The top guards in the 2023 class plan to waive their salaries to maintain their college eligibility.
Over the next three days, Sports Illustrated will reveal OTE’s 2022-23 class. The upstart pro league concluded its inaugural season in March and boasts a brand new state-of-the-art 103,000-square-foot arena, pro skills trainers, personalized education and more than 55 million followers across seven social platforms.
Two weeks ago, Trey Parker and Kanaan Carlyle were duking it out in the Nike EYBL in Kansas City, fighting for a coveted spot in the Nike Peach Jam.
On Monday, Overtime Elite made them allies, signing both of the 2023 stars for the coming season.
Both Parker and Carlyle will waive the $100,000 salary to maintain their college eligibility, a path top 2024 prospect Naasir Cunningham pioneered when he signed with OTE in April.
Parker and Carlyle, a Stanford commit, are widely regarded as top-tier players in the 2023 class and are virtual shoo-ins for the SI99 basketball recruiting rankings when they’re released later this year.
Overtime
Parker built his reputation on his athletic ability, using mind-boggling dunks in games to create momentum shifts. Still, his ability to create “wow” plays tends to overshadow his abilities as an efficient three-level scorer and playmaker.
Parker, a 6'2'' combo guard, showed the full range of his repertoire last week at Peach Jam, averaging 21 points a game. While at the controls for Vertical Academy (Charlotte, N.C.) last season, Parker gave Overtime a preview of what was to come averaging 19 points over two games against OTE teams.
“Having the athleticism that Trey possesses is something you can’t teach, so OTE is the perfect place for his next phase of basketball development,” says OTE head coach and director of player development Kevin Ollie. “My coaching staff and I are excited to build off his terrific foundation and prepare him to have success on and off the basketball court for years to come.”
Overtime
Carlyle, a 6-foot-2 point guard, committed to the Cardinal in January after leading Milton (Ga.) to a state title during his sophomore season. This summer, Carlyle helped USA Basketball win the gold medal at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico.
“When I think about the dedication and investment it takes to be an elite player, I think of Kanaan Carlyle,” OTE vice president of recruiting and player personnel Tim Fuller says. “He has a warrior’s mentality on both sides of the ball—he won’t be outworked on any possession. He’s received much-deserved recognition for being a terrific playmaker, adding a level of intensity and ball-handling to our league.”
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