Men of Mackey enters fifth TBT with five Purdue alumni

For the fifth straight year, one million dollars awaits the Men of Mackey if they can win six games in a row. The Purdue alumni team, organized by Purdue alum Ryan Kay, begins The Basketball Tournament (TBT) on Friday, July 19, inside Hinkle Fieldhouse.

Five former Boilermakers will suit up for the team this year, four of which won a Big Ten championship during their time in West Lafayette.

Kelsey Barlow returns to the squad for his fourth time after emerging as one of the team’s top players in each of the last three tournaments, while high-flying Jon Octeus will participate for the third time.

David Jenkins, Jr. will suit up for Men of Mackey for the second time, and 2019 Big Ten champions and Elite Eight participants Sasha Stefanovic and Eric Hunter make their Men of Mackey debuts this year.

Joining the five on the floor, Purdue alumni Lewis Jackson and Rapheal Davis will serve as head coach and assistant coach. While fielding a team entirely of former Purdue players remains the annual goal, Kay points out that very few alumni teams can create a team from just one college program.

“It’s going to be very rare that you can get a TBT team filled with 10 players from one school,” Kay said. “We want as many Purdue guys as we can.”

One common struggle to lure former players comes in the long year for international players, who may only receive a month or two to return to the United States in between seasons. During this time, players look for their next season’s contract, as many of them play on one-year deals. In many cases, should a player suffer an injury in between seasons, their one-year contract becomes voided.

For instance, Aaron Wheeler committed to playing for Men of Mackey this year, but a late international contract signing caused him to withdraw his name from the roster.

Because of that, Kay often needs to look outside the list of former Boilermakers to fill the roster. While many did not play at Purdue, the majority of this year’s non-Purdue players hold a connection to Purdue or one of the players on the roster.

Bobby Planutis and Max Landis return as Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. Malik Osborne, who played his college ball at Florida State, played overseas with Stefanovic, who recommended him to Kay when the team needed a big man on the roster. Another Florida State alum, Ian Miller, joined the team as a close friend of Barlow’s.

Tahjai Teague, an Indianapolis native who played at Ball State, helps provide size to Men of Mackey’s frontcourt.

Men of Mackey enters 2024 after four straight second-round exits. The 64-team bracket requires a team to win six in a row to claim the million dollars.

Though the roster blends Purdue and non-Purdue players, Kay enters each year with the goal of fielding a team capable of winning each game. While he’d love to one day find a team entirely composed of Purdue alumni, he still believes this year’s team provides enough of a Purdue presence to capture the fan base.

“I’m a Purdue basketball fan through and through. I’m a season ticket holder who grew up a Purdue fan and a diehard Boilermaker. We’re in a bit of a Purdue sports lull during the summer, and I hope the team has enough Purdue presence that fans can enjoy watching us,” Kay said.

Men of Mackey fans can still purchase tickets for the 3 p.m. ET tip-off on Friday, July 19. TBT teams rely on fundraising to offset hotel, travel and meal costs. Fans interested in donating can do so at the Men of Mackey website.