![]() | |
Founded | 1991 |
---|---|
League | ECBL |
Based in | Fort Mill, South Carolina |
Arena | Fort Mill Community Center |
Colors | Burgundy, Gold |
Owner | Chris Thomas |
Head coach | Chris Thomas |
Championships | 9 (2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021) |
Division titles | 9 |
Cheerleaders | PrimeTime Cheer Team |
Website | primetimeplayersbasketball |
The PrimeTime Players are a minor league professional basketball team based in Fort Mill, South Carolina. The PrimeTime Players have played independently in the Carolinas since 1991, competing in tournaments and pro-am leagues. The team has competed in The Basketball Tournament which is aired annually on ESPN networks against some of the best professionals in the world.
PrimeTime Players are owned by Chris Thomas, who also serves as the team head coach.
After winning the first three Tobacco Road Basketball League championships (2012–14), PrimeTime are a founding member of the East Coast Basketball League. [1] PTP have won ECBL titles in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2021.
Making their debut in 2015, PrimeTime traveled to Atlanta as the 19th seed. They won their debut against top-seeded Team DBD, 94–66. The next day, PrimeTime downed HBC, 66–59, to move on to the Super 17. [2] Their run ended on July 24, losing to Dirty South, 76–75. [3]
PrimeTime was the South Region nine seed in 2016, losing in the opening round to Trained To Go, 87–82. [4]
For the 2017 tournament, PrimeTime were seeded tenth in the South Region. The team eliminated Blue Zoo (Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders alumni), 79–77, before falling in the second round to Ram Nation (VCU Rams alumni), 96–82.[ citation needed ]
In 2018, PrimeTime Players were the 12th seed in the Midwest Region. Their first round opponent, Always A Brave, were a collection of Bradley Braves alumni. PrimeTime advanced to the second round with a 68–64 victory. They defeated the four-seed Big X, 70–67, to earn a spot in the Super 16 in Atlanta where their journey ended, falling to the top-seeded Scarlet & Grey (Ohio State alumni), 72–60.[ citation needed ]
Seeded fourth in the 2019 Greensboro Regional, PrimeTime Players fell short in their first-round matchup against Florida TNT, 71–68.[ citation needed ]
In TBT 2020, PrimeTime was initially not included in the field of 24, reduced in size due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the No. 20 seed, Mid-American Unity, had one of their players test positive, although he was asymptomatic. That team withdrew from the tournament and was replaced by PrimeTime. [5] PrimeTime faced team CP3, the No. 13 seed, in the opening round. PrimeTime led for most of the game, but ultimately were defeated, 76–74. [6]
In TBT 2021, PrimeTime was seeded eighth in the West Virginia Regional. The team faced ninth-seeded Fort Wayne Champs and were defeated, 72–61. [7]
Year | Won | Lost |
---|---|---|
2015 | 2 | 1 |
2016 | 0 | 1 |
2017 | 1 | 1 |
2018 | 2 | 1 |
2019 | 0 | 1 |
2020 | 0 | 1 |
2021 | 0 | 1 |
Total | 5 | 7 |
Year | Regular Season | Post-season | The Basketball Tournament | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Record | Finish | Record | Result | Scores | Results | |
2012 (TRBL) | 11–1 | 1st | 2-0 | TRBL Champions | Semifinals: Won vs Fayetteville Crossover 126–109 Championship: Won vs Cary Invasion 123–103 | --- |
2013 (TRBL) | 12-0 | 1st East | 2-0 | TRBL Champions | Semifinals: Won vs Big Texas 161-138 Championship: Won vs Cary Invasion 126-118 [8] | --- |
2014 (TRBL) | 10-2 | 1st East | 2-0 | TRBL Champions | Semifinals: Won vs Palmetto Flight 135-112 Championship: Won vs Cary Invasion 127-108 [9] [10] | Did not compete |
2015 (ECBL) | 12–0 | 1st South | 3-0 | ECBL Champions | Division semifinals: Won vs Fort Gordon Eagles 144-115 Division finals: Won vs South Carolina All Stars 133-114 Championship: Won vs Fayetteville Crossover 130-113 | 1st Round: won vs Team DBD 94-66 2nd Round: won vs HBC 66-59 Super 17: lost vs Dirty South 76-75 |
