Kentucky MBB commit Somto Cyril to play in The Basketball Tournament

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kentucky-mbb-commit-somto-cyril-play-the-basketball-tournament — Photo by Adam Hagy | Overtime Elite

Hoping to get a first-hand look at Somto Cyril before he arrives at Kentucky? You’re in luck!

It was announced on Thursday that Cyril, a class of 2024 four-star center who committed to the Wildcats in late June, will join Team Overtime for this year’s edition of The Basketball Tournament. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man will become the first-ever amateur to participate in TBT.

Cyril spent his junior year with Overtime Elite and will suit up again for the program as a senior this fall before arriving on UK’s campus next summer. This will be the second straight season that OTE has brought a team to TBT. Last year’s group featured the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, who wound up going No. 4 and No. 5 respectively in the 2023 NBA Draft.

HUGE NEWS:

🚨SOMTO CYRIL WILL BECOME THE FIRST AMATEUR TO PARTICIPATE IN TBT🚨

This is big time for TBT, OTE and all of basketball🏀 pic.twitter.com/WVAjkOcWH3
— TBT (@thetournament) July 6, 2023

Cyril will run alongside mostly former college players for Team Overtime, although a handful of OTE’s current younger players will also take the court. Team Overtime will begin its TBT run on Wednesday, July 26 in Dayton, OH against Carmen’s Crew (Ohio State alumni) at 6:00 p.m. EST.

TBT 2023 is set to begin on July 19 and will run until the beginning of August across the ESPN family of networks. For the third straight season, a total of 64 teams will participate in the single-elimination tournament.

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Eight different cities have been selected as host sites, with one taking place at Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY from July 25-30. Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH will also host a regional from July 21-24. The semifinals and championship will be held in Philadelphia, PA from August 2-3.

Joining Cyril in this year’s tournament will be a pair of one-time Kentucky players. Archie Goodwin (Eberlein Drive) and Marcus Lee (AfterShocks) will make their return to TBT, which once again features a winner-takes-all grand prize of $1 million. TBT is famous for implementing the Elam Ending, which ensures that all contests end on a game-winning shot.