City of Basketball Love

Anthony Dabbundo (@AnthonyDabbundo)
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Years after the end of his basketball career, Tim Drisdom never expected to be playing high-level, televised, organized basketball again.

Now with a family of his own, and pursuing a career in music, the former Utah point guard had thought his basketball days were over.

That is, until he was contacted by fellow Utes alumni to form a team to compete in the 2015 edition of The Basketball Tournament.

Last year, Team Utah advanced to the Super 16 in Chicago before losing to LAUNFD. But this year, the Utes are determined to go even further, and take the grand prize in the 64-team tournament with the winner-take-all prize of $2 million.

After a win over the Utah State alumni and a revenge win over LAUNFD, Team Utah found themselves in another close game with a Few Good Men on Friday afternoon. And the Utes turned to their point guard -- who hasn’t played professionally since 2008 -- to deliver.

The 2006 Utah graduate started 7-for-7 from 3-point range, putting in one of his best game performances that he can remember. Time and time again, Drisdom knocked down shot after shot, keeping the Gonzaga alums out of reach for most of the second half.

“It’s been a long time, it’s been a very, very long time”, the 6-foot-3 point guard said. “It feels good, though, not going to lie. I’m going to go to bed happy.”

Drisdom finished with 21 points in the Utah 93-81 win, including back-to-back threes to extend the Utah lead back to ten --  just when it looked like Gonzaga was charging back and had cut the deficit to just four points, the Utes point guard ended any comeback hopes.

Whenever Team Utah needed a basket down the stretch, they turned to Drisdom, despite his self-description as a reluctant shooter.

“I told these guys, I’m probably on everybody’s scouting report as a reluctant shooter,” Drisdom acknowledged. “The guy who’s not going to take those opportunities, but the guys on our team trust that I’m going to make the right decision.”

While many of his teammates are still playing in leagues across Europe, Drisdom has hung up his basketball shoes professionally in search of his true passion, music.

The leader of the Salt Lake City Mass Choir back home in Utah, the point guard-turned-musician has made a career in music, but still has a love for basketball as well.

“I’m a musician, and I’ve loved that since before I stopped playing basketball, I’ve always been into music and that’s what I’ve been doing, Gospel stuff,” Drisdom said.

“He plays everything,” one of his teammates chimed in.

“He’s got CDs and everything,” said another.

Drisdom, a four-year player at Utah from 2002-2006, averaged 4.6 points per game throughout his career. His best year was his junior season, in which he started 29 games for the Utes, scoring 6.1 points and registering 3.2 assists per game.

His season-high junior year was a 16-point performance against Colorado, a game he’ll look to replicate 11 years later, to help book his team a trip in the semifinals of TBT.

“We actually weren’t surprised that they beat Team 23, and they looked really good in LA, so they’ll have a game plan ready for us, and we’ll be ready,” Drisdom said.

While The Basketball Tournament provides the Utah alum a chance to relive old basketball memories, TBT provides another opportunity that Drisdom has always wanted.

The single-elimination tournament gives him the chance to play basketball with his little brother Terrence, in games that really mean something to both of them. Terrence, who is eight years Tim’s junior, grew up watching his big brother play, and saw Tim as a role model for most of his career.

“He’s definitely been blessed with some more athletic ability that I did not get,” Tim admitted, “but I will always wish to be on the same court as him because he grew up watching me play.”

Now, the Drisdom brothers have that chance. The two brothers, joined by other Utah alums, will take on Team Colorado, Saturday at 6 PM on ESPNU.

For Drisdom, it’s not all about the money and television. Whether it’s family or the love of basketball, TBT has provided him an excellent opportunity. To rehash on his basketball career, to reunite on the court with his brother, and to showcase Utah pride once again.

“It’s fun to be on TV, my kid thinks I’m a hero right now,” Drisdom said.