After a year away, Georgia Kingz returns in search of some wins.
An abrupt end to its first year, Georgia Kingz lost 91-64 to Team 23 in 2021. Team 23 fell short of Boeheim’s Army 69-67 in the TBT Championship. A team that brings together the best players from Georgia, Georgia Kingz is looking to get in the win column. They have a tough matchup ahead as this team will face Zip ‘Em Up in its first game in Xavier.
Watch the Game Highlights from Team 23 vs. Georgia Kingz, 07/17/2021 pic.twitter.com/O5nsz79XKf
— TBT (@thetournament) July 17, 2021
For more TBT team profiles, click here.
Current Roster:
- Brandon Peterson (Arkansas State)
- Deshawn Munson (Harris Stowe University)
- Gerard Devaughn (Stillman College)
- Justin Tubbs (Alabama & East Tennessee State)
- Kyle Riddley (Pfeiffer University)
- Lewis Sullivan (UAB)
- Nelson Phillips (Georgia State & Troy)
- PJ Meyers (Life University)
- Robert Turner III (Texas Tech)
- Roquez Johnson (Mississippi State )
- Scheraun King (Albany State)
- Tavin Cummings (Miles College)
- Terry “TJ” Maston (Baylor)
Coaching Staff:
- Willie Ivy (GM, Head Coach)
- Brandon Wood (Asst. Coach)
- Dante Wilson (Asst. Coach)
Region:
- Xavier, Ohio
Team MVP: Kyle Riddley
After playing overseas in Georgia, Kyle Riddley returns to the USA, hoping to take home the bag. In Georgia, he lit up the scoreboards averaging 23.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.9 assists, and 1.7 steals. A lethal sharpshooter, Riddley knocked down 45.6% from 3-point range. While his 3-pointers are beautiful, he has quite the bag of tricks for scoring. If the team focuses on him, he can find teammates for easy and often better buckets. He has excellent body control and nice timing. Riddley can pop through lanes and come up with blocks, even if it isn’t something he often does.
Riddley can keep a nice pace but can also bring it up-tempo. He is also a more prominent guard in TBT at 6-foot-4. Riddley can create space in many ways for himself and his teammates.
Make-or-break Player: Robert Turner III
🏀🇫🇷 American player Robert Turner III scores an impressive 36 points for Stade Rochelais in France's ProB league #ProBLeague #StadeRochelais #RobertTurnerIII https://t.co/IJgbvzC2XN pic.twitter.com/LnORioI8rC
— Interperformances (@IP_sport) April 25, 2023
With Kyle Riddley being talented, he will need a wingman. Robert Turner can be that guy. Playing professionally in France and Iceland, Turner displayed his ability to score. He scores in different ways and will need to be the other guy, so defenses can’t just focus on Riddley. Turner is also a good size guard at 6-foot-3. His scoring ability is essential, as he averaged 21.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in France. In Iceland, Turner averaged 29.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Turner is a solid 3-point shooter knocking down over 32% of his shots beyond the arc.
Turner seems to be an almost mirror image of Kyle Riddley. He goes for the dunks, has a similar 3-point shot, and plays without fear. The most significant difference is that Turner takes a lot more contested 3-pointers. Being able to score with a hand in his face, Turner has confidence. He also plays into contact and will be a benefit in TBT.
Team Outlook
First round matchups:@ZipEmUpTBT vs Georgia Kingz
TMT vs @NastyNati_TBT pic.twitter.com/d8DNOYKkkV
— TBT (@thetournament) July 5, 2023
Georgia Kingz has some talented names on the team. Deshawn Munson played in The Basketball League (TBL) this year and impressed. He averaged 20.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.4 steals. Having multiple 30-point games, Munson is a player you should know. Roquez Johnson is another one as a 6-foot-7 center. He played in Chile this year, where he averaged 20.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.1 steals. Johnson can shoot the 3-pointers, but it is not something to be expected.
Terry Maston Jr. is a power forward and another TBL player. He averaged 14.4 points and 4.9 rebounds. Maston does not shoot the 3-pointer but scores consistently in the paint. The last big man of note is 6-foot-9 Gerard Devaughn, who averaged 13.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in Argentina. This team also has Nelson Phillips, who is coming out of Troy averaging 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.1 steals. Seeing how he plays against more seasoned overseas professionals will be interesting.
Georgia Kingz has a new look and wants a new narrative. Georgia Kingz will have to come out on fire in one of the most challenging regions. The first-round matchup with Zip ‘Em Up is not ideal, as this team has a winning record and has been around for a while. It does not get better in the second round as the Georgia Kingz would face off with either The Money Team or Nasty Nati. Anything can happen in the TBT, and the Georgia Kingz want to prove they are a team to beat.