Shane Laflin – ESPN | Premier Basketball

 

The Overtime Select Finals will take place September 14-15 in Atlanta. It is the culmination of a few weeks of gatherings and events at the Overtime Elite Arena that has included a tournament style of games, Queen of the Court contest (won by 2026 Oliviyah Edwards), 3-Point Shootout (won by 2027 Jessie Moses), and some off court programming.

 

Quick Summary:

There were eight total teams and approximately 64 players that participated in this program. 52 ESPNW ranked players in total played. The teams were assigned designated captains as listed below:

 All Knighters

2025 Jazzy Davidson

Double Dynasty

2025 Mia & Mya Pauldo (Tennessee Commits)

Drifty Dreamerz

2025 Hailee Swain (Stanford Commit)

ISO WRLD

2027 Kaleena Smith

Royal Reign

2026 Jenica Lewis

RWE

2026 Jerzy Robinson

Venom Tears

2025 Aaliyah Chavez

YGE

2027 GG Banks

 

Four teams came to week one (Double Dynasty, Royal Reign, YGE, Venom Tears) and played a series of games to determine who moved on to the finals weekend. This same format was used for week 2 (Iso Wrld, RWE, Drifty Dreamerz, and All Knighters).

Double Dynasty and Iso Wrld advanced in their respective weeks with two consecutive wins. All Knighters and YGE both advanced from their respective weekends through the “Bubble Breaker” game (pickup style, winner take all amongst the teams that went 1-1).

 

The Finals Schedule (all times Eastern):

 The games can be viewed on the Overtime Select YouTube Channel

Saturday, September 14

            5pm: All Knighters vs Double Dynasty

            7pm: YGE vs Iso World

Sunday, September 15

            3pm: Championship Game

STANDOUT PLAYERS:

Jazzy Davidson and Sienna Betts

These two have been the most impressive duo in the program thus far. They are No. 2 and No. 3 in the ESPNW Class of 2025, respectively, and have each made a strong case for consideration at the No. 1 spot because they both project to the next level and beyond and continue to improve steadily and incrementally. They are the only two players in the Overtime event to both be in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding, and assists. They were members of the U18 FIBA Americas USA team that brought home gold in June. Jazzy recently followed that up with a U18 3X3 World Cup gold medal in August.

Davidson really asserted herself this year as a focused defensive stopper. She has all-around game on the offensive end – facilitating and moving without the ball and with the ability to lead the offense or play off the ball. She seems to have gotten her confident stroke back from the three, something for which she was known early on as a younger player. Jazzy’s size and length combined with her athleticism make her very unique in the class. Her ability to get to her spots and knock down a variety of mid-range jumpers as well as finish high at the rim make her a tough cover. She leads all scorers thus far going into the finals weekend at 26 PPG, sixth in rebounding at 9.5 per game, and is also third in assists at 5 per game.

Betts continues to take her game to new levels. It is evident when a player turns the corner and really carries themselves with the confidence to dominate day in and day out, and that has happened with Betts. She was at or near the top of the adidas 3SSB in most significant statistical categories, an impressive feat by a big. Sienna is a new age five-player: She has back to basket game, but can stretch the floor, and most impressively, is a fantastic passer and has an advanced handle. She has learned to keep the game simple and play to her strengths – rebounding and leaving a physical imprint. Her commitment to the game and maturation over the last year has been an integral part of this process. She is leading all rebounders thus far at 13 per game, is third in scoring at 23.5 PPG, and 10^th in assists at 4 per game.

Kaleena Smith

Few players have created the same buzz over the summer as Smith. This 2027 guard has a strong hold on the No. 1 spot in the ESPNW rankings, and for good reason. She was second in scoring and first in assists at the EYBL Nike Nationals in Chicago, finishing in the 50-40-90 club.

Many know her from her social media highlights of making a multitude of long-range shots, but her most impressive skill is her floor mapping. She constantly makes the right plays, and with such a high usage rate, rarely turns the ball over. Her teammates run the floor, post hard, and cut hard because they know they will get rewarded. That is a very special glue-like leadership quality. She is considered by many as in the serious discussion as best player in the country, regardless of class. She has played the most minutes of anyone in the event thus far at almost 33 min per game.

Kate Harpring

Has there been another player whose stock rose as much as Harpring this summer? From this vantage point, the answer is: No. Harpring has gone to another level and her play has demanded top 5 consideration in the ESPNW rankings in the 2026 class.

