The Basketball Tournament 2025: Eberlein Drive Team Profile

Eberlein Drive may have had a Cinderella run last year, but make no mistake, this team has what it takes to win the $1 million dollar prize.

When it comes to TBT teams, there are few that are more notable than Eberlein Drive. They are one of the two active teams to have played in the first TBT in 2014, along with Sideline Cancer.

Last year, Eberlein Drive was given the six seed in their region, and they proved that was a mistake, taking down the three, two, and one seeds on their way to the quarterfinal. Then, they faced the Penn State alumni team in Philadelphia and beat them to advance to the semis. The road ended there, but a semifinal appearance as the six seed is something to be extremely proud of.

The job isn’t finished, though, and it doesn’t matter how many tournaments they play as long as they haven’t won one. They’ll look to break the streak this year in Lexington.

For more TBT team profiles, click here.

Roster:

• AJ Slaughter (Western Kentucky)
• Anthony Clemmons (Iowa)
• Aubrey Dawkins (Michigan & UCF)
• Coty Clarke (Arkansas & Coty CC)
• Gabe York (Arizona)
• Junathaen Watson (Providence)
• Pedro Bradshaw (Bellarmine)
• Rion Brown (Miami)
• Terrell Brown (Washington)
• Terry Taylor (Austin Peay)
• Tommy Rutherford (UC Irvine)

Coaching Staff:

• Jacob Hirschmann (GM)
• Matt Mitchell (GM)
• Bryce Taylor (Head Coach)
• Vincent Vetrone (Asst. Coach)
• Zachary Hopp (Asst. Coach)

Region: Lexington

All-Time Record: 15-10

First Matchup: vs. Richards Elite (July 18 at 4 p.m. EST)

Team MVP: Anthony Clemmons

Clemens was terrific for Eberlein Drive last year, averaging 14.6 PPG throughout those five games, and also added 3.2 RPG and 4.4 APG. He scored 20 points on 7-10 shooting against the two seed, and 17 points in the regional final. With three of last year’s top four scorers not suiting up this year, they’ll need someone to step up early, and Clemens can be that guy.

Clemens hit seven threes in two games last year, and his ability to score on all three levels makes him a huge threat for any opponent. Clemmons doesn’t have his running partner, Archie Goodwin, this year, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t carry this team to another deep run.

Make-or-Break Player: Gabe York

Gabe York was built for this tournament. He is a gifted scorer, extremely athletic, and can shoot. He’s the kind of player who you look away from your TV, and when you look back, he has 25 points. He looks for the big shot, something teams need in the Elam Ending.

As mentioned earlier, Goodwin isn’t on the team, so they need a dynamic guard to replace him. York is more than capable of doing so, and if he can be one of the best scorers in this tournament, the sky’s the limit. It’s a big ask, and the inexperience can harm them early on, and he can shoot them out of a game and lead them to an early crash out.

Team Outlook

Eberlein Drive will face Richards Elite in Round 1, a team they should beat comfortably. Eberlein Drive knows better than anyone, though, that seeding doesn’t matter in this tournament, especially since it’s single elimination. If they win that, they potentially play Dunkin’ Dogs, the Louisiana Tech alumni team. The big dog, though, is La Familia, the Kentucky Alumni team. Beating them will be no easy feat, but Eberlein Drive has experience beating the one seed.

Another X Factor for this team is Terry Taylor. Taylor played in the NBA this season, albeit for three games, but he is probably the best rebounder in this tournament, and he could be a huge help for this team. This team has a ton of guard talent and should be able to match up with anyone in that regard.

There are few to no teams that deserve a TBT championship more than Eberlein Drive. Could this be the year they finally break through? We’ll find out very soon.