I just got back from OTE Arena in Atlanta, and I need to tell you something: this ain’t your typical high school gym experience.
The production is next level – professional lighting, sound system that hits different, jumbotron replays that would make ACC schools jealous. The crowd’s into it. The basketball? Clean. Real clean. These kids can hoop.
But here’s what caught me: watching these games, I wasn’t thinking about whether OTE is “better” than college or prep school. I was thinking about something else entirely.
I was thinking about development. Real development. The kind most talented kids actually need but rarely get.
The Cooper Flagg Trap
Let’s get real for a second. Every time someone talks about basketball pathways, they point to Cooper Flagg at Duke or whatever five-star is dominating as a freshman. “See? Go to college, you’ll be fine.”
But here’s what nobody wants to say out loud: Cooper Flagg is the exception, not the rule.
For every Cooper who shows up Day 1 ready to cook grown men, there are 50 talented kids who need more time. More reps. Better coaching. Space to figure it out without 20,000 fans and boosters losing their minds every time they miss a rotation.
Look at Jaki Howard. Talented kid. OTE product. Now at Utah. Is he dominating? Not yet. He’s still coming into his own. Still figuring out the college game. Still developing.
And you know what? That’s completely normal.
The problem is we’ve convinced ourselves that 18-year-olds should be ready for everything. Ready for the physicality. Ready for the schemes. Ready for the pressure. Ready for the social media hate when they have a bad game.
Most aren’t. Even the talented ones.
What OTE Actually Does (And Why It Matters)
Here’s where OTE is different, and why it matters for way more kids than people realize.
Professional Infrastructure Without Professional Pressure
Kevin Ollie is running basketball operations. Former NBA coaches on staff. Sports science. Nutrition programs. Film breakdown. Mental health support.
This isn’t some AAU program running kids into the ground. This isn’t a prep school where the “strength program” is whatever the football coach throws together.
This is professional-level development resources focused on one thing: getting you ready for what’s next.
Not winning this season’s championship to keep donors happy. Not protecting a coach’s job security. Not maintaining some alumni network. Getting YOU ready.
Time to Work on Your Game build your Legacy, Not Just Play Games
You know what happens to most college freshmen who aren’t stars? They sit. Or they play 8-12 minutes doing exactly what the coach tells them – no freedom, no experimentation, no room to grow.
At OTE, you can actually work on your weaknesses. You can try things. You can develop parts of your game that need work without worrying about losing your scholarship or getting buried on the bench.
You’re the 6’8″ wing who needs to tighten your handle? You get real reps doing that. You’re the guard who needs to add strength and learn to finish through contact? That’s the focus.
College coaches need to win NOW. That’s their job. They got boosters breathing down their necks, recruits watching, conference standings to worry about.
OTE can play the long game. They’re developing you for the NEXT level, not this season’s tournament run.
Individualized Development Plans
This is the part that doesn’t get enough attention. Every player at OTE has an individualized development plan. Specific skills to work on. Specific measurables to hit. Specific parts of their game that need improvement.
You think the 10th man at a major college program is getting that kind of attention? You think he’s got coaches breaking down his film every week telling him exactly what he needs to improve?
Nah. He’s getting “be ready when we call your number” and “keep working hard in practice.”
OTE is saying “here’s your blueprint to the league” or “here’s your blueprint to dominate in college.” And then they’re actually working that blueprint with you.
OTE Forced the Conversation (Give Them Their Flowers)
Real talk: OTE changed the game before they ever produced an NBA player.
They were the first major platform to say out loud: “These kids deserve to get paid.”
Not NIL money for their likeness. Not under-the-table handshakes. Real salaries. Six figures. Professional contracts for 16, 17, 18-year-old basketball players.
And everybody freaked out.
“You can’t pay high school kids!” “This will ruin amateur basketball!” “What about the sanctity of college sports!”
Now? NIL is everywhere. College players are making millions. The G-League had Ignite paying kids. The whole landscape changed.
OTE was right. They were just early.
The Thompson twins – Amen and Ausar – came through OTE and went straight to the NBA. Not as polished superstars, but as legitimate prospects who had spent time in a professional development environment learning how to be professionals.
