The Enchantment looks to knock off third-consecutive Texas TBT squad

Jul. 22—Craig Snow, the former UNM Lobo assistant coach now in the same position at his alma mater Evansville and one of several coaches with The Enchantment, walked players through a fairly common play in practice inside the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, on Thursday. Fellow Enchantment assistant and former UNM point guard Dairese Gary, didn't think much of it when he shouted out the name of the play: "Lobo." "Hell na! That's Aggie!" chimed in one of the former NMSU Aggies on the Enchantment roster that combines former players from both rival schools and a few New Mexico high school stars who weren't recruited by either program, all coming together with one goal in mind: Winning the $1 million, winner-take-all TBT (The Basketball Tournament). As for what happened next, it wasn't exactly what a reporter looking for a good story or a fan expecting some rivalry smack-talk fodder would have hoped for. Snow called the play "middle." Boring. "We all laughed, had a little joke and it was over," said Scott Bamforth, the Del Norte High graduate, who said that in Spain, where he's played professionally for the better part of the past decade, they just call the play "head." "We just moved on. That was it. That was really the only time we've even really talked much about the Lobos or Aggies. We're having fun out here. We're all focused on what we need to do and like each other. I think the rivalry stuff is sort of for the fans and media to talk about. For us, we're just basketball players trying to win some games." Well, they've certainly got that part down. The harmonious Enchantment squad on Sunday morning (11 a.m. MT, noon CT streamed on ESPN+) will look to complete a Texas Sweep in Lubbock against Bleed Green, a squad of mostly University of North Texas players that, like Enchantment, rides two double-digit wins into the Round of 16 game. Enchantment on Wednesday beat Austin's Own, a University of Texas alumni team, 77-66, behind former Aggie Evan Gilyard (16 points and the game-ending 3-pointer) and Cibola High graduate Christian Cunningham (18 rebounds). Friday night, Bamforth's game-high 24 points (16 in the first quarter) set the tone and former Lobo Troy Simons (15 points) closed the door late in shutting down the host team Air Raiders, a team of Texas Tech alumni. "I just knew what kind of crowd they might have and what that meant for me," Bamforth said. "We needed to be aggressive early to try and take them out of it early." MONSTERS ON THE GLASS: The Enchantment has out-rebounded its first two opponents 93-52. Cunningham has 29 rebounds in two games. Noted on social media after Friday's game, one Lobo fan wrote: "Cunningham and (former NMSU Aggie Johnny) McCants are essential to this team's success." Bamforth shared that post, adding, "This is true!" The two big men have been tone setters on the glass and with their ability to defend in the pick and roll. KNOW THE FOE: Bleed Green is in its second year in TBT, going 2-1 last summer in the Wichita Regional as the No. 7 seed before falling to regional host After Shocks, 70-69, in a dramatic Round of 16 game. That game was one of three regionals (out of eight total) that was decided by one basket. BETTER THAN BEFORE: This is the third season Brandon Mason and Ryan Berryman have been the co-general managers for The Enchantment — a team originally created to include the best players from all over the state, regardless of college affiliation, but was then shifted in Years 1 and 2 to a UNM Lobo alumni team. In 2021, the team blew a 23-point second half lead and lost in Wichita, Kansas, in the opening round to the Stillwater Stars, an Oklahoma State alumni team coached by Fox Sports radio and television analyst Doug Gottlieb. Last year, it was a 1-1 showing for Enchantment in the Albuquerque Regional hosted in the Pit, beating The Panamaniacs (NMSU alumni) and then losing in the Round of 32 to Heartfire, a team coached by former NBA star LaPhonso Ellis. Now, with the re-structured roster makeup, the team has advanced at least a step farther once again to Sunday's third round. THE ROAD AHEAD: There is some time off for the teams in this TBT regional after Sunday, which could cause some scheduling issues for a group of guys not being paid to play in the TBT unless they win the whole thing. The Enchantment/Bleed Green winner plays in an Elite 8 game July 31 in Louisville with the Final Four (Aug. 2) and $1 million championship game (Aug. 3) in Philadelphia and Drexel University's Daskalakis Athletic Center.