Former Titan To Play In The Basketball Tournament
Former UW-Oshkosh men's basketball All-American Adam Fravert is among 10 members of the We Are D3 team that will compete with 63 other squads for a $1 million prize in the 2021 version of The Basketball Tournament.
TBT was introduced to the world in 2014 with an 8:30 a.m. game in front of 17 fans in Philadelphia, Pa. The event has since hosted over 400 games, partnered with ESPN for global distribution, introduced a new way to end basketball games, paid out over $10 million in prizes, and crowned seven champions.
This is the third year in TBT for We Are D3, a team comprised of former NCAA Division III players. We Are D3 lost a 90-65 decision to the Sons of Westwood (UCLA Alumni) in 2018 and a 68-65 result to Boeheim's Army (Syracuse University Alumni) in 2019.
Four different teams have won TBT titles. Last year Golden Eagles Alumni (Marquette University Alumni) defeated Sideline Cancer, 78-73, in the championship game held in Columbus, Ohio. Previous winners were Notre Dame Fighting Alumni (University of Notre Dame Alumni) in 2014; Overseas Elite in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018; and Carmen's Crew (Ohio State University Alumni) in 2019.
Fravert and his We Are D3 teammates open this year's tournament against Team Challenge ALS on Friday (July 16) in Wichita, Kan. The 6 p.m. (CDT) game will be televised live on ESPN.
Team Challenge ALS owns a 10-4 record in TBT. The 2017 runner-up lost a 76-66 contest to Sideline Cancer in the second round of last year's tournament. Team Challenge ALS is led by former NBA and University of Washington player Justin Dentmon. The squad is coached by former NBA and UCLA standout Darren Collison.
The winner between We Are D3 and Team Challenge ALS advances to the second round to play Team Arkansas (University of Arkansas Alumni) or Fort Worth Funk (Texas Christian University Alumni).
Fravert played four seasons at UW-Oshkosh from 2017-20. During Fravert's final season with the Titans he was named Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Co-Player of the Year, National Association of Basketball Coaches Central District Player of the Year, a First Team All-American by the NABC and a Second Team All-American by D3hoops.com.
The Marshfield High School graduate led the Titans in 2020 with 18.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 blocks per game to go along with 65 made 3-pointers, a .810 free throw percentage and 13 double-doubles. Fravert paced UW-Oshkosh in scoring on 15 occasions, in assists 18 times and in rebounds 17 times as the Titans concluded the year ranked 23rd in the country by D3hoops.com with a 20-9 record after advancing to the second round of the Division III Championship.
Fravert finished his senior campaign leading the WIAC in rebounding, made 3-pointers, blocks, and double-doubles. Starting all 29 games in 2020, Fravert scored in double figures 27 times, including a career-high 37-point effort on 15 of 23 shooting from the field with eight rebounds, six assists and three blocks against LaGrange College (Ga.) on Dec. 30. He had 32 points and 11 rebounds at UW-Platteville on Jan. 29, and 30 points at Emory University (Ga.) on Dec. 29.
Fravert is a three-time All-WIAC selection, garnering Co-Player of the Year honors in 2020 and First Team accolades in 2019 since being named to the league's Honorable Mention Team in 2018. He concluded his 115-game career ranked second in program history with 158 blocks, third with 802 rebounds, fourth with 312 assists and 11th with 1,459 points.
Fravert helped UW-Oshkosh to a 91-31 record, one WIAC postseason title and one league regular season championship in his four seasons. The Titans' 2019 WIAC regular season title was the program's first outright since 1978, while their 2020 postseason conference championship was the school's fourth.
Fravert and UW-Oshkosh made four consecutive trips to the Division III Championship, beginning with a first-round appearance in 2017. The Titans then reached the national championship game in 2018 before securing the program's first Division III title in 2019 with a 96-82 victory over Swarthmore College (Pa.) as Fravert was named to the five-member All-Tournament Team.
Fravert played basketball in Denmark for Stenhus Basketball College following his senior season at UW-Oshkosh.
"Our program is thrilled for Adam to have this opportunity," said UW-Oshkosh head men's basketball coach Matt Lewis. "Adam had a great season in Denmark and has continued to invest in his game. We can't wait to watch Adam and his We Are D3 teammates compete in TBT. It is great exposure for our level and this team will represent Division III well. The entire UW-Oshkosh community is behind him."
In addition to Wichita, Charleston, W.Va., Columbus, Ohio, and Peoria, Ill., will also host the first three rounds of this year's TBT. The final eight teams will advance to Dayton, Ohio, for the quarterfinal, semifinal, and championship rounds. The championship game for the $1 million winner-take-all prize is scheduled for Aug. 3. All games of TBT will air on the ESPN family of networks.
2021 The Basketball Tournament Bracket
2019 We Are D3 Box Score vs. Boeheim's Army
2018 We Are D3 Box Score vs. Sons of Westwood
Adam Fravert Highlights (UW-Oshkosh)