As the favorite in the Lousiville region, Gutter Cats TBT looks to finally crown themselves champions.
Gutter Cats TBT, formerly known as Team Hines made a strong impression last year when they made the quarterfinals and beat all their opponents in the Omaha region by double digits. They don’t want to settle for the quarterfinals, and Gutter Cats TBT believe they have the talent to go the distance this year.
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Current Roster:
- Angelo Caloiaro (San Francisco)
- Chris Jones (North Texas & Angelo State)
- Dererk Pardon (Northwestern)
- Dewayne Jackson (Morgan State)
- Diamon Simpson (Saint Mary’s)
- Frank Bartley IV (BYU & Louisiana)
- Isaiah Miller (UNC Greensboro)
- Jarell Eddie (Virginia Tech)
- Kyle Hines (UNC Greensboro)
- Michael Roll (UCLA)
- QJ Peterson (VMI)
- Tai Odiase (UIC)
- Trent Lockett (Arizona State & Marquette)
- Will Cherry (Montana)
Coaching Staff:
- Mike Martin (GM, Asst. Coach)
- Muhammad Smith (GM)
- Reginald Hines (Asst. Coach)
- Ronald Padgett (Asst. Coach)
- Brandon Foreman (Booster)
Region:
- Lousiville, Kentucky
Team MVP: Kyle Hines
There are few players in basketball history that have been as successful as Kyle Hines. When it comes to success in the Euroleague, there are few, if any players with as much success as Hines. Now, he looks to get the one banner he’s been trying for since he entered Team Hines into the TBT in 2019. While he certainly isn’t the player he was back then, his experience and ability as an on-the-court coach for Gutter Cats TBT will be extremely beneficial. Defensively, he will be a nightmare for opponents as well.
Make-or-break Player: QJ Peterson
QJ Peterson says he’ll play for the Knicks in Summer League. The 28-year-old 6’0” point guard led the Chinese Basketball Association in threes and was third in scoring. Peterson attended VMI, has played overseas & in TBT pic.twitter.com/7AymFL3tLE https://t.co/WcPLNR9fZZ
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) July 1, 2023
QJ Peterson is coming off a monster season with Nanjing TX MK, averaging 28.7 PPG, 7.1 RPG, and 2.0 SPG. He had one game last season where he scored 50 points and made 10 threes and another with 41 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. Peterson is in the prime of his career and is shooting the lights out, something that Gutter Cats TBT hopes will translate to the TBT.
If he can score at this rate and become one of the best scorers in the TBT, then Gutter Cats will be extremely difficult to beat. He was solid last year but didn’t do enough, and if he can take that next leap then the Cats will go far.
Team Outlook
Louisville Regional: pic.twitter.com/BdvHYiFqY7
— TBT (@thetournament) June 23, 2023
Gutter Cats TBT will look to defend their title as regional champs against the NAWF in Round 1, who are making their TBT debut. They potentially face a few more obstacles in their way in Louisville, most notably, Gataverse, the Florida alumni team, and the ‘Ville, who will have the home crowd rallying for them.
Gutter Cats has great size as well, with five players at 6’8 or taller. Having that depth at the size could cause trouble from a matchup perspective for the opponent, which Gutter Cats TBT will take advantage of. This team feels like it’s getting closer and closer to winning it all, and this might be the team that brings it all together and raises the trophy in August.
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