Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball hopes to show Lexington what the Tampa hoops scene is all about.
Comfortably the longest team name in the tournament, these Tampa Titans hope to make a statement in their TBT debut. With the entire team new to the tournament, it’ll be interesting to see if that has any impact. These guys know what it takes to succeed, and TBL teams are no strangers to this tournament.
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Current Roster:
- Brandon Stroud (USF)
- David Collins (USF)
- Dayon Griffin (UCF)
- Dionte Bostick (New Mexico State)
- Galen Smith
- Garrett Denbow (Anderson)
- Isaiah Adams (Toledo)
- Jamille Reynolds (USF)
- Justin Blanks (McKendree)
- Trey Diggs (Bowling Green)
- Trey Doomes (Nova Southeastern)
Coaching Staff:
- Marreese Speights (Head Coach)
- Shaq Speights (Asst. Coach)
Region: Lexington
All-time Record: 0-0
First Matchup: vs. Dunkin’ Dogs (July 18 at 2 p.m. EST)
Team MVP: Jamille Reynolds
Reynolds is coming off a great season, finishing with 12.5 PPG and 7.7 RPG. He earned All-AAC honors this season, in large part due to his 1.6 blocks per game. At 6’11, he is a force in the paint, protecting the rim and countering shots. In a tournament with a ton of offensive weapons, few teams have a lockdown defender, which gives Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball a huge advantage.
Offensively, he’s solid as well, shooting 53% from the field. He can’t stretch the floor, but if he can establish position down low, he’ll be a defensive nightmare for the opponent. If Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball wants to succeed, they should play through him.
Make-or-break Player: Isaiah Adams
After five years in college basketball, Isaiah Adams enters TBT looking for continued success. Adams is a bit of an inconsistent player, and nothing highlights that more than the final two games of his college career. In his penultimate game, he scored 26 points to lead his team to the conference tournament semifinal. In the following game, he scored 3 points in 30 minutes, and the team lost.
If Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball wants to go far in this tournament, they’ll need to see a lot of the former. Adams has the talent and ability; it’s just about the consistency. At 6’7, Adams brings good size on the floor, making him a bit of a mismatch, but he’ll need to use that to his advantage instead of hanging on the perimeter, where he shot just 29.6% last year. Adams started 110 games in college, so that experience and maturity will help his team out.
Team Outlook
Tampa Florida Pickup Basketball will start their TBT journey as the six seed, and will take on Dunkin Dogs in the first round. Both teams are making their TBT debut, which could play to the underdogs’ (the non-dunkers) advantage. After that, a potential matchup with Eberlein Drive. The path to the final will be tough, but they’re ready.