Happy Valley Hoopers One Step Closer to Million Dollars

PITTSBURGH — The Penn State Basketball Alumni Team, Happy Valley Hoopers, won their first round game in The Basketball Tournament (TBT) and advanced to play the UConn Alumni Team in the second round.

Playing in TBT for the second time, Happy Valley Hoopers earned their first ever tournament win, defeating Dubois Dream 88-77 on the campus of Pittsburgh University.

Penn State Basketball, Sam Sessoms, Happy Valley Hoopers — Mar 11, 2022; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions guard Sam Sessoms (12) dribbles the ball while Purdue Boilermakers forward Mason Gillis (0) defends in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Leading nearly the entire game, the Hoopers were led by Sam Sessoms with 20 points. All five starters finished in double digits, a complete turnaround from last years 1st Round loss where Happy Valley only scored 49 points total.

Greg Lee had 17 points and the Jones, Myreon and Curtis, added 16 and 15 respectively. Captain John Harrar had a double double (11 points and 14 rebounds), playing crucial minutes with the absence of Qudus Wahab.

The Hoopers were further shorthanded without Izaiah Brockington, who had a NBA Summer League game but is expected to play Monday, and Josh Reaves. Both Trent Buttrick and the only non-PSU Alum, Jawuan Daniels, were key off the bench.

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The Dubois Dream lost yet another opening round game, but were pesky throughout. An early 4th quarter run ballooned the Hoopers lead to 16, which all but ended the game.

The path gets even harder, as Happy Valley will take on number one seed Stars of Stoors, the University of Connecticut Alumni team. The Huskies have won the last two NCAA National Championships, and their Alumni team won their first round game 85-52. The game is tomorrow at 6:00 pm, back in the Petersen Events Center.

The nightcap will feature a TBT version of the Backyard Brawl, with Pitt and West Virginia Alumni teams battling. The two winners will play on the regional final Wednesday night.

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Evan Smith

Evan Smith is an alum of Penn State (Marketing, Economics, 2011) and a basketball season ticket holder since 2006.

NittanyCentral is his second reporting job following the Men's Basketball program. He co-founded and co-hosts the Shots Gotta Fall - The Penn State Basketball Podcast (the premiere, the best, the only) with Steve Travis.

Smith's most proud moment covering the team was seeing the national No. 9 ranking during Pat Chambers' last year. His most embarrassing moment was spending almost a thousand dollars to travel 2,000 miles in 46 hours to watch the Nittany Lions lose to Temple in the 2011 NCAA Tournament (screw you Juan Fernandez).