Best Virginia set to Battle Brotherly Love in the First Round of TBT

Best Virginia will start its run for a million-dollar cash prize Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in the opening round of The Basketball Tournament (TBT).

This year’s edition will begin its campaign on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh at the Peterson Events Center in the Pittsburgh Regional.

Best Virginia is entering its fifth TBT. The cast, primarily made up of former West Virginia University men’s basketball members, made its deepest run in 2022, winning the West Virginia Regional and advancing to Championship Week.

Chase Harler has taken the head coaching reins of Best Virginia after James Long accepted head coaching position at the University of Charleston (WV) following three TBT runs. Harler, a former WVU guard, received the role as general manager from former Mountaineer forward John Flowers, who stepped aside following last year’s TBT.

Forward Kevin Jones has also taken on a new role and will not suit up for Best Virginia but will be on the sidelines as an assistant coach.

Guards Teyvon Myers and Tarik Phillip return to the team. Myers has been with Best Virginia in three of the four tournament appearances since the team was formed in 2019. Phillp made his only debut with the team in his lone TBT appearance in 2021.                                              

Forwards Devin Williams and Jonathan Holton are reuniting with the team after the pair both represented Best Virginia once in the tournament. Williams was with the first edition of the squad before opting out the next season. Holton joined the team in 2021 but has been with Florida TNT the last two summers.

Esa Ahmad, Wesley Harris, and Sagaba Konate will make their Best Virginia debut.

Xavier Bledsoe joins Best Virginia fresh out of Indiana State and Marcus Keene switches sidelines after multiple appearances with Sideline Cancer, and are the only two BV members who are not WVU alum.

BEST VIRGINIA ROSTER

Teyvon Myers

Myers spent two seasons at WVU (2015-17) during the Press Virginia era and averaged 4.3 points and 1.0 assists per game for his career. He posted a career-high 16 points in a win over Texas during his final season.

In nine professional seasons overseas, Myers is averaging 15.7 ppg and is coming off career bests 19.1 points and 4.3 assists with TED Ankara Kolejliler (Turkey).

Tarik Phillip

Phillip averaged 7.7 points and 1.5 steals per game during his WVU career and helped guide the Mountaineers to two Sweet 16 appearances. In his final season, he earned Big 12 Conference’s Sixth Man of the Year Award after averaging 9.5 points and 1.7 assists.

Devin Williams

Williams suited up for Best Virginia in the team’s inaugural run in 2019, but the following season, he opted to play for the Money Team and has appeared in the TBT since.

The Cincinnati native played three seasons for the Mountaineers, and averaged double figures in his last two seasons, including nearly averaging a double double in his final year with 13.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game and earned an All-Big 12 Conference second team selection.

Williams has played professionally overseas in six different countries (Australia, Turkey, China, Montenegro, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan) and two seasons in the NBA G League with Boston Celtics affiliate, the Main Red Claws, and Charlotte Hornets affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm.

Last season, Williams played for the Taiwan Beer Leopards, where he averaged 16.5 points and 15.0 rebounds per game, including a 24 point and 33 rebound performance in January.

Jonathan Holton

After averaging 10.2 points and 8.1 rebounds per game during his freshman season at Rhode Island, and after sitting a year due to transfer rules, Holton harassed opponents at the top of Press Virginia for two seasons (2014-16) and helped guide the Mountaineers to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, including a trip to the Sweet 16.

The Miami, FL, native is averaging 8.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game as a Mountaineer.

Holton has averaged 8.9 points and 6.9 rebounds in seven seasons internationally.

Esa Ahmad

Ahmad produced 1,032 points and averaged 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game during his time as a Mountaineer. He averaged 19.3 ppg in the first six games of his senior year, including producing a career-high 30 points against Valparaiso in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Cleveland, OH, was averaging a career-best 12.0 ppg as a senior and hit double figures in four of his last five games as a Mountaineer after missing double figures in five of the previous six games, but his time in Morgantown was cut short after he was dismissed from the team for violating athletics department policies in February of the 2018-19 season.

Since leaving Morgantown, Ahmad has played professionally in Cyprus, Hungary, Argentina and Germany.

Ahmad averaged a career-best 14.2 ppg last season in Germany with BBC Bayreuth.

Wesley Harris

Harris transferred from Lawson State CC to West Virginia in 2017. He spent two years in Morgantown appearing in 59 games (54 starts) and averaged 6.3 points and 3.9 rebound per game.

Along with Ahmand, Harris was dismissed from the team for violating athletics department policies. He finished up his collegiate career at Tennessee State where he averaged 11.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Since turning pro, Harris has played for Etha Engomi Nicosia (Cyprus), CS Valcea 1924 (Romania), and Spišskí Rytieri (Slovakia).

Sagaba Konate

Konate became the nation’s top shot blocker rejecting 2.4 shots per game and passed D’or Fischer for the most blocks in school history with 191 during his three seasons at West Virginia.

Konate spent some time in the NBA’s G League with Raptors 905, but has since bounced around overseas playing for Zaragoza (Spain), PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece), Trieste (Italy), ratiopharm Ulm (Germany), Samsunspor (Turkey), and BC Körmend (Hungary).

Marcus Keene

Keene Spent two seasons at Youngstown State before transferring to Central Michigan for one season and led the NCAA in scoring at 30 points per game.

Xavier Bledson

Bledson joins Best Virginia after three seasons at Indiana State and averaged 7.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game.