Troy University Athletics
Johnson's Journal - Back in the Dance: Troy Ready for Its NCAA Moment
3/17/2026 9:30:00 AM | Basketball (M)
By Jon Johnson
A deep look inside the Troy men's basketball team reveals gaining a Sun Belt Conference title, getting record-breaking performances and earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament were set in motion last summer.
"The first meeting we had, it was like, 'Alright, we're going to go back dancing,'" junior forward Victor Valdes said.
Indeed they are.
The No. 13-seeded Trojans (22-11) will face No. 4-seed Nebraska (26-6) in the first round of the South Region on Thursday in Oklahoma City, Okla. Tipoff is scheduled for 11:40 a.m. at the Paycom Center and the game will be televised on truTV.
It's the second straight year and fourth time in school history Troy has advanced to the NCAA tourney.Â
The Trojans played Kentucky last year in the Midwest Region, falling 76-57 in Milwaukee. Troy's other appearances in the NCAA tourney were in 2003 and 2017, both being first-round losses.
This year's return to the Big Dance included winning the Sun Belt regular-season title outright and following that up by capturing the SBC Tournament championship for a second straight season. Troy won the tourney title by beating Georgia Southern 77-61 at the Pensacola (Fla.) Bay Center a day after beating Southern Miss 78-70 in the semifinals.
Along the way, there were plenty of notable accomplishments.
Junior forward Thomas Dowd became the Troy single-season leader in rebounds when he reached the 278 mark and eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career. Dowd also earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors, was named the MVP of the SBC tournament and received the Sun Belt Elite Award, given to a player within the league who displays excellence both on the court and in the classroom.
Valdes set Troy's all-time record for most free throws made in a season, breaking the mark of 156 previously held by Terry McCord (1992-1993 season).Â
And head coach Scott Cross was named the Sun Belt Coach of the Year and also notched his 350th career win.
Knowing their roles
The individual accolades are certainly worth celebrating, but what's really been the springboard to the Trojans' success is the cohesiveness of the team and the way each player accepted their role.
"Our chemistry on the court was probably the best in the Sun Belt and probably one of the best in the nation," Valdes says. "We just like being around each other, so it translates to the court."
Cross said much of the bonding began long before the season.
"There's been so many things we've done as a team," Cross said. "We took them down to Destin (before season) and they hung out. They're always around each other and they love each other. That's why I think the sum of the parts is greater than the individual.
"Like defensively, everybody has each other's back. As I was watching that Georgia Southern film, it was like we had six guys on defense the way we were flying around and helping each other."
While Troy did lose four starters off last year's team to the transfer portal, there were still 11 players who chose to return, a rarity in this era of college athletics.
"That was the decision we had to make," Cross said. "Do we invest in guys in the transfer portal or do we just do whatever we can to bring these guys back? We believed in them and brought them all here for a reason. We felt they would all be able to step into bigger roles.Â
"They already knew how to win and they knew what was expected … how we defend and how we play offense. Those guys stepped into bigger roles and became more vocal, and then they're teaching the next group of how we do things."
Showing leadership qualities
Sophomore forward Kerrington Kiel has been an integral piece coming off the bench, but perhaps more importantly is his impact as a vocal leader despite being one of the younger players.
"Growing up, I've always been the outgoing type," Kiel said. "I can make personalities blend. Just bringing that to the team and making sure everybody is all one cohesive unit … it's kind of been my role since I've been here."
But he's also come up clutch on the court, something that's not lost on Cross.
"He's one of the most important pieces to our basketball team, and probably gets overlooked at times," Cross said. "We don't win those games in the conference tournament without him.
"Actually, he had the shot of the game against Georgia Southern (title game). They had cut it to four and then he hit a three. They had all the momentum and then he hit that three and that's when we were able to re-establish the lead."
Kiel stays ready whenever his number is called.
"It all starts with my preparation," Kiel said. "We put a lot of hours into basketball, so just trusting in my work and making sure I have a great warm-up before the game so I can prepare myself for the game."
Stepping up big time
Another player who has had a major impact down the stretch is senior center Jerrell Bellamy, a 6-9, 235-pounder who started the last six games after senior Theo Seng injured a knee.Â
With Seng out, Bellamy averaged 18.5 points and three blocks during the two SBC Tournament games and was named to the All-Tournament team. He scored a career-high 25 points during a 78-59 win over Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 24.
While Seng is expected to be able to play in the NCAA tourney, the extra work Bellamy has gotten during Seng's absence should work in the Trojans' favor.
"I look at them as 1A and 1B," Cross said. "He (Bellamy) had to step into a 30-minute role for us once Theo went down. He's so hard to guard on the pick-and-roll and is as athletic as anybody in the country. And he's really improved defensively for us. He's a shot-blocker; he's a rim protector."
Bellamy has kept himself prepared for all situations.
"Everybody always says your time is going to come … you never know what's going to happen to the starters," Bellamy said. "Even on the bench I have to stay ready, because you never know when they will need me. Whenever they call my name, I have to be better."
Bellamy says the team isn't just satisfied with making the NCAA Tournament and believes it will be more prepared than a year ago.
"Most of us already know what to expect," Bellamy said. "Like Coach (Cross) says, 'We're not done yet.'Â We won a (Sun Belt) championship and it's time for us to go shock the world and show people what we're all about."
Something the Trojans set their sights on from the get-go.