2016 (ECBL) | 10–2 | 1st South | 3-0 | ECBL Champions | Division semifinal: Won vs Carolina Crusaders 131-117 Division final: Won vs South Carolina All Stars 135-108 Championship: Won vs Fayetteville Crossover 119-100 | First Round: lost vs Trained To Go 87-82 |
2017 (ECBL) | 13-0 | 1st South | 3-0 | ECBL Champions | Division semifinal: Won vs Florence Wildcats 137-110 Conference final: Won vs Carolina Crusaders 131-119 Championship: Won vs Carolina Thunder 125-108 | First Round: won vs Blue Zoo 79-77 Second Round: lost vs Ram Nation 96-82 |
2018 (ECBL) | 12-2 | 1st South | 3-0 | ECBL Champions | Division semifinal: Won vs Augusta Eagles 142-103 Conference final: Won vs Carolina Thunder 146-107 Championship: Won vs Hickory Hoyas 134-18 | First Round: won vs Always A Brave 68-64 Second Round: won vs Big X 70-67 Super 16: lost vs Scarlet & Grey 72-60 |
2019 (ECBL) | 12-1 | 1st South | 3-0 | ECBL Champions | Division semifinal: Won vs Augusta Eagles 124-103 Conference final: Won vs Carolina Crusaders 126-93 Championship: Won vs Winston-Salem Wolves 103-99 | First Round: lost vs Florida TNT 71-68 |
2020 (ECBL) | 4-0 | 1st South | --- | --- | Season cancelled due to COVID-19 | First Round: lost vs Team CP3 76-74 |
2021 (ECBL) | 12-2 | 2nd South | 4-0 | ECBL Champions | Division semifinal: Won vs Georgia Fire 107-105 Conference final: Won vs Carolina Thunder 160-148 Championship: Won vs North Carolina Coyotes 130-128 Super Cup: Won vs Western Mass Zombies 133-129 | First Round: TBD vs Fort Wayne Champs |
2022 (ECBL) | 12-1 | 1st South | 0-1 | Semi Finals Loss | Division Semifinal: Loss vs Carolina Crusaders 103-125 | |
2023 (ECBL) | 12-3 | 2nd South | 1-1 | Conference Finalist | Division Semifinal: Win vs Gastonia Snipers 136-118 Conference Finals: Loss vs Carolina Thunder 112-128 | |
Totals | 132-14 | 24-2 | 9 championships | 5 wins, 6 losses |
Marcus Anthony Hall is an American professional basketball player for Manisa Belediye Spor of the Turkish Basketball League. The 6'2" guard played college basketball for the University of Colorado.
The Tobacco Road Basketball League (TRBL) was a professional men's basketball minor league in the United States that began play in April 2012. The league is centered in the Carolinas.
David John Kennedy is an American professional basketball player for Prometey of the Latvian-Estonian Basketball League. He played college basketball for St. John's University.
East Coast Basketball League (ECBL) is a men's professional basketball minor league in the United States that began play in March 2015. The league is centered in the Carolinas with teams also in Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) is an open-application, single-elimination tournament played each summer in the United States. The most recent 2023 edition featured 64 teams with a $1 million winner-take-all prize, broadcast by ESPN. TBT was founded in 2014 by Jonathan Mugar.
Overseas Elite was an American basketball team that participated in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all single-elimination tournament. The team won the tournament four consecutive times: 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. The roster of Overseas Elite consisted of professional basketball players who competed outside of the NBA. The team last competed in 2020.
Team 23 is an American basketball team that competes in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all competition. The team has competed in each tournament since 2015, except for 2020. As of 2021, the team's general manager is Rutgers alumnus Michael Illiano, and the head coach is Marc Hughes, who previously coached Overseas Elite. Team 23 was the tournament runner-up in 2015 and 2021.
The Basketball Tournament 2018 was the fifth edition of The Basketball Tournament, a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament broadcast by the ESPN family of networks. The tournament involved 72 teams; it started on June 29 and continued through August 3, 2018. The winner of the final, Overseas Elite, received a two million dollar prize.
