After a two-year hiatus, Court Street Kings, formerly Ohio 1804, are back in TBT and ready to win
Court Street Kings haven’t had too much luck in TBT so far. In their debut in 2021, they lost by 24 in round one. The following year, they kept it closer, but still suffered a five-point loss in round one. Now, they’re back, and they’ve retooled with some of the best Ohio players in recent history. Led by Jason Preston, this team believes they have what it takes to not only win their first TBT game but also their second, third, and so on.
For more TBT team profiles, click here.
Current Roster:
- Ben Vander Plas (Ohio, Virginia)
- Dwight Wilson III (Ohio)
- Jason Preston (Ohio)
- Jaylin Hunter (Ohio)
- Keshawn Justice (Santa Clara)
- Kobe Florial
- Miles Brown (Ohio)
- Shareef Mitchell (Ohio)
- Torin Dorn (Charlotte & NC State)
Coaching Staff:
- Mike Cifliku (GM)
- Kenny Brown (GM)
Region: West Virginia
All-time Record: 0-2
First Matchup: vs. the Nawf (July 18th at 4:00 p.m EST)
Team MVP: Jason Preston
Preston is arguably the best Ohio University basketball player of the 21st century. He is a two time all-Mac player, and in 2021, became the first Ohio player drafted since 2023. His story is pretty incredible and shows that it’s not about where you finish. Preston can score, pass, rebound, and defend. He has a tremendous basketball IQ and knows what it takes to succeed on a high level.
If Court Street Kings want to win in this tournament, Preston needs to touch the ball on every possession. Anytime the ball is in his hands, they have the best chance for success.
Make-or-break Player: Ben Vander Plas
The gang is back together. The Batman and Robin of Preston and Vander Plas was what made Ohio so great, and now they’re back playing together. Vander Plas was a 3x All-Mac player, and like Preston, his high basketball IQ allowed him to shine on the court.
If he and Preston can recreate that dynamic, the guard-forward combo could be borderline unstoppable. It’s been a few years, but they’re more than capable of setting TBT on fire and allowing Ohio fans to reminisce on those special days as a fan a few years back.
Team Outlook
Court Street Kings look to earn win number one against The Nawf, who won their first round matchup last year. If they win, they’ll face Elite Nation, the one seed, who earned a bye in this region. Ohio has zero players who suited up in last year’s tournament, which might be a slight disadvantage, but the talent should make up for it.
Joining Preston and Vander Plas is Dwight Wilson III, who carried the torch when both left, averaging 15.4 PPG and 9.2 RPG. He can form a really dominant frontcourt with Vander Plas if both sides are humming. Joining Preston in the backcourt is Shareef Mitchell, who just graduated and averaged 13.2 PPG for the Bobcats. This team doesn’t have a lot of size, with the tallest player being 6’8, but they have speed and athleticism, which will make them tough to match up with.
It’s great to see these players suiting up together again, and hopefully for Court Street Kings, it’ll be several times, and not just once as we’ve seen in their two previous appearances.
[…] Nawf look to add another win to their name in round one, where they’ll face Court Street Kings, the Ohio alumni team. If they win that one, they’ll face the one seed, Elite Nation, who got […]