Overtime Elite revealed its full game schedule and three rosters in preparation for its inaugural season which begins Oct. 29.
OTE's 16-to-20 year-old group, which includes several top four- and five star recruits as well as top international prospects, will compete against three teams. These include Sunrise Christian Academy (postgrad), Dream City Christian, Hillcrest Prep and Putnam Science Academy. The Vertical Academy program, featuring five-star Mikey Wilkins, will also be part of the schedule. The OTE Center of Excellence in Atlanta will host most of the games. However, there will be travel to events in North Carolina and Arizona as well as Ohio and Florida.
OTE will take on Dr. Phillips (Florida), Vertical Academy(North Carolina), and Calvary Christian’s KT Kings (Florida) in the GA Prep Series, Oct. 29. Officials from OTE told ESPN that the games can be streamed via Overtime's YouTube channel.
Overtime Elite will be competing against other institutions. Overtime Elite's three teams will compete in the OTE League Series. Winnings count towards the league standings, and eventually lead to the OTE playoffs. OTE League Series wins count for two points towards standings. Pre- and postgrad teams win one point. Points can be earned by teams for winning "takeovers," which are a series that includes one-on-one competitions and 3-point shootouts.
High school teams cannot schedule OTE because of restrictions imposed by high-school state federations as well as entities like Geico Nationals or the National Interscholastic basketball Conference. OTE features professional players, many of whom have graduated high school. OTE League Series games will be the most competitive and useful for NBA evaluation purposes. OTE officials stated that this season's OTE League Series setup was OTE's business model. However, OTE expects to add several OTE teams over the next few years.
Brandon Williams, Overtime Elite's head of basketball operations, stated that the most exciting part of Overtime Elite's schedule will be "playing each other, getting underneath the lights in our buildings," ESPN reported. "We aren't focused on any one team right now. There aren't many teams who will be like us. This is the true challenge of scheduling.
OTE invited NBA teams to attend an OTE pro day in Atlanta on Oct. 23rd. However, sources informed ESPN that the event is still not certified because of an interpretation of NBA's no-contact rules which prohibit teams from contacting draft-ineligible players. This was outside of a few approved settings, including official games and select college practices.
Sources say that the league is still working out how to classify OTE. This includes a mix of international and U.S prospects who will be draft-eligible in 2022, and are two to three years away from becoming draft-eligible. In the coming weeks, the league will provide guidance to NBA teams on how to evaluate OTE players.
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Williams stated that the NBA would like to know which teams are saying yes to and ensure all teams have equal access to information. "I don't feel they won't or won't let scouts into their league," Williams said.
R.J. Hampton, LaMelo ball were also caught in a gray zone two years ago. Both had opted to play abroad. However, their situation was eventually resolved. The NBA has authorized scouts for G League Ignite practices. These include a mix of draft-eligible prospects and draft-ineligible prospects.
Williams stated to ESPN that he would love to schedule the G League Ignite or the NBA Academies. We are working on scheduling international games in the spring after our season ends, to provide a better experience for our boys. After high school seasons are finished, there will be more opportunities for club basketball and travel.
The NBA on ESPN, the ESPN app and the NBA on ESPN The 2021-22 NBA Season begins in October with two star-studded doubleheaders broadcast on ESPN. Wednesday, Oct. 20
Knicks at Celtics, 7:30 pm. ET
Suns Nuggets, 10:15 p.m. ET Friday, Oct. 22
Nets at the 76ers, 7:15 p.m. ET
Suns at Lakers, 10:00 p.m. ET
OTE currently has seven players who are eligible for the 2022 NBA draft. This includes Jean Montero (potential lottery pick), and the No. 14 prospects in ESPN's NBA draft Top 100.
Dominick Barlow and Jai Smith are high school graduates. Davion Mace, Emmanuel Maldonado, Emmanuel Maldonado, Kok Yat and Kok Yat also meet the requirements for being draft-eligible. They will be available for selection next June. According to the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, non-international players who signed a contract with an NBA professional team can be drafted.
OTE's teams will have their own coaches on the floor: Dave Leitao (formerly head coach at DePaul and Virginia); Ryan Gomes (a former player and assistant in the G League), and Tim Fanning (previously assistant coach at Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Euroleague). Kevin Ollie, a former NBA player and coach who was the UConn head coach, will oversee all three teams.
The following are the current rosters of OTE teams:
Team Gomes: Jean Montero and Jazian Gortman. Malik Bowman. Dominick Barlow. Alexandre Sarr. Tudor Somacescu. Lewis Duarte. Nathan Missia–Dio. Jai Smith.
Team Leitao: Bryce Griggs, Bryson Warren, Ausar Thompson, Ryan Bewley, Jalen Lewis, Emmanuel Maldonado, Jaylen Martin, Davion Mace, Jahzare Jackson
Team Fanning: De'Vontes Cobbs and Tyler Smith.
Jonathan Givony, an NBA draft expert, is the founder and coowner of DraftExpress.com. This private scouting service and analytics service is used by NBA, NCAA, and international teams.
