Get to Know Boeheim's Army's First TBT Opponent: Forces of Seoul

Boeheim's Army is considered one of the favorites to win The Basketball Tournament. The team comprised mostly of former Syracuse basketball players takes on Forces of Seoul in its first game on Saturday. Who exactly is Forces of Seoul? Here is a look at players on the team with information about each. 

Head Coach: Il-Seung Choo - professional head coach in South Korea. 

Player: Brandon Brown
Height: 6-6
Position: Power forward
College: Cal State San Bernardino
College Stats: 21.5 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.7 bpg, 1.5 spg, 55.9 FG%, 33.3 3PT%, 55.2 FT%
TBT Bio: Brandon Brown will be making his first appearance in TBT by joining The Forces of Seoul for 2021. Brown began his collegiate career at Mountain View then transferring to Holmes Community College and eventually transferring to Cal State San Bernardino where he would finish his collegiate career. After going undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft Brown took his talents overseas. Brown earned back to back Defensive Player of The Year Awards in 2018 and 2019 in the South Korean Basketball League. He is currently playing in the Korean Basketball League for Anyang KGC.

Player: Charles Hinkle
Height: 6-6
Position: Shooting guard
College: Vanderbilt, American
College Stats: 8.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.2 bpg, 0.6 spg, 41.6 FG%, 37.2 3PT%, 82.7 FT%. 
TBT Bio: Hinkle played his college ball at Vanderbilt (2008-10) before transferring to American (2010-12) where he developed into one of the best players in the Patriot League. After only putting up 4.5 points as a junior, he exploded for 18.4 points as a senior and earned 2012 All-Patriot League First Team honors. Charles’ professional resume includes a short stint in the NBA G-League and nearly a decade overseas in Hungary, Israel, Canada, Uruguay, Argentina, the Dominican Republic, and most recently in Japan.

Player: Jonathan Arledge
Height: 6-10
Position: Center
College: George Mason, Old Dominion
College Stats: 6.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.4 bpg, 0.4 spg, 44.7 FG%, 30.1 3PT%, 72.5 FT%.
TBT Bio: Arledge will be returning for his second season in TBT after previously suiting up for Monarch Nation in 2018. The 6’10 center played collegiately at George Mason from 2010-14 before transferring to Old Dominion for his final season of eligibility. At ODU, he averaged a career-high 8.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. Since 2015, he has played professionally overseas in Italy, Latvia, France, Canada, and most recently in Greece.

Player: Josh Newkirk
Height: 6-1
Position: Point guard
College: Pittsburgh, Indiana
College Stats: 7.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 2.6 apg, 0.1 bpg, 0.5 spg, 45.5 FG%, 34.8 3PT%, 67.5 FT%.
TBT Bio: Newkirk played his college ball at Pittsburgh for two years (2013-15) before transferring to Indiana where he spent his junior and senior seasons. The 6’1 guard averaged 6.6 points and 2.6 assists in his career including a personal best 9.0 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds as a junior. After college, he spent his rookie year in the NBA G-League with the Texas Legends and Long Island Nets before heading overseas in play in the Czech Republic and in Russia.

Player: Julius Coles
Height: 6-4
Position: Shooting guard
College: Canisius
College Stats: 10.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.3 bpg, 0.8 apg, 38.1 FG%, 33.9 3PT%, 66.3 FT%. 
TBT Bio: Coles was a four-year letter winner at Canisius from 2007-11 where he averaged 10.4 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. For nearly a decade, he has played overseas in Germany, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Tunisia, and most recently in Qatar. In 2020, Coles led Al Wakrah to the Qatari Cup and was a 2x Qatari League Player of the Week honoree.

Player: Kevin Galloway
Height: 6-7
Position: Shooting guard
College: USC, Kentucky, Texas Southern
College Stats: 5.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 3.7 apg, 0.6 bpg, 1.0 spg, 40.5 FG%, 28.2 3PT%, 58.1 FT%. 
TBT Bio: Galloway played collegiately at the University of Southern California, Kentucky, and at Texas Southern from 2006-11. During his lone season at TSU, the 6’7 guard averaged 10.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game which earned him 2011 SWAC Newcomer of the Year and All-SWAC First Team honors. After college, he spent his rookie season in the NBA G-League before embarking on a near decade long career overseas. He spent the 2020-21 season playing in Iraq for Al Naft Baghdad and is also a member of the Iraqi National Team.

Player: Ray Nixon
Height: 6-8 
Position: Power forward
College: Wisconsin
College Stats: 7.7 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.2 bpg, 0.2 spg, 40.9 FG%, 36.3 3PT%, 64.3 FT%. 
TBT Bio: Nixon was a three-year letter winner at Wisconsin from 2003-06 where he helped the Badgers win the 2004 Big Ten Championship and advance to the 2005 Elite Eight Round of the NCAA Tournament. For nearly fifteen years, he played overseas in Germany, Finland, France, and in Japan from 2010-20.

Player: Torian Graham
Height: 6-5
Position: Point guard
College: Arizona State
College Stats: 18.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 apg, 0.3 bpg, 0.9 spg, 44.8 FG%, 38.7 3PT%, 82.1 FT%. 
TBT Bio: Graham spent one season at Arizona State in 2016-17 where he averaged 18.6 points and 4.2 rebounds per game – earning 2017 All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and Pac-12 All-Tournament Team honors. After college, he played in the 2017 NBA Summer League with the Dallas Mavericks, spent one year in the NBA G-League, and played overseas in Spain, Cyprus, Holland, Japan, and Vietnam.

Player: Vernon Macklin
Height: Center
Position: 6-10
College: Georgetown, Florida
College Stats: 7.3 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 0.7 apg, 0.6 bpg, 0.3 spg, 61.0 FG%, 0.0 3PT%, 45.5 FT%. 
TBT Bio: Macklin played collegiately at Georgetown for two seasons before transferring to Florida where he averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 rebounds from 2009-11. He was selected 52nd overall by the Detroit Pistons in the 2011 NBA Draft and spent one season with the Pistons (23 career games) followed up my multiple stints in the NBA G-League. For the last eight years, Macklin has played overseas in Turkey, the Philippines, China, Qatar, Puerto Rico, Japan, and most recently in South Korea.

Player: Xavier Gibson
Height: 6-11
Position: Center
College: Florida State
College Stats: 4.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.3 apg, 0.8 bpg, 0.3 spg, 48.9 FG%, 25.0 3PT%, 63.0 FT%.
TBT Bio: Gibson spent four seasons at Florida State from 2008-12. During his career, he helped the Seminoles advance to the Sweet 16 Round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament and win the ACC Championship in 2012. Since college, he has had multiple stints in the NBA Summer League, played in the NBA G-League, and played overseas in Turkey, Greece, and Japan.