Indiana Alumni Forming 'Assembly Ball' Team For The Basketball Tournament
Former Indiana basketball players will team up to compete for a $1 million prize in The Basketball Tournament this summer. The team is called "Assembly Ball," and it will play in July at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A group of Indiana men's basketball alumni will compete in The Basketball Tournament this summer.
The Basketball Tournament – also known as TBT – is a 64-team, single-elimination tournament with a $1 million prize for the winning team. The open-application tournament began in 2014 and has featured college basketball and NBA stars.
Indiana's team is called "Assembly Ball," and it will compete on July 19-23 at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus in Indianapolis, Ind. Tickets start at $10 and can be purchased at this link. Games will also be broadcast on ESPN.
On Wednesday, Assembly Ball announced the first three members of its team: Juwan Morgan, Troy Williams and Miller Kopp. The team will continue to announce the rest of its roster as the event nears.
The matchups will be announced at a later date, but games on Friday, July 19 will tip off at 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET. On Sunday, July 21, games tip off at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET. And on Tuesday, July 23, the regional final tips off at 7 p.m. ET. Check out the full schedule at this link.
Former Indiana forward Christian Watford will not play in the event, but he helped announce the team in the video below.
Morgan played at Indiana from 2015-19 under former head coaches Tom Crean and Archie Miller. The 6-foot-8 forward helped Indiana win the Big Ten regular season title and reach the Sweet 16 as a freshman in 2015-16. He averaged over 15 points and seven rebounds during his junior and senior seasons under Miller.
Morgan is one of three players – along with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Steve Downing – to record a triple-double in Indiana men's basketball history. He did so on Dec. 22, 2018 against Jacksonville, totaling 10 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists on 5-for-5 shooting.
Feb 22, 2019; Iowa City, IA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Juwan Morgan (13) dribbles against Iowa.
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After four seasons as a Hoosier, Morgan signed with the Utah Jazz as an undrafted free agent. He played 52 games in the NBA with the Jazz, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors and also played for their G-League affiliates. Now he plays for BC Zenit Saint Petersburg in Russia.
Williams was teammates with Morgan during the 2015-16 season. The 6-foot-7 wing averaged 13.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game that year, and he scored 13 points in the Hoosiers' win over Kentucky in the 2016 NCAA Tournament Round of 32. Williams played all three seasons under Crean from 2013-16, starting 94 total games. He scored a career-high 23 points three times, against Georgetown, Ohio State and Maryland.
Mar 19, 2016; Des Moines, IA, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Troy Williams (5) drives to the basket against Kentucky in the NCAA Tournament.
Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Following his Indiana career, Williams signed with the Memphis Grizzlies as an undrafted free agent. He spent three seasons in the NBA and played 72 total games with 17 starts for the Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and Sacramento Kings. In 2024, he played for the Taiwan Beer.
Kopp played two seasons with the Hoosiers from 2021-23 under coach Mike Woodson after beginning his career with three seasons at Northwestern. He helped Indiana reach the NCAA Tournament twice and go as far as the Round of 32 in 2023.
Kopp averaged 8.1 points per game and shot 44.4% from 3-point range as a senior in 2023-24. Following his Indiana career, he joined the Oklahoma City Thunder's G-Leauge affiliate, the OKC Blue, and helped them win the G-League Finals. Kopp averaged 8.3 points and shot 34.9% from 3-point range this season.
Indiana's Miller Kopp (12) shoots a three-pointer during the first half.
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY
