered in the second round against the Green Mountain Men (Vermont alumni). After his second consecutive game-winner, Boatright spent the two days leading up to the Syracuse Regional Final on ice but didn’t heal in time and the Stars didn’t have a backup.

He played 32 minutes against We Are D3 on the bum ankle Wednesday but wasn’t a scoring threat. And without their clutch shooter, the Stars went without a field goal in the “Elam Ending” period as their second TBT run came to an end.

“We learned a lot,” founder Marc D’Amelio told The Courant Thursday as he left Syracuse. “I thought we were much better this year than we were last year, and we went into that game knowing that those guys on We Are D3 were gonna be tough.”

Boatright worked with D’Amelio and new coach, two-time national champion Tyler Olander, to formulate this summer’s roster for the chance at the $1 million prize. Olander, an assistant coach at the University of St. Joseph, said they reached out to “anybody who’s worn a UConn uniform,” but ultimately had only five former Huskies agree to play. R.J. Cole and Terry Larrier, two of those five, missed the first two games due to personal obligations but joined the team for the Round of 16.

“We had to go outside of UConn, which I know some people that don’t understand the TBT wanted it to be a whole UConn roster, but guys like (Seton Hall alum) Isaiah Whitehead – the team was awesome… It was very fun but it was educational in the fact that I think we’re getting better,” D’Amelio said. “If we had the ability to get there four, five days earlier and have some practices…”

Last year, the Stars of Storrs held a closed practice at Gampel Pavilion and opened up to fans in Norwalk before heading out to Pittsburgh. All business this year, they met up in Syracuse and were limited in practice time prior to the opener against the Brown Ballers.

Both issues – the lack of practice time and UConn alumni on the roster – could, in theory, be solved by hosting a regional in Connecticut, a possibility that has been top of mind for D’Amelio since he created the team last year.

Ahead of this summer’s tournament, D’Amelio reached out to UConn men’s basketball General Manager Tom Moore to explore the idea of playing at either Gampel Pavilion or PeoplesBank Arena (formerly the XL Center). Moore and the Huskies were all in, but it couldn’t be done due to the renovations being made in both arenas. D’Amelio tried Mohegan Sun, which had prior obligations, and Total Mortgage Arena in Bridgeport, which already had its concert series planned.

“We really want to get a regional in Connecticut, in Storrs, and I think that will happen and I think that’ll make all the difference in the world,” D’Amelio said. “We’re gonna start laying down the groundwork today. Obviously this isn’t my full-time job but I’m pretty passionate about it. It’s a great tournament. We can win it.”

For future roster-building, the Stars will start reaching out earlier to recent alumni like Adama Sanogo, the 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player who played in the NBA Summer League with the Utah Jazz. Other players who are playing professionally overseas may be more willing to make a homecoming if the games are hosted in Connecticut.

“One of the issues, which is a great issue to have, is if you think about all of our graduating seniors, the majority of them are playing in the NBA or have two-way contracts and that makes it difficult for them to do it. We’d love to have a Cam Spencer or a Tristen Newton on our TBT team, but they’re busy in the NBA,” D’Amelio said.

A player like Shabazz Napier, who played last season in Germany, lives in Massachusetts and drove five hours to watch Wednesday’s game, may have been on the roster if the first few games were in Connecticut.

“There are guys who get back from Europe and the last thing they feel like doing is going to where we were in Pittsburgh or Syracuse and being in that grind again,” D’Amelio said. “I think us being at UConn, getting potentially the team’s support, Danny (Hurley’s) support, the administration’s support, it will make a difference.”

Originally Published: July 24, 2025 at 12:08 PM EDT