Herd That seeks regional title; Jones shines in possible TBT finale

WHEELING, W.Va. — As Best Virginia struggled to get shots to fall in the second half of last night’s TBT Regional semifinal against Herd That, the Marshall alumni team used a balanced scoring attack and strong efforts on the glass to prevail, 74-61. After the WVU alumni team eliminated Herd That last year in Charleston, Marshall’s squad returned the favor Thursday evening.

“At halftime, all we preached was to win 50-50 balls and making them take tough shots,” said Herd That guard Jon Elmore. “I think in the first half they got a few chippies, a few second chance points and just really put us in a hole. Credit JP [Tokoto]. We put him on one of their best scorers and kind of took him out of the game.”

Elmore called game for Herd That by sinking the game-winning 3-pointer six minutes into the Elam Ending. It was a shot similar to what the five-year professional player practices regularly.

“That’s something I work on every day, coming off screens and shooting shots off the dribble. And the end of the day, there is no substitution for practice and hard work. You just hope you can get those moments and capitalize. It is something I practice every day and I just had the opportunity to showcase it.”

Herd That is coached by Jon’s father, Gay Elmore. Jon says leading the team has been a collaborative effort.

“He doesn’t say that much. But he was like, ‘Look, all of you are professionals. All of you are grown adults. You all play at a high level. There’s really not much I can do that you don’t already know’. One-through-twelve and the coaching staff, it is really just working as a committee. We try to put the best product out there as possible. Maybe we win ugly. Maybe we win nice. Whatever to do to grind out a game.”

No. 4 Herd That will face No. 2 seed Sideline Cancer Saturday at 2 p.m. in the West Virginia Regional final. MetroNews will have radio broadcast coverage. The winner will face the Syracuse Regional champion in the national quarterfinal on Sunday at WesBanco Arena. Boeheim’s Army and Blue Collar U. will meet in the Syracuse Regional final Friday at 9 p.m.

“They’re going to have five guys on the court and we are going to have five guys on the court and it is a basketball game. It is what we have trained our whole lives for. That ball is going to tip off and we are going to see who has what.”

The Last Dance?

Kevin Jones and John Flowers are founding members of the Best Virginia team and both have hinted that this year’s TBT may be their last. Flowers retired from professional basketball in 2022 and he is now a financial planner in Morgantown.

Jones will head to Japan next week to start his 12th season of professional basketball. He led Best Virginia with 18 points and 13 rebounds on Thursday.

“I think he helped, especially guys like Erik [Stevenson], see what it is like to be a professional. That’s kind of your job as you progress through your career,” said Best Virginia head coach James Long. “You kind of aspire to be something when you are young and what to be like. And then as you progress towards the end of your career, you are kind of the guide to younger players. It is a cool facilitator for our alumni network for them to see guys like KJ.

“He’s always incredible. After Tuesday, we had optional shoot around. He was the first person there getting a full workout on Wednesday. It is cool to watch him in this stuff, regardless of it being TBT and not being in his professional season. He still treats it like he is playing in Japan. He’s got a support system here. He is methodical about how he goes about everything.”

“I would be remiss if I didn’t give him a shoutout,” Elmore said of Jones. “He is a Hall of Fame Mountaineer and in my opinion, one of the greatest Mountaineers there has been.”

Following Thursday’s game, Jones did not confirm that he had played his last game for Best Virginia. He did say that he looks forward to seeing a potential third matchup between Herd That and Best Virginia in 2024.

“I am sure it will sell tickets for next year,” Jones said. “I am sure they will put us in the same bracket and in the same position. It is 1-1 now, so they can sell the trilogy I guess. It is always fun playing against those guys. We know they had something extra to prove, especially from last year.”