Technically, Philly already had a million dollar team in the $1 million TBT tournament

The Basketball Tournament tipped off last weekend, and in a competition that awards $1 million to its winner, there is no name more fitting for a contestant than Million Dollaz Worth of Game.

That’s the team that Philly natives Nasir “Gillie Da Kid” Fard and Wallace “Wallo” Peeples entered in the 64-team, single-elimination tournament this year. Gillie and Wallo are hosts of the popular Barstool Sports podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game, so they didn’t have to look far to find an appropriate moniker for their squad.

The Million Dollaz team, who will have to wait another year to contend for the prize after being eliminated in the Round of 64, was a rebranding of the Broad Street Birds, a group of Temple alumni who competed in TBT last year. Though that team is no longer, there was still plenty of Philly flavor.

It started with longtime coach Tony Paris, who Gillie and Wallo hired to run the team. Paris is a New York native, but has lived in Philly for the last 25 years and calls it a “second home.” He coached the Broad Street Birds last year and the Brotherly Love team in 2019, and outside of TBT, he had stints at Camden High School and Rocktop Academy, among others.

“It means a lot to [the team] being represented by Gillie and Wallo, two guys from Philly who also made names for themselves and are very popular in the city of Philadelphia,” Paris told The Inquirer.

Paris first connected with Gillie at a 76ers game a few years ago. He told the North Philly rapper about Coach Tone Runs, his popular pickup basketball series in Philly that draws in professional and college players. Gillie, who played basketball at Benjamin Franklin High School and later at Cabrini College, started showing up and playing (he’s a “pretty good point guard”, according to Paris).

“We just built a relationship through that,” Paris said. “During the course of that process, we started talking about TBT and … working together and putting a team in TBT. … It all started through Coach Tone Runs.”

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Paris and his podcasting counterparts filled the team with local guys, many of which they recruited through Coach Tone Runs. Million Dollaz featured Koby Thomas, Seth Pinkney, Erik Copes, and Sean Lloyd Jr., a quartet of Philly-born hoopers who played Division I basketball. Chester native and Morgan State alumnus Stanley Davis Jr. joined the team as well.

There was a Temple presence, too. Andrew “Scootie” Randall and Anthony Lee suited up for the squad, and a third former Owl, Nate Pierre-Louis, would have joined the team for the Round of 32 on Monday had they advanced past the first round.

“From being born and raised in Philly, I think we bring something different,” said Randall, who attended the now-defunct Communications Tech High School in Southwest Philly. “We bring a different flavor to the game, and that’s our competitiveness. … It’s always great to have a few people from your home base to keep that core going.”

Added Paris: “I don’t think we can play without the Philly-based players. We all play together every day … working out, training. It just made sense to play with guys in TBT [who] are in the gym together every day, because it just builds camaraderie and chemistry.”

TBT itself has ties to Philly. The inaugural tournament was held at Jefferson University (then Philadelphia University) in 2014, and the semifinals and final of this year’s edition will be played at Drexel’s Daskalakis Athletic Center from Aug. 2-4.

While a gutting 98-95 loss to Zoo Crew, a team of Pitt alumni, ended Million Dollaz’s chance to win $1 million in their home city, the money was never at the front of their minds. Paris talked at length about the passion of Philly hoopers, saying they “play their hearts out” in plenty of summer leagues that don’t offer money. He admitted that a $1 million prize for winning six basketball games was appealing, but that’s not what brought his players out to compete.

“I think they love the game more than the reward — especially Philly guys,” Paris said. “Philly guys are just different. … Gritty, hard-working, talented, skilled, and all that together. They just love what they do. Even if there [were] no reward, they would still be playing.”

Despite the defeat, that grit was on full display. Million Dollaz was in the Pittsburgh Region of TBT, where games were played at Pitt’s Petersen Events Center. That gave Zoo Crew home-court advantage, but a team of Philly natives had no problem assuming the villain role.

Down 13 points midway through the third quarter, Million Dollaz fought back and took a late 93-92 lead on a layup by Copes. In the end, Zoo Crew came up with a couple of big stops down the stretch and eked out a narrow victory. Randall, who played in TBT for the third time this year, realizes the importance of the tournament spans far wider than wins and losses.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for players and alumni … to be seen on a big stage and give everybody a chance to make something out of it,” Randall said. “I think it’s really bigger than the game of basketball.”

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