ROLAND, Ark. — Every summer, a team of mainly Razorback alumni plays in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), and a $1 million prize is on the line.
Last year, hoop Hog legend JD Notae passed on the chance to play with Team Arkansas. He wasn’t going to make that mistake again.
“I was just watching like, 'Man, I should have played,'" Notae said. "This year, I wanted to play."
He’s just one piece of a team that feels like a Razorback reunion for assistant coach Matt Zimmerman.
“I’ve been excited about it for weeks... guys I was on the basketball staff with that are playing, Barford, Bailey, Mickelson, Thomas, then Notae... I was working for the Razorbacks when he played," Zimmerman said. "It's near to coach them and be a part of that."
Notae said representing Arkansas makes him feel like he's wearing the red and white again.
"It's amazing," Notae said. "It feels like I'm back at Arkansas, with the red... you see it, TBT Team Arkansas."
It’s a unique challenge, as the team has just three practices before playing game one of the single-elimination tournament later this week.
“It’s time to go to work because it’s gonna be tough on Friday," Zimmerman said. "You can see them trying to regain their legs and rhythm."
Team Arkansas is a three-seed. They’ll take on No. 6 Team Eberlin Drive in Indianapolis on July 19 at noon. You can watch it on TheTournament.com.