The Basketball League comes to The Basketball Tournament, and LA Ignite makes its debut.
The LA Ignite is a former NBA G-League development team. When it was dissolved in 2020, the team moved to The Basketball League. This team is primarily made up of eight or nine players from the LA Ignite. There are two players from the TBL, but a different team in Andrew Whitsett and Brandon Jamar. The two of the starting five for the team in the TBL are Tarin Smith and Tymoryae Glover. Brandon Jamar will likely replace Bell with his 6-foot-11 length at the five. JT Terrell will likely play as a guard, and Cameron Smith will likely be the other forward.
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Current Roster:
- Andrew Whitsett (California State University Dominguez Hills)
- Brandon Jamar (Dickinson State University)
- Bryan Penn-Johnson (LSU/Washington/Cal Poly)
- Cameron Smith (Cal State Bakersfield)
- Chaed Wellian (Tennessee State University)
- Dr. Philip McDonald (University of Connecticut School of Medicine)
- Gary Chivichyan (Pacific)
- JT Terrell (USC)
- Kwah Gredic (Rust College)
- Malik Miller (Fairleigh Dickinson)
- Tarin Smith (UConn)
- Ty Lawson (North Carolina)
- Tymoryae Glover (UT Tyler)
- Warren Helligar (Montana Western)
Coaching Staff:
- Dwight Walton (GM, Assistant Coach)
- Miles Jordan (GM)
- Vicken Eskidjian (Head Coach)
Region: Houston
All-time Record: 0-0
First Matchup: vs. Bleed Green (July 19 at 7 p.m. on TBT Live)
Team MVP: Tymoryae Glover
Being a standout for the Los Angeles Ignite in TBL, Tymoryae Glover is a big guard at 6-foot-7. Between the 2023 and 2024 seasons in the TBL, he has added the 3-pointer to his repertoire. However, he is made for scoring and will be more likely to drive and take an easy two.
Glover can dunk and pull up. He takes between two and three 3-pointers a game, making them 36.8% from deep. Glover has a nose for the ball and can create shots, but he has solid timing. He keeps his eyes on the ball and creates second-chance opportunities for his team. With the Elam Ending being such an important part of the game, having a high-level scorer is a huge difference-maker for any team, and the Los Angeles Ignite has that with Glover.
Make-or-break Player: Brandon Jamar
Brandon Jamar is a player in TBL, but not for the Los Angeles Ignite. He is coming in to replace Marcus Bell, the team’s center. At 6’11, Jamar has great size and athleticism. He averaged 11 points and 9 rebounds in the TBL, and if he can replicate that production here, then it will make the lives of their opponents very difficult. Bleed Green, the team’s first-round opponent, has phenomenal guards, but drop off at the forward and center spots. If Jamar can set the tone down low, it could force the opponent’s gameplan to change and give them that advantage.
Team Outlook
This experiment could be fun for TBT if it included a TBL team. LA Ignite faces a veteran team of the TBT in We Are Bleed Green. This will be Bleed Green’s third year and have a 7-2 record and will have the support of the crowd as a North Texas Alumni team playing in Houston, Texas. This Bleed Green team also made the championship game last year and is hungry to return. Talk about a tough matchup.
Seeing how these two teams compete will be interesting; the experience of the LA Ignite having played together already will definitely make them compete offensively. LA Ignite has offensive talent and is focused on scoring. Seeing this team matchup with a North Texas basketball is known for its defense. This matchup is going to be a fun one. This game will be competitive for fans of the Basketball League, and seeing who wins out is a coin flip.