Former UConn champs to compete for $1 million in The Basketball Tournament

College Basketball

Updated May. 1, 2024 12:18 p.m. ET

The Stars of Storrs are on the way!

Former UConn national title winners Ryan Boatright, DeAndre Daniels, and Joey Calcaterra have committed to compete in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) this summer — alongside other Husky alumni — as the Stars of Storrs.

The team will represent the back-to-back national champions in the 11th year of the March Madness-style event, which features a $1 million winner-take-all prize airing on FOX Sports.

[Everything to know about The Basketball Tournament]

Boatright and Daniels will reunite as teammates after bringing home the national title in 2014. They will join Calcaterra, who was a part of the Dan Hurley-led 2023 championship team.

“Representing UConn in this tournament means everything because you get to put those colors on again and play for a common goal: winning another championship on a national stage with your brothers,” Boatright said.

“Reuniting with Deandre will be fun, and I’m super excited about it,” he continued. “We did some amazing things together on the court and are looking to continue that success this summer.”

Stars of Storrs was organized by University of Connecticut alum Marc D’Amelio and the D’Amelio Huskies Collective, which has been assisting UConn student athletes, including current hoopers Donovan Clingan, Stephon Castle, and Hassan Diarra, with name, image, and likeness (NIL) opportunities since it was founded in 2022. If the Stars of Storrs wins TBT’s $1 million prize, $100,000 will be donated to the Collective.

“Initially, a UConn fan on Twitter asked me to put together a team,” D’Amelio said. “I love building brands, teams, and UConn basketball, so assembling a UConn TBT team combines everything I am passionate about.”

D’Amelio will serve as the team’s general manager, while Chris Smith, UConn’s all-time leading scorer, will be the team’s head coach.

Smith, a member of the UConn Basketball All-Century Team, played for the Huskies from 1988-1992 and holds the all-time scoring record with 2,145 points. The former point guard is excited about the opportunity to coach a mixture of Huskies from different generations.

“To be one of the first highly recruited people from Connecticut to be the head coach is amazing,” Smith said of the coaching opportunity. “To be able to coach ex-Husky players from different time eras will be fun for myself and for the players. They will get a chance to play with guys they watched as well.”

TBT’s 64-team field is composed of eight regionals with eight teams in each, all hosted on the campus of a powerhouse college basketball team. If Stars of Storrs advances out of the Pittsburgh Regional, they’ll play in TBT’s quarterfinals on July 29.

TBT’s semifinals and $1 million championship game will be held August 2 and August 4 at Drexel University in Philadelphia.

Before Stars of Storrs departs for Pittsburgh, there will be an open practice for fans to attend in Connecticut. The date and time will be announced on Stars of Storrs social media platforms, @starsofstorrs.

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