Baye Moussa Keita: "I'm Always Learning."

By Kelsey Snider 
Photos by Kelsey Snider, Staff

SYRACUSE, NY --  The squeak of the shoes and the pounding of the basketball on the floor let you know Boeheim's Army was back in the Melo Center this week. On Thursday night, former Syracuse players were in the gym practicing for The Basketball Tournament which starts in Philadelphia on Saturday, Once again, Baye Moussa Keita was at home under the basket.

This is the second year that Boeheim’s Army will compete in The Basketball Tournament (TBT). TBT works just like the NCAA tournament, meaning there are 64 teams in total, with 16 teams in each region. The teams are working for a chance to win 2 million dollars. If Boeheim’s Army wins, they will give $50,000 of their winnings to the Jim and Juli Boeheim Foundation.

Except for Purdue alum Willie Deane, Boeheim's Army consists of former Syracuse players all of whom trained under Coach Jim Boeheim. The team started in 2015 and the choice of name seemed obvious.


Key contributor, then and now

One of the key players will be the 6'10" center Keita, who played for Syracuse from 2010-2014. He had only eleven starts while at SU, but played in 137 games, one of the few players to play that many for Syracuse. At the end of his senior year, Keita was honored with an award named after him by Boeheim. It will be awarded to future players who best represent the program in the classroom, on campus and in the community, and who display an unselfish commitment to the team. 

Following his career at SU, Keita went on to play overseas professionally. He played in Belgium and will now play in his second season with Horsens IC in Denmark. Horsens IC won the league championship last year with Keita's strong presence on defense.

Keita was ranked sixth in the league in rebounding and second in blocked shots. At the end of season, he was named Defensive Player of the Year. Keita said playing overseas has helped get him ready for this weekend and the weekends to come in the TBT.  

Experience counts

"I'm always learning with the game of basketball," Keita said in an interview following the scrimmages, "I'm always learning with these guys which is really great."

Keita going up for a layup on
Thursday night's practice.

This will be Keita's second year playing for Boeheim's Army. Keita said having played last year in the TBT will help give him the upper hand in knowing what some of the teams will do this year. With the first game of The Basketball Tournament right around the corner, Keita says since most of the team played for SU, they know the system already and the strengths and weaknesses of each player.

Keita said playing on this team not only means the chance of winning $2-million, but it means getting to play with some of Syracuse's greats.  During Thursday night's practice, you could tell that the players were not afraid to challenge each other and hold each other to a high standard

"I was starstruck at the same time I was like this is a really great experience because I'm learning from one of the best guys I've ever played with under the Syracuse jersey," Keita said.

Strength and Strategy


General Manager Kevin Belbey says the team is bigger and better this year with the additions of 7-foot center Darryl "Mookie"Watkins, point guard Brandon Triche and small forward C.J. Fair, who is expected to join the team during the tournament. Boeheim's Army will stick to using the famous 2-3 zone defense as well as the offensive system that the players used while at SU. Coach Ryan Blackwell, another former SU player, says the Army will focus more on its game strategy, rather than trying to put a ton of focus on their opponents.

On Saturday, Boeheim's Army, No. 2 seed, will face No. 15 seed, Basketball City NYC at 7:30 pm EST in Philadelphia, Pa. for the first round of The Basketball Tournament.