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Former Mountain Hawks Playing Key Roles in Ex-Pats TBT Team

7/15/2021 2:54:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Support

The Ex-Pats are set to face the AfterShocks on Friday at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

By: Justin Lafleur, Lehigh Sports Communications
 
Lehigh fans… does this sound familiar? A 15 seed playing a two seed on a Friday night on national TV.
 
The last time it happened involving Lehigh, the Mountain Hawks' men's basketball team beat Duke in the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
 
Nine years later, the Ex-Pats are looking to make their own magic this Friday night (July 16) at 9 p.m. ET as they face the AfterShocks (Wichita State alumni) on ESPN2.
 
Who are the Ex-Pats? A team of Patriot League alumni who were accepted into The Basketball Tournament (TBT) – a single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States with the winning team taking home $1 million.
 
The head coach and general manager of the Ex-Pats is Lehigh alum Jack Lieb '20, who is currently a graduate assistant on the Vanderbilt staff.

"The idea was brought up last summer when I was watching the TBT," he said. "I envisioned myself having the opportunity to create a team, and I set that goal for myself last summer. I thought, wow, there's never been a team from the Patriot League, and we have some unbelievable guys as far as talent goes. The opportunity to not only bring awareness to these guys and their professional careers and show the world what we can do from a basketball standpoint, but to also bring awareness to the league is something I wanted to do."
 
Flash forward to today, as the Ex-Pats were accepted into the 64-team field (as a 15 seed). Just under a month after the selection show, the team – which features 12 players, five of which are former Mountain Hawks – are on location in Wichita, Kansas preparing for their Friday night showdown against the Wichita State alums.
 
The roster features Lehigh alumni Zahir Carrington '10, Jordan Cohen '20, Kyle Leufroy '19, Mackey McKnight '14 and Kahron Ross '18. Lieb's classmate David Roelke '20 has played an instrumental role from the beginning as director of operations, while another Lehigh alum – Dozie Mbonu '92 – is also an advisor.
 
 
"After Jack applied, we knew we we'd have to figure out some next steps," said Roelke. "Jack and I are best friends and college roommates, and those working relationships can be a little difficult if you don't set boundaries and make some adjustments. So that was the first step in determining roles. It was a lot of dividing up our responsibilities and coming back with a game plan."
 
Lieb and Roelke certainly did just that – and the professional way in which they've run the Ex-Pats played an important factor in even being accepted to the tournament. 
 
"A big component that TBT expressed as a consideration was the organization of the staff and how professionally they're running their team," said Lieb.
 
Lieb and Roelke couldn't be more excited about the talent on the roster, which came together due in large part to the relationships they developed during their time at Lehigh (and in the Patriot League).
 
"Going into it, I wanted to ensure we maximized every possibility as far as our efforts into getting in," said Lieb. "I wanted to make sure we left no stone unturned. That came with bringing this roster together, adding some really key pieces – even recently with the huge addition of Jordan Burns from Colgate.
 
"We have a lot of guys who can contribute in a lot of different ways," Lieb continued. "I'm excited. I think we have a good chance. The stage is set, so we just have to come out and perform to the best of our abilities."
 
Don't be fooled. These aren't pickup games. The Ex-Pats arrived in Wichita on Wednesday to get some practices in and develop chemistry.    
At a young age, Lieb has developed a passion for coaching and will be using what he learned at Lehigh and Vanderbilt when coaching the Ex-Pats.
 
"I'm running things as professionally as possible," he said. "We're having practices Wednesday and Thursday, then a shoot around on Friday. Meetings, film sessions, I want us to be as prepared as possible Friday night. Some of these guys have played with each other, but most don't know each other as well. I need to be able to assess the chemistry and really evaluate, but at the same time, these guys need to get comfortable with each other."
 
Leading into the team being together for the first time, Lieb did plenty of advance preparation. He watched film of the individual players and began to map out what he envisions the Ex-Pats will look like come gameday.
 
"Our guards are extremely talented," said Lieb. "There's going to be a lot of ways in which they're utilized. I think we can play fast. The AfterShocks are going to play fast. They're athletic, and I think we are as well. I believe our guards match up with them very well. Our bigs all have high motors; they're strong, love to run and bang.
 
"I've have some stuff in my back pocket that I'm going to run and I have a good scheme planned out," Lieb continued. "I love being the underdog. Hopefully, we can prove some people wrong and make a name not only for ourselves, but also continue that legacy and reputation for the Patriot League as a whole."
 
The Basketball Tournament helps put the players, and coaches, on a national stage.
 
"We arguably have the best game of the tournament," said Lieb. "The AfterShocks' crowd is probably the most enthusiastic and rowdy crowd there is. I've been told that the crowd is sold out, so it's going to be a big-time game and putting us primetime on ESPN2, what more could you ask for?"
 
"(TBT) is something we've both watched year in and year out," said Roelke. "I've seen guys I've played with and against in The Tournament, and we know the kinds of teams and competition that we've played with and against in the Patriot League. And it was like, why couldn't we win this thing?"
 
The first step is Friday night at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
 
 
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