The Basketball Tournament 2023: Team Overtime Team Profile

Team Overtime Elite, the producer of 2 of 5 top picks in this year’s NBA draft, returns to TBT again this summer.

Overtime Elite, a relatively new basketball league for players aged 16-20, has already made waves as an alternative to college for prospective hoops prospects. Ausar and Amen Thompson, both OTE alumni, were selected 4th and 5th in this year’s NBA Draft. Dominick Barlow of the San Antonio Spurs and Alexandre Sarr of the Perth Wildcats are two other notable OTE graduates. This year’s TBT team for OTE contains 4 current players and a mix of former college hoopers as they look to take home a share of $1,000,000.  

For more TBT team profiles, click here.

Current Roster:

• Ahmad Caver (Old Dominion)
• Damien Wilkins (Georgia)
• David Efianayi (Gardner-Webb)
• Jahzare Jackson (Overtime Elite)
• Jalen Lewis (Overtime Elite)
• Jericole Hellems (North Carolina State)
• Liam O’Reilly (Gardner-Webb)
• Malik Bowman (Overtime Elite)
• Romello White (Arizona State and Mississippi)
• Cyril Somtochukwu (Overtime Elite)
• Tobias Howard Jr. (Salem, Towson and Indiana State)

Coaching Staff:

• Corey Frazier (Head Coach)
• Dash Sperling (GM)
• Jasmin Brown (Asst. Coach)
• Matt Floyd (Asst. Coach)

Region:

• Dayton

Team MVP: Jericole Hellems

The former Wolfpack forward is a solid bet to lead OTE this year. Spending time in the G League this past season, Hellems scored 13.7 PPG in his final year in Raleigh. He is a solid shooter for his size, ranking in the top 10 in 3PM in the ACC for the 2021-22 season. Also impressive is his free throw ability, as his 84.3% mark from the line in 2021-22 ranked 4th in the ACC.

Hellems is listed as a shooting guard for this event but has the size (6’7”) to match up against any guard and a few small ball 5s as well. The listing as a shooting guard and Jalen Lewis’s listing as a small forward (he’s 6’10”) indicates that OTE will be playing a tall lineup, likely throwing Somto Cyril into the 5 spot. Hellems will be integral to the team no matter the lineup. 

Make-or-break Player: Somto Cyril

It will be interesting to see how Kentucky commit Cyril plays against former college athletes at this year’s TBT. The highest-ranked prospect of the 4 OTE players on the roster according to 247Sports, Cyril is ranked as the 45th overall prospect in the class of 2024. Listed at 6 ’10”, 240, Cyril already has a college frame, and it’s quite possible he could already be one of the better players on the roster. 

Cyril is the 2nd-tallest player on the roster behind fellow OTE player Jahzare Jackson, so OTE (TBT version) will need him to play a large role this summer. If Cyril can defend the paint against perennial power Carmen’s Crew, OTE can succeed. 

Team Outlook

Ready or not… here we come 🤫 @thetournament pic.twitter.com/9yUJ8z0RDx

— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) July 25, 2023

Team Overtime has the talent, again, but with a mix of ages this year. Last year, they bowed out in the first round even with two Top 5 draft picks. If OTE wants to reverse their fortunes, they’ll need to get through Carmen’s Crew in the first round, the Ohio State alumni team that won TBT in 2019. They don’t have the same talent as 4 years ago, but OTE cannot afford to take them lightly. As the 5 seed in the Dayton region, they’ll likely have to play the 1 seed, Red Scare, the Dayton alumni team if they make it past Carmen’s Crew. 

Team Overtime has some solid pieces. Most NBA fans should remember Damien Wilkins. He’s playing in TBT for OTE this year, but at 43 years of age, Wilkins is past his prime. Former Old Dominion guard Ahmad Caver is a solid pickup, and he should be one of the team’s high-scorers in the backcourt. The aforementioned Jericole Hellems is another important piece, and it’s important not to forget Romello White. The former Sun Devil played for Ole Miss as well in his collegiate career, and averaged double-digit scoring for the Rebels. 

Team Overtime is a much different team than last year, and they’re likely to throw together a tall starting five consisting of Caver, Hellems, Jalen Lewis, White, and Somto Cyril. I think that 5 is enough to get them past Carmen’s Crew, but they don’t have the talent to take out Red Scare. OTE is on the rise, but it’s yet to translate to TBT. 

Image via @overtimeelite