In today’s edition of Banner Morning:
• Will Sheehey organizes charity video game tournament
• ‘The Bounty’ features former IU players competing against fans at NBA 2K
Transcript
Welcome Hoosier fans to today’s edition of Banner Morning — your daily rundown of IU basketball news and notes.
I’m Cameron Drummond and Will Sheehey is getting the band back together.
During this unprecedented period of quarantine, everyone is trying to find new ways to engage their minds while also reconnecting with friends through virtual means.
This dilemma is no different for past IU basketball players, and former IU player Will Sheehey has helped come up with a solution for a good cause.
Detailed in a story by Bloomington Herald-Times reporter Jon Blau, the 28-year-old Sheehey, who has never owned a video game system in his life, is putting together an online NBA 2K tournament that he calls “The Bounty.”
Set to be held on May 23, “The Bounty” will be a 2K contest featuring fans against basketball pros, with all the banter between them set to be live-streamed on Twitch.
Sheehey being the organizer of such an event is a departure from his normal character. He largely stayed out of the spotlight once his IU career was done, heading overseas to play in Montenegro, Greece, France and Portugal. But a groin injury that he had surgery to repair didn’t heal properly ahead of last season, which would have been Sheehey’s first in Germany. He was supposed to play alongside former IU guard Jordan Hulls, but that never came to pass.
Now retired, Sheehey recently moved to New York City after taking a sales job with a tech startup.
But the COVID-19 pandemic seemed to put things in perspective for Sheehey, as he told Blau he suddenly felt an urge to once again be around those teammates that he became separated from over the last few years.
“I was just missing it. I miss being around them,” Sheehey said. “I think it took a pandemic for me to realize how much I missed them.”
Among the notable former IU players who have signed on to play in “The Bounty” are Derek Elston, Christian Watford, James Blackmon Jr. and Hulls.
Each time a pro player is defeated, the victorious fan receives $250, keeping $125 of it while the other half goes to a COVID-19 relief charity. Both an XBox and PlayStation tournament will be offered, with a grand prize of $500 for the winner of each.
With a low entry fee of just $5 per player for the event on the website “The Gaming Stadium,” the opportunity to finally hoop against your favorite IU players should be affordable and enjoyable.
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For the links mentioned in this edition of Banner Morning, visit assemblycall.com.
Remember to use the URL iutickets.shop to visit SeatGeek for the best prices on IU basketball tickets. That’s iutickets.shop, promo code ASSEMBLY, for $10 off your first purchase.
We’ll be back on Tuesday with a new edition of Banner Morning. Until then, keep your elbows in, your eyes on the rim, and go Hoosiers.
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