Get Ya Popcorn Ready: Former Terps To Face (Some) Former Hoyas

So we can’t see Georgetown and Maryland play against one another on the hardwood during the regular season, right? Well I present to you the next best thing:

The BALL (Basketball Alumni Legends League) Pro Basketball Series. The “league” itself is a conglomeration of regional teams that feature alumni from schools in DC, Virginia, North Carolina, Philadelphia, and of course Maryland (though there are plans for expansion). These teams compete during the off-seasons of European and D-League play, typically picking a location and having the “home” team play against all the other teams. In this instance, the D.C. Dobermans, who feature players from Georgetown, George Washington, American, and (randomly) George Mason, will be the host team.

In short, from July 27th to August 5th, you get to see a lot of former, local college basketball studs go up against one another in DC.

Of course, to keep things entertaining there are a few rule changes. Most notable among them: a 4-point, 25 foot shot; always one FT (worth 2 points); a jump ball to start each quarter; and a 30 second shot clock that goes down to 20 seconds with five minutes remaining. All this, of course, will make the games a tad more high scoring and fun than anything else, ensuring that there will be no lulls during each game.

The minute I saw this flyer, I got a little antsy. Team Maryland may as well be called Maryland Terrapins, because they feature more alumni from one school (College Park) than any other team in the league. James Gist, John Gilchrist, Adrian Bowie, Landon Milbourne, Sean Mosley, and James Padgett are all members, and I’ll be damned if that isn’t a crabcake’d out squad. As they’re only currently called Maryland, I have to assume there are still some undecided’s as to whether to call them the Terps, the Crabcakes, or just simply Old Bay. I vote Old Bay.

Team Maryland will be going up against the Dobermans on July 27th in George Washington’s spiffy new arena at 7 PM. In case you can’t make it, it would appear the game(s) will be televised on ESPN3, per their website. As you’ll see below, the game will pit the Terps against three former Georgetown players who they never had the chance to play against during their regular season games.

Among the other local area stars, you’ve got Austin Freeman (DeMatha), Henry Sims (Mt. Saint Joseph), Chris Wright (St. John’s), Marcus Ginyard (O’Connell) and Jai Lewis (Aberdeen). That’s just naming a few, and you can check out the rest of the rosters a little further down.

I for one have no intention of spending my Saturday anywhere but the George Washington arena watching some former Terps, and given that you can get lower levels for what amounts to a thirty pack at Number One ($20), I see no reason why you shouldn’t either. In all seriousness, this seems like a great way to keep local fans engaged with their favorite former players (I really hope Gilchrist still has that amazing hair swoosh) trying to maintain their dream, and will most definitely be a competitive game. I’d also love to see Maryland take on some former Hoyas in what can be considered a de-facto “Duel for DMV”.

For ticket prices and all other general information, head here.

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