Jimmer Fredette and his 5-year-old daughter Wesley arrive to watch the Brigham Young Cougars play the Pepperdine Waves.
Jimmer Fredette and his 5-year-old daughter Wesley arrive to watch the BYU Cougars play the Pepperdine Waves at the Marriott Center in Provo on Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022. Fredette is one of 15 Utah ties who will play in this year’s The Basketball Tournament. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
Brandon Judd

By Brandon Judd

Former BYU basketball star Jimmer Fredette is returning to the basketball court to take his shot at a $1 million prize at The Basketball Tournament this summer.

So, too, will 15 total Utah ties who are playing in this year’s version of the single-elimination, winner-take-all event that’s headed into its ninth season.

This year’s 64-team TBT field was unveiled Wednesday and it includes 71 players with NBA experience, according to ESPN, among them six former Utah Jazz players.

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The 33-year-old Fredette joins The Money Team, the No. 1 seed in the Dayton Region, and Fredette’s brother, TJ, will serve as general manager for the team.

“I’m going to get out and play again and have fun,” Fredette told ESPN. “My brother is part of getting the team together. It should be a lot of fun to get back out on the court again and play competitive basketball.”

Fredette will have some familiar company on The Money Team, with former Jazzmen Trevor Booker and Jeremy Evans as his TBT teammates.

In addition to six former Utah Jazz players, there are four former BYU players, two from the University of Utah and one each from Weber State, Southern Utah and USU Eastern playing in the 2022 tournament.

Fredette played for the Shanghai Sharks in 2021 before taking the winter and spring off to spend time with family, per ESPN.

He played in The Basketball Tournament in 2018, helping Team Fredette advance to the semifinals that year.

“It’s always great,” he told ESPN. “At this point, it’s just about trying to win. Just doing whatever it takes to advance. I was fortunate last time to have a really great tournament, be the leading scorer. That’s cool, but it’s about surviving and advancing. It’s about trying to win these games and move forward. Get toward that 1 million.”

Utah ties playing in The Basketball Tournament

Stillwater Stars

  • Brandon Averette, BYU guard.
  • Jayce Johnson, University of Utah center.

Lone Star Legends

  • Frank Bartley, BYU guard.

Team Overtime

  • Malcolm Thomas, Utah Jazz forward.

The Money Team

  • Trevor Booker, Utah Jazz forward.
  • Jeremy Evans, Utah Jazz forward.
  • Jimmer Fredette, BYU guard.

Athletics Miami

  • Jacob Calloway, Southern Utah forward.

Red Scare

  • Kosta Koufos, Utah Jazz center.

Sideline Cancer

  • C.J. Miles, Utah Jazz forward.

Defeat Diabetes

  • Zac Seljaas, BYU and Bountiful High forward.

The Enchantment

  • Darington Hobson, USU Eastern forward.
  • Scott Bamforth, Weber State guard.

L.A. Cheaters

  • Sedrick Barefield, University of Utah guard.

Friday Beers

  • Jarrell Brantley, Utah Jazz forward.

First-round TBT games featuring Utah ties

Full TBT bracket

Wichita Regional

  • No. 4 Stillwaters Stars vs. No. 5 Air Raiders, July 22.
  • No. 6 Lone Star Legends vs. No. 3 Purple & Black, July 22.

Omaha Regional

  • No. 6 Team Overtime vs. No. 3 Omaha Blue Crew, July 16.
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Dayton Regional

  • No. 1 The Money Team vs. No. 8 Athletics Miami, July 24.
  • No. 3 Red Scare vs. No. 6 Cititeam, July 24.

Xavier Regional

  • No. 2 Sideline Cancer vs. No. 7 Defeat Diabetes, July 18.

New Mexico Regional

  • No. 4 The Enchantment vs. No. 5 Panamaniacs, July 18.
  • No. 3 L.A. Cheaters vs. No. 6 Ram Up, July 18.

Syracuse Regional

  • No. 3 Friday Beers vs. No. 6 Mental Toughness, July 22.
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