AUSTIN, Texas — For the 10th straight summer, The Basketball Tournament (TBT) will tip off Wednesday at regional sites in Lubbock and Wichita, Kansas.
This will be the first year the Texas Longhorns will be represented in this popular 64-team single-elimination summer tournament that features "top professional, college alumni, amateur and international basketball players competing for a winner-take-all $1 million price."
KVUE stopped by Austin Own's practice on Monday morning at the Hyde Park Baptist Church gymnasium to learn more about the former Texas men's basketball team manager who helped piece together the Longhorns' first-ever TBT team.
Vincent Hu was a team manager for Rick Barnes from 2011 to 2013.
"I've always said BLT: Bring The Longhorns Together," Hu told KVUE.
The San Antonio native recently became a father for the first time and works full-time at his family's restaurant in his hometown. But over the past year, he has jump-started this new endeavor as Austin's Own general manager.
"It was kind of a no-brainer for me once I knew Vince was involved with him trying to put it together," said former Texas All-American Jordan Hamilton.
"[Hu] is a very intelligent guy, man," added former Longhorn and Austin's Own head coach Reggie Freeman. "He knows what he wants. He loves the Longhorns."
Hu said his "inspiration is just to bring all the guys back."
Hu bleeds burnt orange and said he wants Texas to be considered a basketball school. So, when he was watching TBT last summer, he said he was left wondering why the Longhorns weren't represented.
"So, I messaged the guys from TBT to see if we could get a team in for 2023, and I made sure I started reaching out to people to make sure we had everything we need to be eligible," Hu said.
"To be back, bringing the Longhorns together, it's a beautiful thing because we need that," Freeman added.
No. 5 Austin's Own (Texas) will open tournament play against No. 4 The Enchantment (New Mexico) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, July 19. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Chris Vosters and Seth Greenberg on the call.
All 63 tournament games will air on either ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU or ESPN+.