It looks like everything is moving forward with plans to play the $2 Million winner-take-all The Basketball Tournament this summer. We already know the defending champion Ohio State alumni team named Carmen’s Crew is planning to participate with some familiar names.
However, we also knew we were likely to hear about some new additions to this year’s team. And … as fate would have it, we got word of a new, yet familiar face Tuesday when Carmen’s Crew announced the addition of former Ohio State guard Lenzelle Smith, Jr.
Smith played under Thad Matta for Ohio State from 2010-2014 during a pretty good run. He was a part of the team that made the Elite Eight in 2013, and Final Four in 2012.
BREAKING: Please help us welcome Lenzelle Smith Jr. to the team for TBT 2020! Alongside Crafty, he won over 100 games as a Buckeye from 2010-2014. Pumped to have him on board! 🌰👏 @_NUMBER32 pic.twitter.com/ICJkpN0gjO
— Car❌en’s Crew (@CarmensCrew) May 26, 2020
Smith will bring a transition game, toughness, and shooting touch to a team looking to defend its tournament championship from last season. His inclusion now means there will be seven former Buckeye players on the nine-man roster.
He has most recently been playing overseas in the Israeli League with Hapoel Eilat in 2018-19 and Hapoel Tel Aviv in 2019. This past season he averaged 12.3 points, 5.6 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.6 steals.
Carmen’s Crew is set to defend its title on the campus of Ohio State in the Covelli Center from July 23-26.