Overtime Elite grabs another…

[huskymedic]

-> Jazian Gortman, the No. 11 overall prospect in the 2022 class, has decided to forgo his college eligibility and has signed with the Overtime Elite program, sources tell 247Sports.

The 6-foot-1, 155-pound point guard out of Columbia (S.C.) W J Keenan chose to join Overtime Elite over college options including Florida State, Wake Forest, Miami and NC State amongst others.

Gortman is the fifth five-star prospect to join the Overtime Elite program alongside Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Matt Bewley and Jalen Lewis and the 14th overall prospect to go this new professional pathway for youth prospects. <-

 

[Chin Diesel]

Might have legs.

 

[Hey Adrien!]

Honestly, one-and-done prospects rarely make up the excitement of the college basketball landscape.

For example, here are last year's top-15 prospects that signed on with college teams:

1) Cunningham -OSU
3) Mobley - USC
5) Boston- Kentucky
6) Williams- Stanford
7) Barnes - Florida State
8) Clarke - Kentucky
9) Brown - Texas
10) Cisse - Memphis
11) Christopher - Memphis
12) Suggs - Gonzaga
13) Johnson - Duke
14 & 15) Love/Sharpe - UNC

Obviously, Suggs was a stud, Cunningham was the best player on OSU and Mobley was a stud too. Barnes was a very good player on Florida State, but maybe their #3 option.

Aside from that, did any of these players do much for the college basketball landscape?

Personally, these auxiliary options for HS kids seem like good options for certain kids, but they are not threats to college basketball.

 

[king conn]

Wait until they are told to get into the gym.

 

[CTBballfan243]

This is actually good news. If the kids don’t want to go to school then they shouldn’t go. College isn’t for everyone.

 

[BGesus4]

All you have to do is look at the investor list to see if it has legs. I wouldn’t take it lightly.

 

[JohnFSilver]

Might have legs.

I don't know how they make money. But they are paying 16 year old elite prospects to play basketball and getting them through high school, fed with proper nutrition, and a place to sleep and stay out of trouble.

This changes lives for the young people. I just don't know how Overtime Elite makes any money.

 

[Fishy]

It has no legs.

 

[huskymedic]

This is actually good news. If the kids don’t want to go to school then they shouldn’t go. College isn’t for everyone.

Nice pocket change to boot (reported as a 2 year contract):

 

[WhereistheDove?]

This changes lives for the young people. I just don't know how Overtime Elite makes any money.

Agreed, it will be interesting to see if they can keep this afloat. It’s hard to monetize a basketball product that is inferior to the NBA, G League, and major college basketball.

 

[UCPharma11]

Agreed, it will be interesting to see if they can keep this afloat. It’s hard to monetize a basketball product that is inferior to the NBA, G League, and major college basketball.

Where in the world is MandeldoveSandiego?

 

[huskiesNhoos]

I don't know how they make money. But they are paying 16 year old elite prospects to play basketball and getting them through high school, fed with proper nutrition, and a place to sleep and stay out of trouble.

This changes lives for the young people. I just don't know how Overtime Elite makes any money.

seriously this kid is going to basically gross what a fairly successful college graduate would make in his/her first 10 years after graduating (minus the student loans). Regardless of how it shakes out that's a really good head start for them...now they just need the guidance to not piss it all away and keep working

 

[ColchVEGAS]

My understanding is Overtime Elite will be making their money on future earnings from the players passing through their program. Or at least that is where the expected bulk of their revenue is going to come from.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

My understanding is Overtime Elite will be making their money on future earnings from the players passing through their program. Or at least that is where the expected bulk of their revenue is going to come from.

I thought that was the case too but haven't actually been able to find any articles discussing that.

 

[superjohn]

I don't know how they make money. But they are paying 16 year old elite prospects to play basketball and getting them through high school, fed with proper nutrition, and a place to sleep and stay out of trouble.

This changes lives for the young people. I just don't know how Overtime Elite makes any money.

Major investors but I have no clue why they're funding it, there's certainly no audience for this.

 

[superjohn]

My understanding is Overtime Elite will be making their money on future earnings from the players passing through their program. Or at least that is where the expected bulk of their revenue is going to come from.

So like that shady baseball company that's ripping off mlb players from Latin America? How is any of this legal?

 

[CL82]

I don't know how they make money. But they are paying 16 year old elite prospects to play basketball and getting them through high school, fed with proper nutrition, and a place to sleep and stay out of trouble.

This changes lives for the young people. I just don't know how Overtime Elite makes any money.

I thought the same thing. My understanding is that players sign over a right to a percentage of future earnings. To a 16 year old, that sounds like a great deal, get money now and pay it back (and then some) later, but I am curious to see what happens when those kids make the pros and see how much is going to OE. There may be some blow back then.

I was talking with a neighbor and her nephew is doing the same thing for soccer down in Philly.

 

[raf46]

Wish them all well. Hope they do not end up with no money, no education, and no college ball to fall back on.

 

[formerlurker]

Jalen Duren said he turned down a 7-figure offer from Overtime because they couldn't lay out exact plans for who they would be playing and how they can best prepare him for the next level.

 

[Waquoit]

All you have to do is look at the investor list to see if it has legs.

Theranos and Juicero stayed around awhile..

 

[Zonepress]

Major investors but I have no clue why they're funding it, there's certainly no audience for this.

