This summer's Nasty Nati TBT team should look familiar to Cincinnati Bearcat fans

As they prepare to host their first TBT (The Basketball Tournament) game at Fifth Third Arena, a familiar group of former Cincinnati Bearcat basketball players gathered at Summit Country Day Wednesday afternoon for a "media day".

Former Bearcat Kevin Johnson coaches basketball at Summit and again is Nasty Nati's general manager. Another former Bearcat guard, Cashmere Wright, coaches at Clark Montessori and is back as head coach along with assistant Cane Broome. The Nasty Nati team won three games in the $1 million winner-take-all tournament last year at Cintas Center, including one against their crosstown Xavier rivals Zip'Em Up.

"The biggest thing about TBT is getting these guys here," GM Johnson said. "I've got a lot of guys playing summer league, Canada league. We're finishing up and hope we can get them here. We brought back just about everybody we had last year. We brought in Nysier Brooks to add some length to our five-spot and Octavius Ellis to protect the rim."

Johnson and head coach Wright will rely heavily on offense from TBT scoring leader Jarron Cumberland and Jacob Evans III and hopes to get Tre Scott here as soon as possible.

The surge of Nasty Nati to the quarterfinal in Dayton last summer led the organizers to move early-round games to Fifth Third Arena this season as the latest group of ex-Bearcats seeks the big prize. Should Nasty Nati win three games they will host a fourth game — a quarterfinal vs. an opponent from the Dayton region.

"We get a chance to play in front of our own fans," head coach Wright said. "Having Oct (Octavius Ellis), having Nys (Nysier Brooks) is a big help. We're going to be a lot bigger. I'm anxious to see how it works."

Former Bearcats on the roster

Forwards

Mamoudou Diarra – The 6-foot-9 Diarra wrapped up his college career at Tennessee Tech after departing the Bearcats. He was a key role player last season. Diarra's recent pro experience was with the NBA G-League Iowa Wolves.

"It is special playing with the guys here," Diarra said. "Chasing one goal, to win the tournament, is very special, especially being in Fifth Third Arena. If it everybody shows up we really have a chance to win the whole thing."

Trevon (Tre) Scott – The 6-foot-8 Scott joined his Nasty Nati teammates for the Dayton regional in 2023 and led them with 21 points in their 72-66 quarterfinal loss to Friday Beers. Scott most recently played with the Osceola Magic of the NBA G-League. His availability, like last season, depends on his success with the Orlando Magic in the Las Vegas Summer League.

Shooting guards

Jacob Evans – The 6-foot-5 Evans won a pair of games at Cintas Center last season with the game-winning shot in the Elam Ending. Evans most recently was with the Santa Cruz of the NBA G-League. GM Johnson thinks Evans will be able to make it to town for Friday's opener.

Jarron Cumberland – Cumberland returns after playing for Delaware of the NBA G-League. Both Evans and Cumberland averaged over 20 points per game in TBT and Cumberland also had an Elam Ending game-ender giving Nasty Nati a win over The Money Team last July. He finished with 28 points and nine rebounds while Evans had 26 points and eight boards.

Keith Williams – The 6-foot-5 Williams transferred from John Brannen's Bearcats to Western Kentucky but never played for the Hilltoppers. He recently played for Raptors 905 of the NBA G-League. Williams, like teammate Tre Scott, only played in the Nasty Nati quarterfinal game last year in Dayton. His availability could again come later in the tournament.

Point guards

Troy Caupain – Now a 28-year-old veteran, the 6-foot-4 Caupain is back after playing in Spain.

Deshaun Morman – The 6-foot-3 Morman played one year at UC in 2014-15 before transferring to Towson to finish his career. He last played in Burundi in Africa.

Centers

Coreontae DeBerry – The 6-foot-10 space eater returns for another run. DeBerry is now 29.

Nysier Brooks – The 7-footer is a welcome addition back with his former UC teammates. Brooks was a Bearcat between 2016-2019 then had stints with the Miami Hurricanes and Ole Miss Rebels. His last team was Strasbourg in France.

Octavius Ellis – Ellis is the elder statesman of this group at age 31. The 6-foot-10 Ellis had two stints as a Bearcat with his last ending in 2016 when his game-tying dunk vs. St. Joseph's was disallowed in the first round of the NCAA tournament. His most recent hoop action took place in Russia.

"Last year the guard play was very good (Cumberland and Evans III)," Ellis said. "They added two other five-men that they needed to hold down the paint. That's why me and Nysier came, that's what we're going to do."

Non-Bearcats on the roster

Marquez Letcher-Ellis – The 6-foot-8 forward from Rice played with Nasty Nati last year and recently played pro ball in Venezuela. Nasty Nati hopes to have him by the weekend.

Isaiah Miller – The 6-foot-1 point guard from UNC-Greensboro is the lone player who has experience with current UC coach Wes Miller. He was the Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year three times and SoCon Player of the Year twice. He averaged 15,2 points as a sophomore, 17.8 points as a junior and 19.2 points per game as a senior. Miller recently played for the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA G-League. His availability is currently up in the air.

Jaylen Adams – Adams is another 6-foot-2 point guard who played at St. Bonaventure and is a cousin of Troy Caupain. Adams recently played in Sydney, Australia.

A 2023 refresher

Nasty Nati beat The Money Team 88-76 to start last year's tourney at Cintas Center. That set up an Alumni Crosstown Shootout on Xavier's floor with Zip'Em Up, which Nasty Nati won 77-73 to set up a regional championship game vs. The Program For Autism. Jacob Evans III hit the game-winning shot in the last two games and Nasty Nati made it three wins in a row at Cintas Center, 76-51.

Despite adding Tre Scott and Keith Williams for the Dayton quarterfinal, Nasty Nati was denied a trip to the semifinals, 72-66.

Run that Elam Ending by me again

With as close to four minutes remaining in a game as possible, the clock is stopped. Eight points are added to the score of the team that's winning to create a target score. For instance, if Nasty Nati had 66 points and the lead, the target score would become 74. From there, the game becomes the first team to reach 74 regardless of who was leading at the stoppage.

Nasty Nati/Zip'Em Up rematch?

It's possible but can only happen in the regional championship. Top seed Nasty Nati plays No. 8 seed Team About Billion at 8 p.m. Friday, with the Xavier-based Zip'Em Up as the No. 2 seed against No. 7 seed Takeover BC. A Nasty Nati win moves them to a second-round 2 p.m. game Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena, while Zip'Em Up would play at 4 if they advanced.

"We want that matchup!" Nasty Nati coach Wright said. "I know last year it happened earlier than it expected. We want it to be Cincinnati vs. Xavier. We know that's what the city wants to see."

Should the UC/Xavier alum teams win, the regional title game is Monday, July 23 at 7 p.m.

A possible added bonus?

IF Nasty Nati wins this regional, they could host the quarterfinal at Fifth Third Arena. Last year they had to travel to Dayton. Results and attendance figures will play a part. Tickets for the games are available on the TBT website. Other host sites included Wichita's Charles Koch Arena, Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse, Lexington's Rupp Arena, Pittsburgh's Peterson Events Center, Louisville's Freedom Hall, Houston's Fertitta Center and Dayton's UD Arena. The semifinals and finals take place in Philadelphia Aug. 2-4 at Drexel University.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: This summer's Nasty Nati TBT team should look familiar to Cincinnati Bearcat fans