Megan Gustafson’s TBT team has tough road to $2 million

It already was clear Megan Gustafson's path to $2 million in The Basketball Tournament would not be easy.

That path for the former Iowa women's basketball player became even more difficult Tuesday with the release of the TBT bracket. Her team Iowa United will play Wichita State's alumni team, the AfterShocks, in Wichita, Kan., July 25. The games will be at Koch Arena, where Wichita State plays most of its home games.

Iowa United earned a No. 7 seed out of eight teams in the region. The AfterShocks are the No. 2 seed.

Wichita State's alumni team includes one former NBA player and another nine players with professional experience overseas.

With a win against the AfterShocks, Iowa United would play the winner of Kansas' alumni team and Sideline Cancer in the second round. All games will be on ESPN.

Iowa United's roster features nine players from three Iowa schools and one player from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Urbandale native Matt Tiby. It's Iowa United's first season in TBT, but Iowa State had an alumni team in the tournament last year.

Other former Hawkeyes on the roster include Nicholas Baer, Peter Jok and Cyrus Tate. Former Iowa point guard Jeff Horner, who is now coaching Truman State's basketball program, will coach the team.

TBT is a winner-take-all summer basketball tournament involving 64 teams of current or former professional basketball players.

l Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com