Team Heartfire bowed out to the eventual champions, Carmen’s Crew last year in the third round. For many teams, that would be considered a successful tournament, but for Heartfire, they had to struggle to get there, winning the first two matchups by a combined 6 points as the heavy favorites.
This year, they’re keeping their foot on the brake, retaining most of the championship team, including LaPhonso Ellis. Expect this team to make a deep run.
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- Ron Katich (Assistant Coach)
- Stephen Dyer (Assistant Coach)
It’s hard to pinpoint one MVP on this deep team, but Tevin Mack led the way last year for Team Heartfire. He averaged 15.7 PPG on 51.4% shooting. This included an impressive 25-point performance against We Are D3 to keep their season alive. He attacks the rim well, but can also hit the deep shot, making him so difficult to guard.
If Team Heartfire wants to succeed, they’ll need him to take shots. He took just 8 shots in the loss last year, and that was certainly a difference maker. Team Heartfire have options, but when the Elam Ending comes, the ball needs to be in his hands.
Eric Griffin won Finals MVP in 2023 when he scored 23 points and grabbed 7 rebounds in the victory over Mean Green. Last year, he didn’t suit up, and it showed with the undewhelming performance. Now, he’s back, and he can be the difference maker between a regional finish and a championship.
Now, he was listed on last year’s roster and didn’t suit up, so that could be the case again. If he does play, though, the combo of him and Mack will be deadly, to go along with all the other balanced players on the team.
This team is loaded with talent and experience. They bring back nine players from the championship team, a retention number that’s pretty unheard of in the TBT. As mentioned, Mack and Griffin are the leaders, but they also bring back Marcus Hall, an all-tournament player in 2023. Pair him with Eric Washington, DJ Kennedy, and Raphiel Putney, and you have one of the deepest teams in the sport.
Most importantly, they’re coached by LaPhonso Ellis, someone who was named the All-Tournament coach in 2023 and boasts a 12-4 record, one of the best winning percentages of any coach. As mentioned earlier with retention, he knows how his guys play with each other and also understands the unique differences of the TBT, which should give them even more of a boost.
Team Heartfire will get an auto bye to the second round, where they’ll play the winner of DaGuys STL and the Sheffield Shawks. If everything goes right, they should walk through this regional and face their first true test in the Wichita region. Anything can happen in the TBT, though, which this team knows all too well.
