New faces prove value for Herd That ahead of Best Virginia TBT rematch

The system that Herd That runs is akin to that of Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni, a run-and-gun offense that lets offensive-minded players take control of the game. It’s part of how Elmore and Taevion Kinsey, each now members of the Herd That roster, sit as the top two of the Marshall all-time leading scorer list.

“The biggest thing coming in was wanting to play the D’Antoni system,” Elmore said. “We don’t want to score 50 points, slow the game down and grind it out. We want to play a fast, fun and exciting brand. Guys like playing in that style. When you have the ultimate green light, it instills confidence in you to just go play and not think. It’s entertaining, and we have fun doing it.”

Throughout the TBT offseason, the focus for the Herd That team was to find its defensive footing. While the team has never struggled offensively in the tournament, having only scored under 70 points once and going on a 16-2 run to win in an Elam Ending as a 23 seed in 2020, defense was a spot where improvement could be made.

“That was our focal point going into this year, picking up defensive energy and overall toughness,” Elmore said. “We’ve always been able to score points, but can you get stops when you need them? We added JP (Tokoto), we added Rob (Gray), we added Tae (Kinsey) and we added Jarrod West. We have to win games on both sides of the court.”

Gray is one of the biggest additions to the new-look Herd That roster.

As a EuroCup Finals MVP and champion in 2021, Gray has been a force since his time at Houston. It’s especially true on the defensive side of the ball. Gray averaged over a steal per game in each of his collegiate seasons.

In his time with AS Monaco, the team with which he finished as MVP, Gray averaged 17.2 points per game.

He’s one of the new additions, but despite not bleeding Kelly Green, he’s found a home with the Herd alumni.

“These guys are Marshall guys,” Rob Gray said, pointing toward Kinsey and Elmore. “They reached out and welcomed me in. They have a core group of guys who are very familiar with each other. Basketball is a simple game. You pass when you should pass, and you shoot when you should shoot. You do what you’re good at. If you do that as a unit, you can be pretty tough to beat.”

The team’s ability to find assists on 21 of its 33 shots is impressive considering that its opponent, Zoo Crew, had just five in the entire contest. In the first round of the West Virginia regional, Herd That found the most assists of any team.

But Gray says good chemistry is hard to find in the TBT format.

“You have to understand that no one is perfecting team chemistry in the TBT,” Gray said. “Unless you play with each other all summer, it’s all about who gets hot, who understands each other and a little bit of love from the basketball gods.”

Gray continued, stating that D’Antoni’s system, often referred to as “Hillbilly Ball”, is the main attraction. Gray finished with 27 points on 10-14 shooting to lead the team.

“It’s a lot of guys who want to play the fun system and share the ball,” Gray said. “It’s contagious.”

Elmore finished as the lone player with 30 or more minutes on the night. The team finished with three players in double digit scoring as Elmore added 13, Derek Cooke Jr. added 13 and Jacorey Williams added 11. Two others, Tokoto and James Kelly, added 9.

“Another thing we harped on is that we have 12 guys. Not everyone can play 40 minutes,” Elmore said. “Everyone has to pull the rope in one direction, tug-of-war style to win the game. Guys sacrificing minutes brought energy when they were in, and I couldn’t be happier.”

The next challenge for Herd That will be Best Virginia, a team that saw a 22 and 12 performance from Kevin Jones, who also added in four blocks.

Best Virginia did most of its work inside. Erik Stevenson made four of the team’s eight threes to finish with 16 points.

Rather than Huntington versus Morgantown, the game is a bit of a basketball philosophy battle as well.

“West Virginia preaches that toughness. Grit and grind, grind out games and win ugly. Whatever it takes,” Elmore said of his perspective of the philosophical difference between Marshall and WVU. “We’ve got the offense, and we might be better on defense. There are those two college styles, but there are guys right out of college and 10-15 years removed from college. System and style wise, guys are different.”

Kinsey is one of those players right out of college.

As Marshall’s all-time leading scorer, Kinsey is fresh from a Summer League season with the Utah Jazz. He made the most of his limited minutes, adding four points and spacing the floor.

“It’s basketball,” Kinsey said. “It was a quick turnaround from Summer League to this. I’m glad to contribute whatever I can contribute. Guys are sacrificing minutes and some of those guys were out there on the court making a difference. No matter how my time works or how my opportunities look, I’m going to do my best always.”

Kinsey and West join the team as newcomers in 2023. Alongside Elmore and Rondale Watson, the quartet were members of the Marshall team that took home a CIT championship in 2019.

It was just the second postseason championship in Marshall basketball history. Kinsey was a freshman on that roster and is now reunited with Elmore and others who mentored him through his collegiate career.

“It means everything, that’s why I took this opportunity,” Kinsey said. “Knowing these guys, I learned a lot from them. All the way down the line. Jarrod, Jon, and Rondale. All of them taught me a lot of things at Marshall that I kept through my career. When I heard about the opportunity to play, I jumped straight to it. I remembered playing with these guys, and it was the most fun I ever had.”

But the journey is far from over. The regional semis rematch with Best Virginia comes after Herd That fell to the team 89-79 in the round of 32 matchup in 2022.

“The biggest thing we preached in training camp was that we’re playing for a million dollars on ESPN,” Elmore said. “If you can’t play hard for a game like that and bring energy while you’re in, you’re probably in the wrong place.”

For Elmore, it cuts a bit deeper. The team is yet to win the West Virginia region.

“Revenge, redemption,” Elmore said of Best Virginia. “They partied on us last year. They are a good team. They have vets and new guys to revamp the roster. It’s going to be a loud environment, but revenge is on our mind.”

The biggest addition could be Ot Elmore, Jon’s brother, who was absent from the first matchup as he took the West Virginia State Bar. He intends to return to the sidelines as one of the team’s biggest spark plugs.

“I talked to him today, he said he didn’t miss an answer,” Elmore said of his brother. “He’s the heart of this, he started the whole Herd That thing. He’s a huge piece energy and impact wise. I hope he kills the rest of the test and gets back up here for the game.”

Best Virginia’s matchup with Herd That begins at 7 p.m. on Thursday. The game can be seen on ESPN+.