๐Ÿ“ OTE Opening Weekend Preview

The 2024-25 OTE season kicks off this weekend with all eight teams in action for the start of what should be an action-packed season! Read all about this weekend and the upcoming season down below.

OTE Opening Weekend Preview

OTE kicks off its 2024-25 season this weekend with all eight teams in action over two days. Opening night in Atlanta will kick off with YNG Dreamerz vs. RWE on YouTube and will be immediately followed with the Cold Hearts vs. City Reapers on Amazon Prime Video at 9 PM. Also make sure to tune-in at 6:45 PM on Friday to see where City Reapers star Amari Evans will be committing to play at college next season ๐ŸŽ“

Friday, November 1

6 PM - Jelly Fam vs. Diamond Doves (Lincolnton, NC)

7 PM - YNG Dreamerz vs. RWE (OTE Arena) (OTE YouTube)

7:30 PM - Fear of God Athletics vs. Blue Checks (Lincolnton, NC)

9 PM - Cold Hearts vs. City Reapers (OTE Arena) (PRIME VIDEO)

Saturday, November 2

3 PM - Fear of God Athletics vs. Jelly Fam (Lincolnton, NC)

4:30 PM - Diamond Doves vs. Blue Checks (Lincolnton, NC)

5 PM - RWE vs. City Reapers (OTE Arena) (OTE YouTube)

7 PM - YNG Dreamerz vs. Cold Hearts (OTE Arena) (OTE YouTube)

Matchup of the Week: 

The matchup of the week is the 2024 semi-finals rematch between the YNG Dreamerz and RWE that will be kicking off the season in Atlanta at 7 PM on Friday night and broadcast on OTEโ€™s YouTube channel. Reigning MVP Eli Ellis and his little brother Isaac Ellis return for the YNG Dreamerz looking for revenge after getting swept out of the playoffs by RWE. RWE has revamped their team heading into the season and the backcourt battle between the Ellis brothers and RWEโ€™s Jasper Johnson and Taylen Kinney sets up for what is sure to be an eventful night ๐ŸŽ‡

The Dreamerz return all of Eli Ellis, Isaac Ellis and Abu Yarmah but the reason they land the number one spot in the rankings is the depth of talent they added to the roster. The additions of ranked shooting guard Kohl Rosario and South Carolina commit, big man Hayden Assemian give the Dreamerz one of the deadliest starting lineups in the entire league ๐Ÿ˜ด

The City Reapers are looking to take home their third championship in a row this season and they still have a roster full of champion-pedigree players. The Reapers return big man Bryson Tiller, who is the only two time champion at all of OTE this year, as well as the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Amari Evans. On top of their returning talent, the Reapers also added the highest ranked player in the class of 2025 at OTE in Meleek Thomas who is one of the frontrunners for the OTE MVP ๐Ÿ’€

#3 - RWE

RWE had massive roster upheaval but still returned the fifth ranked player in the class of 2027 in Lincoln Cosby and they traded for sharpshooter Parker Robinson who looks to step into a bigger role for RWE. RWE also brought in a new star pairing in Jasper Johnson and Taylen Kinney who may very well be the best backcourt in the league ๐ŸŒŠ

The Blue Checks are the biggest risers in the rankings from the end of last season and there are a few key reasons people can point to for that leap. First off they return young, explosive forward Elhadji Diallo who showed signs of elevating his game at the end of last season. The number one reason they have pushed so high in the rankings is the addition of Kaden Magwood who is one of the purest bucket getters the league has ever seen โœ”๏ธ

The Cold Hearts are led this year by two returners: combo guard Adam Oumiddoch and rangy forward Samis Calderon who based on preseason results both appear to have raised their games to new levels. The Cold Hearts added Italian point guard Wei Zhao who is one of the most gifted passers in the league as well as big man Kai Rogers who recently committed to Oklahoma ๐Ÿฅถ

OTEโ€™s newest team, Fear of God Athletics, join the league with big expectations upon their backs and that is thanks in large part to Shon Abaev. Abaev is one of the early MVP favorites and his scoring prowess and explosiveness will be on full display on opening night. In addition, Fear of God Athletics added ranked players Collin Paul and Cayden Daughtry to their roster ๐Ÿ˜‡

The Diamond Doves have more roster turnover than any other team, returning just two players from last season. For the Diamond Doves to rise in these rankings they will need new additions Deshawn Gory and Isaiah Henry to step up into larger roles. The Doves also added Troy Hornbeck, better known as RoadtoD1, who is one of the hardest grinders in OTE history ๐Ÿ•Š๏ธ

Jelly Fam suffered one of the biggest losses after the departure of MVP runner-up Ian Jackson, who graduated and is now at UNC, and has some very large shoes to fill. The most likely candidate to step into that scoring role is new addition Jermel โ€œMel Melโ€ Thomas who is three-star guard in the class of 2026 who is one of the niftiest passers OTE has. Jelly Fam also return Jordan Skyers and Yandel German who are looking to step into bigger roles this season ๐Ÿ‡

For the best OTE highlights, follow us on IG and TikTok ๐Ÿ˜ฎโ€๐Ÿ’จ

Was this article forwarded to you? Join thousands of other informed subscribers

Want to rock our latest gear? Hit the shop now to cop our newest styles ๐Ÿ‘‡