Why would you say no audience?
Would absolutely be interested in watching
If they have the top five players in the draft
There would be a nice audience
You only need a niche to be suceed

 

[McLovin]

Why would you say no audience?
Would absolutely be interested in watching
If they have the top five players in the draft
There would be a nice audience
You only need a niche to be suceed

The G league had 2 top 5 players in the draft. I don't know a single person who says "wow, can't wait to tune into that G league action tonight." And the guys in the G league are way better than 16 year old prospects.

 

[McLovin]

Good for these kids. But with the new NIL rules, I don't see what this league can provide top prospects that Duke or Kentucky cannot. And honestly, playing for one of these big name schools can probably earn you more than this league will pay them. Just look at Bryce Young - kid hasn't played a snap for Bama and has $1,000,000 in contracts because of the name on the front of the Jersey. Zion would have made way more with NIL at Duke (not to mention the constant media exposure and attention) than $100K or whatever this league is paying kids.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Why would you say no audience?
Would absolutely be interested in watching
If they have the top five players in the draft
There would be a nice audience
You only need a niche to be suceed

Because they have no one to play (not playing high school, AAU, college or pro teams), no pre-existing media to broadcast and no arena lined up to hold these non-games against no one. By definition then there is no audience.

The funding is burning startup style cash to just sign these players. Plan B is purposefully vague, as in reality they are hoping to sell the enterprise to someone (the NBA) that already has a better version of it (the G League, with you know actual teams, players, games and arenas - yet also ironically not much of an audience!).

 

[JohnFSilver]

The G league had 2 top 5 players in the draft. I don't know a single person who says "wow, can't wait to tune into that G league action tonight." And the guys in the G league are way better than 16 year old prospects.

Audience isn't the only reason and ways to make money. the team can make money off sneaker sponsorships, marketing, or even getting a cut of future earnings. Things like that.

I think G League is a rising tide. If the OT Elite can get a 8-person league, think about it. It essentially becomes the fourth division of pro hoops.

Here is how I look at hoops

NBA -1st division
G League - 2nd Division
College- 3rd Division
OT Elite - 4th division?
(Amateur)
High School/AAU - 4th Division?

4th Division Plays Elite AAU teams? No idea. Reminds me of the PDL in soccer.

 

[Dogdeacon]

Audience isn't the only reason and ways to make money. the team can make money off sneaker sponsorships, marketing, or even getting a cut of future earnings. Things like that.

I think G League is a rising tide. If the OT Elite can get a 8-person league, think about it. It essentially becomes the fourth division of pro hoops.

Here is how I look at hoops

NBA -1st division
G League - 2nd Division
College- 3rd Division
OT Elite - 4th division?
(Amateur)
High School/AAU - 5th Division

4th Division Plays Elite AAU teams? No idea. Reminds me of the PDL in soccer.

You need an audience for the sneaker sponsorships and marketing $ to make sense. Billboards in caves don't get good rents. I guess maybe some of these players will bring monetizable social media followers to this cave though. The future earnings thing is a scam condiment atop a meatless & breadless sandwich, served in a cave.

 

[8893]

Wow, can't wait to tune into that G league action tonight.

 

[superjohn]

Audience isn't the only reason and ways to make money. the team can make money off sneaker sponsorships, marketing, or even getting a cut of future earnings. Things like that.

I think G League is a rising tide. If the OT Elite can get a 8-person league, think about it. It essentially becomes the fourth division of pro hoops.

Here is how I look at hoops

NBA -1st division
G League - 2nd Division
College- 3rd Division
OT Elite - 4th division?
(Amateur)
High School/AAU - 4th Division?

4th Division Plays Elite AAU teams? No idea. Reminds me of the PDL in soccer.

Americans have never shown they like minor leagues, I just don't see an audience for it. If NBA teams want to pay for it like they did the WNBA I guess it has a future but the fanbase just won't be there.

We already have the G League for that though and nobody cares about it.

 

[McLovin]

Audience isn't the only reason and ways to make money. the team can make money off sneaker sponsorships, marketing, or even getting a cut of future earnings. Things like that.

I think G League is a rising tide. If the OT Elite can get a 8-person league, think about it. It essentially becomes the fourth division of pro hoops.

Here is how I look at hoops

NBA -1st division
G League - 2nd Division
College- 3rd Division
OT Elite - 4th division?
(Amateur)
High School/AAU - 4th Division?

4th Division Plays Elite AAU teams? No idea. Reminds me of the PDL in soccer.

Sneaker deals and marketing are only valuable IF there is an audience. College basketball only has an audience because of the names on the front of the jersey (outside of a generational sensation). Put the 5 starters from Duke and 5 from UNC on the floor on the “yellow” and “blue” teams with no attachment to established brands and no one would care. There is no market for watching 16 year old semi pro kids. Maybe a few creepy old men and some basketball hardos, but that potential fan base won’t ever become a big enough niche to cover the expenses. In my opinion.

If the investors in this league want to piss away their money hoping to trick some kids that taking $100K now to give up earnings down the line is better than national exposure, unlimited NIL money potential and not having to sell your future contract rights to play at Duke or Kentucky, that is their right I guess.

 

[Lynyrd]

I don't know how they make money. But they are paying 16 year old elite prospects to play basketball and getting them through high school, fed with proper nutrition, and a place to sleep and stay out of trouble.

This changes lives for the young people. I just don't know how Overtime Elite makes any money.

The funding is covered in the Infrastructure Bill