Bryson Warren is one of the top prospects at running back in the 2018 class, so it may come as a surprise that he is considering to enroll in college in 2019 instead of staying in high school for another season. The reason for this decision is that Warren received offers from the likes of Penn State, Kentucky, Michigan State, and Oregon, however he has signed with the Overtime Elite program out of Texas.
Bryson Warren, a 6’7, 210 pound power forward from New York, NY who attends St. John’s, received a number of offers from colleges around the country. He received interest from Syracuse, Maryland, Providence, Temple, St. Bonaventure, St. Johns, St. Thomas, and Wagner.
The league announced on Thursday that Bryson Warren, the No. 14 basketball talent in ESPN’s Class of 2023, has signed with Overtime Elite.
Warren joins the fledgling league as the ninth five-star recruit. Warren turned down offers from Arkansas, Tennessee, Kansas, Memphis, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Auburn, and others, despite being considered one of the best guard prospects in the class. As a 14-year-old middle-schooler, he got his first scholarship offer from Oral Roberts University.
Warren became the first sophomore to be named Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association High School Player of the Year after leading Little Rock Central to a 23-5 record and a state championship game in Class 6A by averaging 24.1 points, 3.7 assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game while shooting 44 percent from three-point range. He moved to Link Academy in Missouri this summer, although he will not play for them after signing his Overtime contract.
Warren averaged 10.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 23 minutes over 12 games with Mokan Elite while playing up a year on the competition as a 16-year-old in the Nike EYBL 17U circuit this summer.
Warren, who turns 17 in October, would not be available for the NBA draft until 2024 unless he graduates a year early and then enters the 2023 draft, which he would be eligible for owing to his age.
Warren, who is 6-foot-2 and has a slender body, has garnered parallels to Darius Garland and CJ McCollum because of his excellent scoring instincts. He is regarded as one of the greatest shot-makers in high school basketball, often drawing up from challenging vantage positions from far beyond the arc. He plays a fearless kind of basketball, with a fast release on his jump jumper and the ability to handle and distribute the ball without hesitation.
According to ESPN’s Adam Finkelstein and Jeff Borzello, Dominick Barlow, who is rated No. 80 in the Class of 2022, has also left his prep school and is going to join with Overtime Elite. According to reports, Barlow is likely to sign a two-year contract.
Barlow, a 6-foot-9 big from New Jersey, made his ESPN 100 debut only a few days ago. He graduated from Dumont High School in New Jersey last spring with just a mid-major interest, but after joining the New York Rens and putting on a string of outstanding performances at the EYBL in July, his recruiting exploded.
He was supposed to spend a year following graduation at Bridgton Academy in Maine, but he came late last week and left after his first practice with the team.
Warren and Barlow will be Overtime Elite’s 20th and 21st players, respectively, moving the team closer to its stated target of 24 players for the first season.
Since its start in March, OTE has made tremendous progress toward its objective of becoming a credible alternative training program and exposure platform for top high school and worldwide prospects. OTE has signed five-star recruits Jalen Lewis, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Matt Bewley, Ryan Bewley, Jazian Gortman, and Tyler Smith, as well as a projected top-20 pick in 2022 in Dominican guard Jean Montero, thanks to significant financial backing and the hirings of NCAA national championship-winning coach Kevin Ollie and several former NBA executives.
Izan Almansa from Spain, Alexandre Sarr from France, Nathan Missia-Dio from Belgium, and Tudor Somacescu from Romania have all been signed as 16-year-olds.
OTE is looking to replace three positions when its teams gather in Atlanta in the coming weeks to begin training and playing games against academies, prep schools, and foreign teams from across the world. The 24 OTE players will be divided into three teams and will compete against one another.
Jonathan Givony is the creator and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private scouting and analytics firm utilized by NBA, NCAA, and foreign clubs.
