Marshall’s alumni men's basketball squad Herd That begins its The Basketball Tournament run on Friday at the ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Coliseum & Convention Center at 6 p.m.
Its round one matchup is with Sikh Warriors, who are making their TBT debut. The team recently made history as the first all-Punjabi pro team to compete against a Canadian Elite Basketball League team.
The Sikh Warriors have plenty of size and are highlighted by players who have FIBA experience in the 3x3 world. They also has a former program leader in assists and multiple shooters at different ranges.
Herd That, though, has winning experience and has reached the semifinal in past TBT runs. With the late additions of Deandre Kane and Marshall’s all-time leading scorer, Taevion Kinsey, to the mix, Herd That has a team made up entirely of players who have played in past TBT runs or at Marshall.
Jon Elmore, Herd That's GM and a player, has been a catalyst alongside his brother Ot in forming the team since 2018. It has grown into a fan favorite amongst those who watch the tournament each season. Elmore is regarded as one of the best TBT players of all time while also being on the short list of greatest players in Marshall’s history as well.
Elmore and Kinsey are coming off NBA Summer League experiences with the Sacramento Kings, while eight Herd That players have recent experience playing overseas.
Elmore and Kinsey are likely to not play in the first round due to their Summer League obligations.
An underrated aspect is having someone like Ryan Taylor, an assistant coach at Marshall, in the fold as well.
JaCorey Williams, Elmore and Kinsey have the potential to pilot one of the highest-flying offenses in the tournament, and it could be the difference-maker on Friday.
Herd That is no stranger to quick offensive systems and transition-first basketball.
Elmore played on coach Dan D’Antoni’s Marshall teams that held an adjusted tempo within the top five nationally in each of his seasons. He takes that style to TBT.
Kinsey has played in the NBA G League for the past two seasons. Williams seems often to provide jaw-dropping finishes to remind Marshall fans of what he did at Middle Tennessee State – 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, leading the Blue Raiders in both categories. He nearly set the season record for scoring at Middle Tennessee State with 623 points in his senior year.
Kinsey last played in TBT in 2023. He just wrapped up his time with the Kings by scoring 12 points in 14 minutes in a summer win over Cleveland.
More about Sikh Warriors
According to Vick Toor, the Sikh Warriors' point guard, the team was originally named the 2%ers, referring to how 2% of India’s population is Punjabi.
The team champions a movement to inspire youth and grow Punjabi basketball.
“Sikh Warriors is more than us going out, playing a basketball tournament and coming back,†assistant coach Joban Pandher said in a recent documentary highlighting the team’s journey to TBT. “I think all of our guys know it’s a big responsibility. (Small forward Bikramjit Gill) keeps his hair. He does that on this stage so that a kid can look up to him and be like, ‘He looks like me, and I can do it.’â€
Gill is a FIBA 3x3 player who played collegiately at Ball State. He’s also played professional basketball in Japan. He competed for Canada in the FIBA AmeriCup from 2021-23. He won a bronze medal in the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
“Bikram is a monolith in the Punjabi basketball community. He’s accomplished so much, even in 3x3. You have to have a guy like that who is a true professional to his core,†center AJ Kahlon said in the documentary. “Growing up, I wished there was a guiding figure, and we can be that for the younger community."
Standing at 6-foot-7, Gill is one of five standing at his height or taller. Kahlon is a 7-footer inside, while Inder Sandhu stands 6-foot-10 as a small forward.
Kahlon played at San Francisco State. He blocked 84 shots in 73 games there, averaging 9.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per game with 55 blocks in his final season.
Toor is from Seattle and played just one year of organized basketball before college.
“I got cut five years in a row from seventh grade to 11th grade,†Toor said in the documentary. “When I was in 11th grade, I was playing AAU. One of the coaches from a different school saw me. He told me to transfer, and from that point, I had the dream of playing and being part of a team. We finished fourth in the state.â€
Toor is the all-time assists leader at the University of Fraser Valley and will be a focal point in the offense. He was the leading scorer for the Sikh Warriors in their game against the CEBL’s Bandits.
Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Friday in ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä. With a win, Herd That can advance to a potential second-round matchup with Best Virginia, WVU’s alumni squad.
