Louisville basketball: Ryan McMahon is earning the trust of his TBT teammates

Former Louisville basketball star is lighting it up after college.

• Former Cardinal Ryan McMahon is proving that he is an asset outside of Louisville basketball.
• McMahon is playing in TBT with Dayton Alums Red Scare
• McMahon is second on his team in scoring with 14 points per game.

Finally, Louisville basketball fans have something exciting to follow and look forward to during these difficult times with limited sports.

Former Cardinals sharp-shooter Ryan McMahon found a home in The Basketball Tournament and is fitting in with his new teammates just fine after two games.

The Basketball Tournament is a self-proclaimed “highest-stakes basketball tournament in the world” that is comprised of 24 teams selected from a pool of applicants each year. TBT is a winner-take-all competition with a prize of $1 million on the line. Each team’s General Manager negotiates the winning share with individual players.

McMahon was invited to participate with the Dayton Flyers’ Alumni team, Red Scare, by their General Manager Joey Gruden. Yes, that Joey Gruden, son of former Louisville quarterback and former Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden. McMahon and Gruden shared ties from the GM’s two-year stint as a graduate assistant under Chris Mack in Louisville.

Gruden is a former Flyer himself, and all but one of the remainder of McMahon’s teammates are Dayton Alums as well.

It is evident why Red Scare received the No. 8 overall seed and a bye in the first round based off its runner-up finish last season and a solid returning core of players. Red Scare returned all but two players from last season. This meant that for McMahon, he would be relegated to the bench and forced to not only earn playing time but the respect of his fellow teammates.

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In Red Scare’s first game against Big X, McMahon entered the game and found himself open quite a bit as teammates often took on double teams and took contested shots. However, as the game progressed, McMahon got his opportunities and made the most of them.

McMahon finished the game 4 for 8 from three-point range- good for 12 points- and chipped in 3 rebounds, 2 steals, and an assist in 19 minutes of playing time.

On Friday, in Red Scare’s quarterfinal match-up against Illinois alumni team House of ‘Paign, McMahon’s night went similarly. He came off the bench, and after a slow start, caught fire from deep in the second half.

McMahon finished second on the team with 16 points, 3 assists, a steal, and a rebound in only 17  minutes.

What we have seen from McMahon over the course of this tournament is his ability not only as a deadly spot-up shooter but as a great teammate.

McMahon has the ability to blend in with any team, and very covertly insert himself into important situations as a reliable ball-handler, excellent passer, and defensive asset.

Now that McMahon has developed this knock-down spot-up shot from deep, he can go deep into his bag to free himself up for shots and subsequently open up any offense, regardless of level. Think about it, when McMahon is in the game, whoever is on him has to extend early to defend him. He is not just a catch-and-shoot guy. He has a Steph Curry-esque ability to head-fake, sidestep, and get shots off. He uses his shooting ability to either get a defender off his feet or draw the defense out, freeing up the flow of the offense.

McMahon is savvy with his spacing abilities. He knows that teams are going to spy him when he’s in the game, so he will rub off of screens and pop out, patiently wait for a switching defender to turn his back too soon, or simply rotate to an open area of the floor, forcing switching defenders to make a choice between him or the ball-handler.

In a tournament full of NBA-level players, McMahon is making himself a weapon and a key contributor on a semi-final team.

After a college career where he was often overlooked if he wasn’t scoring, McMahon is proving that his basketball IQ, court awareness, and versatility with or without the ball in his hands translates to any level of the game.