For the third consecutive summer, Purdue basketball alum Ryne Smith will coach Men of Mackey in The Basketball Tournament (TBT). Basketball remains a vital part of Smith's day-to-day life, but coaching in TBT presents obstacles unlike what he's faced in any of his past and present roles in the game.

Smith, the Director of Basketball Operations at Mercer, faces the challenge of blending players with different basketball backgrounds and currently playing a wide variety of basketball. Some players remain active in professional basketball careers, while others stay in the game in various roles. Nonetheless, they'll all be on the court together in less than two weeks when the Men of Mackey begin the 64-team tournament on Sunday, July 24 as the No. 4 seed in the Dayton Regional.

The constant with so many different types of players? Professionalism and the high level of character that comes with it.

"It's a level of maturity that comes with the game," said Smith of his group of players. "You can put a set in, and 10 minutes later, you can call it out; they have it."

Though Smith will be coaching in his third TBT, the environments have each been slightly different. In his first TBT in 2020, the event was played in a "bubble" style format due to COVID-19 protocols. Restrictions were eased last year, and the team could practice for a few days before tip-off. This year, the team will get together on the night of Thursday, July 21, to begin practice and preparation for their round-of-64 game vs. Mid American Unity.

"We'll do a two-a-day on Friday and Saturday to walk through the offense and make sure we're all on the same page with communication," said Smith, who joked that he won't be forcing the players to run lines in between drills.

While Smith noted that they practiced for five or six days before last year's TBT, he did believe that in their second-round loss to Carmen's Crew (Ohio State), they were somewhat sluggish during that game.

Last year Smith began training camp looking to find the right lineups to maximize success but struggled to find a blend of Purdue alums and non-Purdue players.

"In training camp, the Purdue guys played well together and the non-Purdue guys played well together, so I felt like I needed to play them together,, Smith said. "It was almost like a line change in hockey,"

He will aim to find the right balance with this year's team when they begin practice together.

Working in Division I basketball certainly keeps Smith busy, but the sense of Purdue pride keeps him coming back to coach Men of Mackey.

Smith's Purdue connections didn't stop when he completed his four-year career playing for Matt Painter, as he's worked in basketball operations or as an assistant coach for three different programs with Purdue connections. He began his professional life as a graduate assistant for Painter before coaching four seasons in high school basketball in Indiana. From there, he spent time as the Director of Basketball Operations at Miami (Ohio) for former Purdue assistant Jack Owens, moved onto an assistant coaching role at Incarnate Word for Purdue alum Carson Cunningham and now at Mercer with former Purdue assistant Greg Gary.

"It's a very tight-knit family and an incredible coaching tree," Smith said. "It's important to take things I've learned from each stop and apply them to Men of Mackey,.

Despite spending the vast majority of his life in basketball, Smith noted how different the competition in TBT is compared to other formats of basketball. The event is a single-elimination 64-team tournament so that each game could be Men of Mackey's last.

"It raises your sense of urgency a little bit. You spend time in the training camp and then go into the first game thinking, 'man, this would suck if we lose the first game,'" Smith said of the single-elimination format.

Adding to the differentiation from standard basketball games, each game features the "Elam Ending" rather than the traditional timed game.

In games using the Elam Ending, the clock turns off at the first dead ball with less than four minutes to go. Eight points are added to the leading team's point total, creating a "target score." Once either team reaches the target point total, the game ends. For example, if Men of Mackey leads 70-65 when the Elam Ending begins, the first team to reach 78 points is the winner.

Smith mentioned that you're even more conscious of the time and the score during the Elam ending, as it adds to the strategy earlier in the fourth quarter

"If you get a basket with four minutes to go, are you thinking about calling a timeout? Because if the other team scores and makes the score closer than what it could have been (when the Elam ending takes effect), it makes it harder on you," said Smith.

It adds to the strategy and provides a fun experience for not just the viewer but also the players and coaches.

"Once you're in it, it's pretty cool. It's intense; it’s physical," Smith said. "They want the game to end on a basket instead of a free throw, so they (the referees) let a lot of things go. It's a different approach."

One of Smith's favorite aspects of coaching Men of Mackey has been spending time with some of his former teammates. For the second-straight year, Lewis Jackson, Robbie Hummel and Kelsey Barlow will be on the roster, all of whom shared the locker room with Smith for multiple years at Purdue.

"Last summer, when we got back together in Columbus (the location of Men of Mackey's 2021 regional), we returned to the hotel for dinner and started telling stories. The next thing we knew, it was 1 a.m.. It was like we blinked and the last 10 years didn't go by at all," said Smith of his former teammates.

There are no easy draws in TBT, but Smith believes that the Dayton Regional wouldn’t be a cakewalk for Men of Mackey. Smith grew up in northwest Ohio, the heart of MAC country, and knows that facing a Mid America Unity team full of MAC alumni will provide challenges.

Should the Men of Mackey advance, Floyd Mayweather's team, appropriately named "The Money Team,” would likely await, led by former All-American Jimmer Fredette. Regardless, Smith is eager to get going and experience more memorable moments with Purdue fans.

"Last year, it was loud in Columbus; it felt like a mini-Mackey. The following and support have been really appreciated."

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