Why former KU Jayhawks star Frank Mason III will play in TBT — for Syracuse squad
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Frank Mason III joins Syracuse alumni team for 2025 TBT, leaving KU squad.
- JHX Hoops adds McCormack, Preston, Young and Traylor to strengthen 2025 roster.
- Kansas City Regional games begin July 19 with KU facing No. 7 seed OffDaHook.
Former University of Kansas basketball guard and 2017 consensus national player of the year Frank Mason III will play in The Basketball Tournament for a second straight season, event organizers announced Wednesday.
In a wild twist, Mason, who ran the point for KU’s alumni team last July, has switched squads and will play for Boeheim’s Army, a collection of former Syracuse players.
The Syracuse team, the TBT X account wrote on Wednesday, “is locked and loaded for a DEEP TBT RUN!”
The Syracuse alumni team (Boeheim’s Army) is seeded No. 1 in the Syracuse Regional. KU’s team, which is named JHX Hoops this year, is seeded No. 2 in its Kansas City regional.
Former KU point guard Tyshawn Taylor, general manager of the JHX Hoops/KU alumni team, provided a statement to The Star on Wednesday night in response to The Star’s request for a comment about Mason playing for Syracuse, and not his alma mater.
“TBT started for us as a way to bring former Jayhawks back to Lawrence — reconnect with teammates, represent KU, and hoop during the summer when there’s no ball being played,” Taylor’s statement read. “The chance to win $1 million (in winner take all tourney) was just the cherry on top.
“It’s also about reconnecting with coach (Bill) Self, the assistant coaches, and the best fans in the nation —Jayhawk Nation. That bond is what makes this so special every summer. Getting the team together costs money, and as GM, I’ve always wanted the guys to show up without having to worry about travel or expenses. Thanks to our amazing sponsors and donors, we’ve been able to cover lodging, meals, and even per diem for their time.
“That said, Frank got an offer from another TBT team with a donor that has an unlimited budget. They made him an offer we couldn’t — and probably wouldn’t — match. We support him 100% and wish him the best. We’re super excited about the team we’re putting together and can’t wait to announce more players over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned (and) Rock Chalk.”
Mason has not yet responded to a request for comment.
TBT officials revealed four additions to the KU roster earlier this week: David McCormack, Billy Preston, Jamari Traylor and Kevin Young.
McCormack, one of the heroes of KU’s NCAA title game victory over North Carolina in 2022, averaged 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game while playing for Alba Berlin (Germany) in the Euroleague this past season. He averaged 8.1 points and 5.2 boards in games played in Germany’s domestic league.
McCormack could be a candidate for jersey retirement at KU someday, considering that many felt he should have been MVP of the Final Four. He scored 25 points against Villanova in the 2022 national semifinals and 15 points with 10 rebounds in the championship game against North Carolina.
Preston, who because of NCAA issues never played in an official game at KU, was on the Jayhawks’ TBT team a year ago. He had 18 points in an opening game against Ram Up.
Preston played for a team in Tijuana, Mexico this past March after playing for a team in South Africa earlier in the season.
Young and Traylor, meanwhile, have been members of KU’s TBT team each of the last two years.
Other members of KU’s 2025 TBT team include Cliff Alexander, Nick Timberlake and Lagerald Vick. Additional players will be added. Sherron Collins is the team’s head coach, while Taylor, Stephanie Temple and Scott “Scooter” Ward serve as GMs of the JHX Hoops squad.
JHX Hoops will co-host the Kansas City Regional alongside Kansas State’s alumni team, Purple Reign. The regional will be held July 19-23 at KC’s Municipal Auditorium.
The winner of the Kansas City Regional will advance to the TBT quarterfinals on July 28. The semifinals will be held on July 31 and the TBT’s $1 million championship game will be played Aug. 3.
In its opening matchup, the No. 2-seeded KU squad will meet No. 7-seed OffDaHook, a team from New York, at 3 p.m. on July 19 at Municipal Auditorium.
KSU’s Purple Reign, the No. 3 seed, opens against Houston’s “The Shine” at 1 p.m. on July 19 at Municipal. Former KU forward Cam Martin, who also played at Missouri Southern, Jacksonville State and Boise State, is on K-State’s roster, the league announced Tuesday.
The winner of the Purple Reign-Shine game will face the winner of JHX Hoops-OffDaHook in the second round at 8 p.m. on July 21. The Kansas City Regional’s championship game is set for Wednesday, July 23 at 6 p.m.
The winner of the Kansas City Regional will play the winner of the Wichita Regional in the quarterfinals at 8 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. The semifinals and $1 million winner-take-all title game will be July 31 and Aug. 3, respectively. The other two teams in the Kansas City regional are the No. 4-seeded Sheffield Sharks and No. 5-seeded DaGuys of St. Louis.
For more information on this year’s tourney, visit tbthoops.com.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Why former KU Jayhawks star Frank Mason III will play in TBT — for Syracuse squad."