The Basketball Tournament 2016 was the third edition of The Basketball Tournament, a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament. The tournament involved 64 teams; it started on July 9 and continued through August 2, 2016. The winner of the final, Overseas Elite, received a two million dollar prize. The semifinals were broadcast on ESPN2, and the championship game—played at Rose Hill Gymnasium at Fordham University in The Bronx—was broadcast on ESPN.
The Basketball Tournament 2015 was the second edition of The Basketball Tournament, a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament. The tournament involved 97 teams; it started on July 10 and continued through August 2, 2015. The winner of the final, Overseas Elite, received a one million dollar prize. The semifinals and championship game, played at Rose Hill Gymnasium at Fordham University in The Bronx, were broadcast on ESPN. The tournament was branded as "The Basketball Tournament Presented by Jack Link's Jerky".
Eberlein Drive is an American basketball team that participates in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all single-elimination tournament. The team has participated in the tournament since its 2014 inaugural playing. The roster of Eberlein Drive consists of professional basketball players who compete outside of the NBA. The team is named after the street in Fraser, Michigan, that co-general manager Jacob Hirschmann grew up on.
The Basketball Tournament 2019 was the sixth edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament broadcast by the ESPN family of networks. The tournament, involving 64 teams, started on July 19 and continued through the championship game on August 6 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The winner of the final, Carmen's Crew, received a $2 million prize.
The Basketball Tournament 2020 was the seventh edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament. The tournament, involving 24 teams, started on July 4 and continued through the championship game on July 14, with all games held at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. The winner of the final, Golden Eagles, received a $1 million prize.
Herd That is an American basketball team that participates in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all single-elimination tournament. The team played as the West Virginia Wildcats in the 2018 and 2019 editions of the TBT, but rebranded as an alumni team of the Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball program in 2020. The roster of Herd That consists of professional basketball players who compete outside of the NBA.
The Golden Eagles are an American basketball team that participates in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all single-elimination tournament. The team first played in the tournament in 2016, was the runner-up in 2019, and won the championship in 2020. The Golden Eagles' roster consists of professional basketball players who compete outside of the NBA, most of whom played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles men's basketball team. The TBT team is an independent entity that was named after the college team.
Carmen's Crew are an American basketball team that has participated in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all single-elimination tournament. The team first played in the tournament in 2017 under the name Scarlet & Gray, and won the championship in 2019. The team's roster consists of professional basketball players who compete outside of the NBA, most of whom played college basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team. The TBT team is an independent entity that was previously named after the college team's colors, and is currently named after Ohio State's school song. The team last competed in the 2023 edition of TBT.
Boeheim's Army are an American basketball team that participates in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all single-elimination tournament. The team's roster consists of professional basketball players who compete outside of the NBA, most of whom played college basketball for the Syracuse Orange men's basketball team. The TBT team is an independent entity that is named after Jim Boeheim, longtime coach of the college team. Boeheim's Army first played in the tournament in 2015; in 2021, they won the championship and a $1 million prize.
The Basketball Tournament 2022 was the ninth edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament with a $1 million winner-take-all prize. The tournament, involving 64 teams, began on July 16 and ended on August 2 with the championship game in Dayton, Ohio. The tournament format was similar to that of the last pre-COVID-19 edition in 2019—64 teams, each playing in one of eight regionals.
Blue Collar U is an American basketball team that participates in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all single-elimination tournament. The team consists of professional basketball players, most of whom played college basketball for the Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team. The team began participating in TBT in 2021, reaching the semi-finals. Blue Collar U won its first TBT championship in its second year of participation in 2022, winning the $1 million grand prize.
The Basketball Tournament 2023 was the tenth edition of The Basketball Tournament (TBT), a 5-on-5, single elimination basketball tournament with a $1 million winner-take-all prize. The tournament, involving 64 teams, began on July 19 and ended on August 3 with the championship game in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The tournament format was similar to that of the last edition in 2022—64 teams, each playing in one of eight regionals.