Majerus SLU Crew seeks $1 million prize -- and a chance to honor their coach
ST. LOUIS -- They once played for him, but now they want to play in his honor.
Several recent Saint Louis University basketball alumni, who were recruited by and played under the late coach Rick Majerus, are hoping to qualify for The Basketball Tournament this summer, a three-round contest that culminates in a $1 million championship game broadcast on ESPN. If the former Billikens make it, they'll be paying tribute to their old coach every step of the way thanks to their team name, "Majerus SLU Crew."
The team is the brainchild of general manager Matt Marske, a four-year basketball manager at SLU who worked as a freshman under Majerus. While assembling the squad, Marske saw an opportunity not only to reunite former teammates, but to honor the man who'd brought them all together in the first place.
"I thought it was really the perfect way to honor him, and name the team, just because they had learned so much from him," Marske says. "I just saw, just as a freshman, going and seeing how these guys respected him and listened, how diligently they listened to him and took everything that he said so personally, that I just think it was the right thing to do."
The manager remembers a coach whose every word was genuine, whether he was complimenting or criticizing -- and he did both.
"You know that he meant everything that he said 100 percent, and I just think that means a lot to people," Marske says.
Former SLU standout Dwayne Evans, one of the Majerus SLU Crew members, says Majerus knew how to bring out the best in his team.
"That's something that a lot of coaches aren't able to do," he says.
He recalls the first time he met Majerus, an in-home visit where they sat around and talked basketball.
"He was really trying to teach my grandma more about the game than, I think, try to recruit me," Evans chuckles.
Still, the forward had an idea of what he was in for early on.
"I think I knew from the start that he was going to get every drop of talent and ability out of me," Evans says. "He was talking basketball from the second we met until the day I committed, so I already knew what I was signing up for."
On the Majerus SLU Crew, he'll be reunited with his former teammate Jordair Jet, with whom he went to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments. The other SLU members officially on the team include Mike McCall Jr. and Danny Brown, with Cory Remekun and Kwamain Mitchell likely to join. There are also a few non-SLU-affiliated players who will help form a 10- to 12-man roster.
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The team's first order of business, however, is making the cut. Entry into the tournament is based on the number of fans a team can generate; people sign up to "vote" for their favorite team, and the 18 teams with the most votes in their respective regions by June 1 are guaranteed a spot, with the rest of the participants chosen at-large by the tournament. Should the team make it past the first round, their transportation and lodging to the Super 17 in Chicago and the Championship Weekend in New York City will be paid for by the tournament.
Right now, Marske is hoping to generate a surge of fan support, especially since the top eight teams in voting receive a first-game bye. To that end, he's been working radio, word of mouth, SLU connections and social media, including the Majerus SLU Crew Facebook page.
"I think these last three weeks are when people are really going to start pushing the fan votes," he says, pointing out some alumni teams from marquee college basketball programs have a small number of votes. "I feel like eventually those big-time programs and alumni teams are probably going to start kicking off here soon."
There are cash and other incentives for fans who sign up -- "It's like a 30-second process," Marske assures -- and help recruit more of their kind. Of the $1 million winner's purse, $50,000 will be divided among the team's top fans. Others will get complimentary gear, such as a T-shirt.
In the end, however, members of the Majerus SLU Crew have a chance to play for even more -- the opportunity to honor the man who meant so much to them.
You can follow Elisabeth Meinecke on Twitter at @lismeinecke or email her at ecmeinecke@gmail.com.
