A newcomer to The Basketball Tournament, In The Lab look to start their TBT career with a bang.
For its debut, In The Lab faces an experienced team in TBT in HBCUnited. This team thinks it can go far though, thanks to some big names creators like D’Vontay Friga. With a focus on sports content creation, there are high expectations for big-time shots and breakaways. This team has some players participating in BIG3, a 3-on-3 basketball league, so at least there’s a little experience in a non-traditional basketball format, but the TBT is a different beast. This group’s videos and content should be impressive, but how many games worth’s of videos will we see?
For more TBT team profiles, click here.
Current Roster:
- Ab Ndoye (New Mexico State & Texas A&M-Commerce)
- Adris Deleon (Eastern Washington)
- Cameron Young (Quinnipiac)
- Curtis Hollis (Hutchinson Community College)
- D’Vontay Friga (University of Mount Union)
- Desean Green (Milligan University)
- Dominique Lanier (Hope International University)
- JD Miller (TCU)
- Pe’Shon Howard (University of Southern California)
- Sek Henry (Nebraska)
- Shannon Fowler (University of West Georgia)
Coaching Staff:
- Navin Ramharak (GM)
- Devin Williams (Head Coach)
Region:
- Lubbock, Texas
Team MVP: J.D. Miller
J.D. Miller finished strong in the Canada NBL Play-Offs, putting up a double-double scoring 24 points and grabbing ten rebounds. He averaged 17.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.5 blocks per game. While he is not known for his 3-point shooting, he does have it in his skill set. Miller clears space, creates shots, has reasonable body control, and wants to isolate and drive. If a TBT player is not locked in on rebounding on either end of the floor, Miller will make you pay with a put-back or tap-in.
JD Miller is starting to TAKE OVER the game for the @ftwfunk‼️‼️
He has 13 points midway through the 3rd pic.twitter.com/NfX2SmrRZq
— TBT (@thetournament) July 16, 2021
Make-or-break Player: Adris DeLeon
Adris DeLeon is coming in to be the floor general. He will have to be creative when trying to score in the paint, but he has the ability. DeLeon can take over a game but knows when to sit back and allow others to shine. He will need to be able to do both, and if there is a bad night, it could sour quickly. DeLeon can be flustered and forced into turnovers if teams decide to put on pressure.
With the newness of this team, he could easily misread situations, which could cause issues. However, if this team gels and DeLeon is a leader, this team could come out with a winning record. In his season in the Dominican Republic, he averaged 14.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.1 steals. He can do it all but will hope that others can play their part.
Team Outlook
D’Vontay Friga went CRAZY last night😳
HE DROPPED 1️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ points in @ThePLeague1… WHICH IS INSANE!@DFRIGA98_ will play with @InTheLabBrand in TBT🧪 pic.twitter.com/qXLgQHXZKD
— TBT (@thetournament) July 3, 2023
An impressive team was thrown together by In The Lab. This team has firepower and should match up nicely with most teams they face. The issue continues to be the unfamiliar players becoming a team with one another. This team has a chance against HBCUnited in the Lubbock Regional. However, the worry comes that this team will face Bleed Green with a nearby fan base in the second round. The best hope for In The Lab is an early exit for Bleed Green and a shot at newcomers Rise and Grind. The group from Rise and Grind could be an issue as they will likely have a chip on their shoulders based on who makes up the team.
The best hope is to grab a win in its first appearance before ending 1-1 in TBT play. However, in TBT, no one can be counted out or counted in. Let’s see who is really, In The Lab.