After making its debut in the 2024 edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), Assembly Ball — a team of Indiana University alumni — is back for another run in 2025. This year’s tournament tips off next Friday, and the former Hoosiers will hit the court for their first game next Saturday at 4 PM ET.
The 2025 Assembly Ball roster brings even more IU flavor. Newcomers Al Durham and James Blackmon Jr. will be making their TBT debuts, while veterans like Yogi Ferrell, Troy Williams, Christian Watford, Juwan Morgan, Jordy Hulls, Race Thompson, and Miller Kopp return to the lineup.
In case you missed it last year, TBT turned out to be surprisingly entertaining — especially for summer basketball. Unlike the G League, where players are chasing a professional career, TBT features seasoned pros like Ferrell and Hulls who’ve spent years competing overseas. Add in the single-elimination format and matchups between former college rivals, and you get a compelling TV product — especially at a time of year when MLB dominates the sports calendar.
With Durham and Blackmon on board, this year’s team feels even more Indiana-centric than last year’s. The roster now spans multiple eras of IU basketball, featuring players who played under Tom Crean, Archie Miller, and Mike Woodson — some under two, some under all three.
While that coaching timeline might stir mixed memories for Hoosier fans, there’s something satisfying about seeing all those eras represented on the same team. It gives a sense of what might’ve been. Now you don’t have to wonder how Miller Kopp might have looked with better shooters and facilitators around him. Or what Yogi Ferrell could’ve done with more interior grit, thanks to guys like Juwan Morgan and Race Thompson.
You can view the full roster and schedule over at TBT’s official website. As of now, Assembly Ball is only guaranteed that first game — they’ll be looking to improve on last year’s showing, when they fell in the second round to a group of Purdue alumni.
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