VBL Winner looks to bring their Cali flare to Louisville and put the tournament on notice
When you’re in LA, you have to go to Venice Beach. You might get scammed or buy some cheap shirts, but one thing that makes this place iconic is the basketball courts. VBL Winner looks to show just what they’re all about, and hopefully win a million with it.
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Current Roster:
- Amir Smith (Hampton)
- Bernard Ireland (Hope International University)
- Boe Nguidjol (Union, Detroit Mercy & Prairie View A&M)
- Daytone Jennings (California State University, San Bernadino)
- Dion Wright (St. Bonaventure)
- Elvin Rodriguez (University of Science and Arts Drovers)
- Jake Kakar (Barton & Berry)
- Jordan Jones (Life Pacific)
- Juice Bilbrew (Antelope Valley College)
- Mark Chin (LA Trade Tech College)
- McKenzie Moore (UTEP)
- Melsahn Basabe (Iowa)
- Rashad Davis (Saddleback)
- Samkelo Cele (Northeastern Oklahoma A&M & Marist)
- Trevon Duval (Duke)
Coaching Staff:
- None?
Region: Louisville
All-time Record: 0-0
First Matchup: vs. Sideline Cancer (July 20 at 6 p.m. on TBT Live)
Team MVP: Trevon Duval
In the 2017 high school recruiting class, the top 7 recruits were Marvin Bagley, Michael Porter Jr., DeAndre Ayton, Mo Bamba, Wendell Carter, Collin Sexton, and… Trevon Duvall. Duvall spent one season at Duke, then decided to head to the NBA Draft. It definitely wasn’t the right choice, going undrafted and never really finding his groove.
Now, he’ll get the opportunity to show everyone how good he really is. At 6’3, he is extremely shifty. If you are guarding him and you blink, he’ll blow right past you. He’s a pesky defender, and has a lot of confidence on the court. He’s still only 25, so he’s got a lot left in the tank, and he can showcase that in this tournament and maybe get a few eyeballs from some scouts.
Make-or-break Player: Dion Wright
Remember that clip of Lebron playing in the Drew League where people made fun of the defender for his appearance? That defender was Dion Wright. The people making fun of him made a big mistake, as Wright is a hooper. He is coming off a season in Mexico in which he averaged 15.2 PPG, 6.6 RPG, and shot 55.8%. The season before, he was even better, scoring 18.8 points a game, with 8.3 RPG. He plays a very relaxed game, never feeling any pressure and letting the game come to him.
He also has an unbelievable level of confidence. There are stars in the NBA who would be too scared to guard Lebron, so Wright voluntarily guarding him in this situation shows his toughness. VBL Winner are the underdog in this one, so they’ll need to rely on Wright to buy into that and lead his team to victory.
Team Outlook
VBL Winner will make their debut against Sideline Cancer, a team that made the TBT final in 2020 and would like to get back. If they win, they most likely take on The ‘Ville, who will have a homecourt advantage and a loaded roster. VBL Winner have one of the hardest paths of any TBT, but they have the confidence to keep things interesting.
The TBT website has no coaches listed for VBL Winner, and if this is the case it would surely be an interesting strategy for them. Most likely, the case is that they just didn’t include it on the site. VBL Winner has a diverse group of players with different skill sets, but if they can all coexist, this team can bring the energy to Louisville and potentially Philadelphia.