Gibbs ignites flame for Carmen’s Crew in second round TBT win
COLUMBUS, Ohio –– The Carmen’s Crew contingent wasn’t quite as cold as its opponent, but the Ohio State alumni team could hardly buy a bucket in the first half of Sunday’s second-round matchup with Purdue alumni squad Men of Mackey.
Then along came Jeff Gibbs.
The 40-year-old Otterbein alum and ageless wonder, generously listed at 6-foot-2 by The Basketball Tournament’s roster listing, sprang to life with a late first-quarter flurry to get Carmen’s Crew in a much-needed offensive rhythm, and the team didn’t look back from there.
Top-seeded Carmen’s Crew blew past No. 8 Men of Mackey 80-69 Sunday at the Covelli Center on Ohio State campus, and Gibbs contributions were integral to the cause, as the low-post force of nature poured in 11 points on the day, including seven straight in the aforementioned stretch.
"Gibbs is huge. I mean that literally and figuratively," head coach Jared Sullinger said after the game. "He's huge for us. He's a strong big, he can shoot the ball he just chooses not to sometimes. He's a guy that we like to go to, and we're not afraid to go to him."
Mirroring its slow start in Friday’s tournament opener, Carmen’s Crew was just 10-for-31 from the floor with a little more than a minute to play in the first half Sunday, leading by six thanks to an even worse shooting performance from Men of Mackey, when Gibbs took matters into his own hands.
Gibbs lit the fuse with back-to-back tough buckets in the low post, a trademark of the TBT veteran’s rough-and-tumble style of play, before proving his offensive talents are not limited solely to the interior.
Carmen’s Crew created a turnover on Men of Mackey’s next trip down, and Gibbs was the first man down the floor for the Ohio State alumni team as the clock ticked down to its final seconds. Instead of looking for a layup though, Gibbs pulled the ball out behind the 3-point line, stopped and nailed a 3 to give Carmen’s Crew its largest lead of the half at 29-21.
The buzzer-beater brought the hometown Ohio State crowd to its feet, and the three-straight Gibbs baskets helped make him the game’s leading scorer at the half, with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.
"The game plan was to go at Robbie (Hummel) and try and take his legs on the offensive end as our defensive game plan," Sullinger said. "And obviously, it worked."
Gibbs’ roll did not stop there though. On the first possession of the second half, Carmen’s Crew went back to the hot hand down low, and Gibbs drew a foul to score a pair at the free throw line.
After that, he got some help from the rest of the team.
Carmen’s Crew found its stroke in the second half, shooting 58.6 percent to score 51 points, with former Ohio State wing William Buford getting hottest of all to finish with a game-leading 19 points.
Former Buckeye shooting guard Jon Diebler got into the action as well, hitting three-straight shots from deep in the third quarter alone, although one was subsequently ruled a 2-pointer.
By the time former Ohio State center Evan Ravenel knocked down a 3 with 8:14 to play in the fourth quarter to give Carmen’s Crew a 16-point advantage, it was clear that the result was all but in-hand.
Gibbs scored only two points in the second half to finish with 11, but his impact was definite and served as a turning point for Carmen’s Crew.
"I love playing with Jeff, and it's easy playing with all these guys, but Jeff in general," Buford said. "Any time he sets a screen, I'm wide open. Any time you throw it in, he's more than likely gonna get a bucket. He's smart, he knows the game, so Jeff is one of my favorite players I've ever played with."
Now with two wins under their belt in this summer’s tournament, Gibbs and Carmen’s Crew advance to face the winner of No. 4 seed The Region and No. 5 seed The Money Team in the third round.