Boston College Basketball: Skinner's Frate Train Headed For The Tournament

The boys are officially back.

Skinner's Frate Train, the Boston College alumni basketball team scheduled to play in The Basketball Tournament this summer, were officially accepted into the field of 64. One of 60 automatic bids given to teams, the band of former Eagle heroes will compete in the West Regional at Cal State-Los Angeles over July 9th and 10th.

The team received an official logo and official t-shirt, which is on sale for $25, as part of TBT's unveiling. Skinner's Frate Train finished as one of the top five teams receiving votes in the West Region with 1,064 votes, just about 40 behind Team BBALLBREAKDOWN out of Los Angeles

Gonzaga alumni team Few Good Men took home top votes in the West with 1,641 votes. Their team includes former players Austin Daye and Dan Dickau.

Under the direction of former Eagle Tyler Neville, Skinner's Frate Train will be comprised of a number of former BC basketball players. Among those ont he roster are Sean Marshall, Tyrese Rice, Craig Smith, Joe Trapani, Steve Hailey, John Oates, Brady Heslip, Marquez Haynes, and Akida McClain. Matt Ryan is attached to the team as a booster.

The Eagles are playing in part for Pete Frates. The Basketball Tournament is an open-application, 5-on-5, single-elimination tournament set up much like the March Madness field is played. Rosters of up to 16 (with a total of 11 players) are compiled and broken up into regions. TBT announced 60 of the top 64 teams via fan vote, locking them into the field, while the remaining four slots are filled by at-large bids of teams with seven or more players and at least 200 votes as of June 1st.

Four teams from each region will compete in the Super 16, which will be played on July 21-23 at the Gallagher Center at Philadelphia University. The four regional winners then advance to play at Rose Hill Gym in New York City, competing in semifinals on July 30th and the championship game on August 2nd. Rose Hill Gym is a 3,200 seat arena located at Fordham and is the second-oldest arena currently used within college basketball (behind only Northeastern's Matthews Arena).

Purple and Black, a team comprised of Kansas State alumni, were the leading vote getters with 4,115 fans. Behind them were The Bluegrass Boys, a Kentucky alumni team, with 3,294 fans. They both will play in the Midwest bracket.

Bluff City Blues (Memphis alumni) led the South region with 1,536, and Boeheim's Army, a team made up of Syracuse alumni, received the most votes in the Northeast with 2,783.

Seeding for the bracket has yet to be announced.