Dayton alumni team loses two players three days before The Basketball Tournament

Dayton’s alumni team opens the $2 million winner-takes-all tournament at 5 p.m. Friday at Capital University in Bexley.

“Our expectations have not changed,” the Red Scare posted to Twitter, “and we are still excited to show what we’re all about. It wouldn’t be a Dayton basketball team if there wasn’t some unexpected drama. Let’s make sure it’s LOWD on Friday.”

Dayton now has a seven-man team. After losing Pierre and Cunningham, it added Ryan Bruns, a Division III All-American from Ohio Northern University. He’s a 6-foot-8 center who graduated from Marion Local High School. He averaged 21.0 points last season as a senior.

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Pierre withdrew from the event because he had a long postseason in Europe and then played in the NBA Summer League. Cunningham chose to focus on continuing workouts in preparation for his pro career.

In addition to Bruns, the roster includes Kevin Dillard, Devin Oliver, Vee Sanford, Kendall Pollard, Kyle Davis and Darrell Davis.