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Boeheim’s Army has recently announced their 2022 roster for The Basketball Tournament this summer. The defending champions will kick-start their campaign in the Syracuse regional in a little over a month as they’ll vie against 63 other teams around the country in order to win $1 million.

Playing in its eighth TBT, Boeheim’s Army stands nine players deep. Despite only bringing back four players from last year’s championship team, general manager Kevin Belby and Chairman Adam Weitsman have put together a team that boasts a mix of Syracuse University alumni and new outside additions. Here are the players on Boeheim’s Army this season:

Tyler Ennis (played at SU from 2013-2014)
In his singular season for the Orange, Tyler Ennis blossomed into a star. The Canadian native earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors and finished the 2013-14 year as one of 10 semifinalists for the Naismith Trophy (awarded to the top men’s collegiate basketball player of the season). During his short stint at Syracuse, Ennis is best known for his near-half court buzzer-beater against Pittsburgh. In the 2014 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns selected Ennis 18th overall. After bouncing around a little and spending some time in the G-League, Ennis now plays in the Turkish Basketball Super League for Tofas Bursa.

Rakeem Christmas (2011-2015)
After starting every game for three of his four years at Syracuse, Rakeem Christmas is a household name on the hill. The center racked up most of his collegiate accolades as a senior, winning the ACC Most Improved Player of the Year and Co-Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2015. He also earned ACC First Team and All-Defensive Team honors. After being drafted 36th in the 2015 NBA Draft, Christmas played for the Indiana Pacers and their G-League affiliate for two seasons. Now, Christmas plays in the Baloncesto Superior Nacional for team Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico.

DJ Kennedy
The first of four non-SU guys on the team, DJ Kennedy played at St. John’s. The 6’6” shooting guard went undrafted in the 2011 NBA Draft but found most of his success overseas. When it comes to the TBT, Kennedy is no stranger to success, winning five championships, four of which were consecutive with the Overseas Elite.

DeAndre Kane
Another ex-Overseas Elite player, DeAndre Kane played alongside Kennedy at the wing position over the four straight championship seasons. A former Conference USA Freshman of the Year, Kane spent three years playing at Marshall University before transferring to Iowa State University for his final year of eligibility. After going undrafted in the 2014 NBA Draft, Kane has played in Europe and most recently played for Peristeri of the Greek Basketball League during the 2019-20 season.

Kyle Wiltjer
A former McDonald’s All-American, Kyle Wiltjer came out of high school as the No. 18 ranked player in the class of 2011. After splitting his college years evenly between Kentucky and Gonzaga, Wiltjer went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft before spending his professional career playing overseas. This year, Wiltjer helped Spain’s Lenovo Tenerife win the 2022 Basketball Champions League. Wiltjer would go on to receive All-Champions League Second Team Honors. Playing with Boeheim’s Army in July will be his first year with the TBT.

Dee Bost
Bulgarian international player Dee Bost is another newcomer to this year’s team. A former SEC Freshman of the Year at Mississippi State, Bost went undrafted in 2012 despite being named as an all-SEC first-team player that year. Since 2021, Bost has played in the Turkish Basketball Super League for Galatasaray Nef.

CJ Fair (2010-2014)
CJ Fair was a 2012-13 All-Big East player and a 2013-14 All-ACC player during his time at Syracuse. The forward went undrafted in 2014 but has found a home in Dubai, representing Al-Naser Dubai in the UAE National Basketball League for the last three years. Alongside White last summer, Fair played an integral role as a forward during Boeheim’s Army’s championship run.

Andrew White (2016-17)
Another reigning TBT champion, Andrew White III played at Kansas and Nebraska University before joining Syracuse for a postgraduate year in 2017. In his lone season with the Orange, White averaged 18.5 points per game and beat Gerry McNamara’s school record for most made three-pointers in a single season. Despite being named to the All-ACC Third Team that year, White went undrafted and played for G-League affiliates in both Boston and New York. The 6’7” small forward now plays in the Turkish Basketball Super League for Büyükçekmece Basketbol.

Marek Dolezaj (2017-2021)
Marek Dolezaj played for Syracuse most recently of anyone on this team. After helping the Orange to a surprise run to the Sweet Sixteen in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, Dolezaj went undrafted. The 6’10” big man signed to Gymnastikos Syllogos Iraklis Basketball Club in the second-tier level Greek A2 Basket League.

Boeheim’s Army will play its first couple of games at the SRC Arena, located on the campus of Onondaga Community College. Regional games will take place from July 22-25 with tickets are already on sale.

Published on June 16, 2022 at 10:09 am

Contact Tyler: trschiff@syr.edu | @theTylerSchiff