That’s the proof of concept right there.
But more than that, OTE raised the bar for what player development should look like. They showed what’s possible when you invest in kids – really invest in infrastructure, coaching, support systems – instead of just exploiting their talent for ticket sales and TV deals.
Where OTE Fits in the NIL Era (It’s Not Either/Or)
Here’s where people get it twisted. They think OTE is trying to replace college. That it’s OTE vs. college basketball.
Nah. It’s not a competition. It’s another lane.
Cooper Flagg types? Go get that Duke NIL money and national exposure. Ball out on ESPN every week. Live the college experience. You’re ready for it.
Jaki Howard types? Maybe you need that OTE development year. Or two. Get your body right. Get your skills tight. Get your mind right. THEN go to college more polished. Better college career. Better draft stock. Better everything.
International players? OTE is perfect. No NCAA eligibility nightmares. No “did you play with professionals?” investigations. Direct pathway to development without the red tape.
Kids whose families need money NOW? OTE’s guaranteed salary beats hoping for an NIL deal that might not come through.
See how this works? More options = better for players.
The innovation wasn’t creating something to replace college. The innovation was recognizing that one size doesn’t fit all.
The Development Bridge Most Kids Need
Let me bring this full circle to what I saw in Atlanta.
These OTE kids are good. Like, really good. But you can also see they’re still developing. Still figuring things out. Still growing into their bodies and their games.
And that’s exactly the point.
Not every kid is ready to step into a college program as a freshman and dominate. Not every kid is ready for the pressure of being “the guy” at a major program. Not every kid is ready to navigate NIL deals and social media scrutiny and academic demands all at once.
Some kids need time. They need professional coaching. They need to work on their game in an environment where development is the priority, not winning to satisfy boosters.
College basketball has been pushing kids into the deep end for decades. Recruiting them at 15. Committing them at 16. Expecting them to produce at 18.
And we wonder why so many talented kids flame out. Why so many never reach their potential. Why so many transfer multiple times trying to find the right fit.
OTE said: “What if we gave kids the space and resources to actually develop first?”
That’s not revolutionary because it’s complicated. It’s revolutionary because it’s obvious and nobody else was doing it.
This Isn’t About OTE vs. College – It’s About What’s Best for Each Kid
The real legacy of Overtime Elite won’t be measured in NBA draft picks.
It’ll be measured in the kids who got an extra year or two of elite development before college or the pros, and entered their next chapter actually READY for it.
The kid who needed to add 15 pounds of muscle and learn to play through contact.
The kid who needed to tighten his handle and expand his range.
The kid who needed professional-level training and mental health support to deal with the pressure.
The kid who needed guaranteed money so his family could stop stressing about bills while he focused on his game.
Those kids exist. Hundreds of them. Maybe thousands.
And for too long, basketball told them: “Figure it out at college. You got one year, maybe two if you’re lucky, then you better produce or we’re recruiting over you.”
OTE said: “We’ll invest in your development. Take your time. Get it right. Then go dominate wherever you go next.”
In a sport that’s been pushing kids into the deep end too early for generations, that’s actually revolutionary.
The Bottom Line for Young Hoopers and Parents
If your kid is the next Cooper Flagg – a once-in-a-generation talent who’s physically and mentally ready for everything at 18 – great. Go get that college experience and that NIL money.
But if your kid is talented but still developing? If they need time to work on their game without the pressure of producing immediately? If they need professional infrastructure and individualized attention?
Don’t sleep on OTE just because it’s different.
The best programs aren’t the ones with the biggest names or the most tradition. The best programs are the ones that meet YOUR kid where they’re at and help them get where they’re trying to go.
OTE proved there’s more than one path to making it. They proved kids deserve to be paid for their talent. They proved that investing in real development – not just games and exposure – actually works.
That’s the legacy. That’s the impact.
And watching those games in Atlanta, seeing kids developing in a professional environment while still being teenagers, still learning, still growing?
That’s exactly what basketball should look like at this level.
Not everyone’s path is the same. And that’s exactly how it should be.
