Pitt alums Gary McGhee and Jared Wilson-Frame shine on Team Heartfire in TBT

Pitt alums Gary McGhee and Jared Wilson-Frame took the court for Team Heartfire in The Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon, and thanks in large part to their contributions, the hybrid Pitt and Baylor squad came away with a 78-65 win over the Overlooked at the Peoria Civic Center in Illinois.

Wilson-Frame was one of the top two performers on the court on Saturday, as he came up with 15 points, five rebounds and one assist in the matchup. The only player to outscore him was his teammate Tevin Mack, a former Clemson standout who had 16 points, three rebounds and two assists. In addition, all 15 of Wilson-Frame’s points came on threes.

As for McGhee, the former Pitt center came up with a game-high eight rebounds against the Murray State alumni team, and that total consisted of six defensive rebounds and two offensive rebounds, both of which were also game-high figures. However, other than that, he only had five points and one assist.

Prior to the tournament, McGhee played for Club Básquet Coruña in the second-tier pro league of Spain. And in 28 contests, the 6’11”, 250-pound center averaged 9.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Wilson-Frame was most recently aligned with Raptors 905 of the NBA G League, but he also played for Limburg United in Belgium during the 2019-20 season prior to that. In 13 games with Limburg, Wilson-Frame averaged 16.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game. The Pitt alum also shot 40.2 percent from three-point range.

With the first-round victory over the Overlooked in the books, Team Heartfire will advance to the round of 32, where it will face Syracuse alumni team Boeheim’s Army. On Saturday, Boeheim’s Army beat Forces of Seoul — a team featuring ex-Pitt guard Josh Newkirk — 65-53. The Syracuse alumni team is a perennial contender in the event, while Team Heartfire is unproven at TBT, holding a 1-1 all-time record.