Kate competes at such a high level – every possession matters. She has added a wiggle to her dribble that has helped make her a tough cover – she changes tempo well and can shoot it, so the subtle shifts and hesitations in her handle have to be honored by the defense. Once she gets a defender on her hip, because of her build, strength, and physicality, it is fully to her advantage. She has legit rise on her jumper and has started to hunt the three a bit more – although there needs to be more of that. Defensively, she is a terror on the ball and is intelligent in her positioning and reads off the ball, often allowing her to make plays in passing lanes or get rebounds to immediately lead the break.

Kate is averaging 20 points per game thus far at Overtime, plus is 60% from the field and leads everyone in the +/- category.

Oliviyah Edwards

The argument could be made that there is not another player in the country with an upside as high as Edwards. She is physical specimen – long, athletic, agile, and skilled – and she is a unique thinker and personality and that artful side of her aides in how she plays the game in a limitless fashion.

Edwards does not belong in any one positional box. She is a hooper with skills off the dribble, advanced footwork, and the ability to shoot the ball. Her instinct and habit to play off of two feet in the paint makes her really stand out as that is a problem for a lot of today’s players as they try to emulate what they see in training highlight videos. Physically, she can play above the rim as evidenced by her attempted tip dunks and her two-handed lob finishes. Defensively, she rebounds well and blocks shots with either hand – another outstanding habit.

With the right technical and fundamental work, Edwards could put herself into No. 1 pick consideration before her college career is over. She will need to be far more consistently assertive and productive to get there, but the potential is undeniable.

Teams and Analysis:

ALL KNIGHTERS | Head Coach Ivory Latta

This team is undoubtedly led by Jazzy Davidson and Sienna Betts. The impact they left on the box scores was undeniable. They have versatility and shooting in McKenzie Mathurin and Daria Biriuk as well as a steady PG in Puff Morris. This group only shot 24.4% overall from three, had a 53% assist ratio, and won the rebounding margin in 2/3 games played.

Keys to Win: This team has to play through Sienna Betts who flirted with averaging a triple double in her last two club seasons for Hardwood Elite. They need to get out in transition and let Jazzy attack as there is a solid chance Betts will control the glass. The other guards and wings need to get out and space the floor early. This team shares it, but has to shoot it better overall to win the whole thing.

Opponent Scout: There must be a focused effort to keep Betts off the glass. The team has to realize collectively that they must stay glued to Davidson and Mathurin (no help – they’ve shot the three well here) and make somebody else beat them, primarily outside of Davidson.

DOUBLE DYNASTY | Head Coach Sa’de Wiley Gatewood

This squad is the most balanced of any roster in the finals. From Mia and Mya Pauldo at the PG to Kate Harpring at the guard spot to Deniya Prawl and Aaliyah Crump at the wings to Olivia Vukosa on the inside – they have all the answers. This group shot 32.6% from the three, had a 53% assist ratio, and won the rebounding battle in both of their wins.

Keys to Win: Very simply: if this team shares the ball and plays any semblance of defense, they should win. The major specific challenge is the matchup in Vukosa vs Betts in the semifinal game. This is a real breakthrough opportunity for Vukosa who is as talented as they come, but can really secure herself as that assertive foundational player in a matchup like this vs another elite and versatile big like Betts.

Opponent Scout: This team lived in the paint and because of that were able to spray the ball all over for good shots. They must contain the ball and protect the paint primarily to give themselves a chance. A very focused rebounding effort is important.

YGE | Head Coach Kim Powell

This lineup is pretty balanced and arguably has the most potential to really gel and explode in their second weekend together. GG Banks is a dynamic PG, Jessie Moses is a poised and steady shooter, and Jaliya Davis and Oliviyah Edwards are the best inside combo on any roster at the finals. Stella Lockhart has been a steady contributor for this squad as well. This group shot 36% from the three, had a 50% assist ratio, and were 2-1 in the rebounding battle.

Keys to Win: Make sure to establish some inside/out balance. They have mobile and versatile bigs/forwards so early ball screen action and an aggressive attack to force rotations and get them loose for offensive rebounds will help them. This group lacks the lengthy athletic wing/slashers so they have to make up for that with cohesive team play and rotational defensive strategies.

Opponent Scout: You must keep a body on Oliviyah Edwards and Jaliya Davis because they will attack the glass. There must by multiple bodies in front of Banks in transition as she will be in downhill attack mode.

 

ISO WRLD | Head Coach John Albert

This squad has two of the best one-on-one players in the program in Kaleena Smith and Saniyah Hall and some nice complimentary players in the defensively versatile Jaylah and Lola Lampley, the explosive Kelis Fisher, and a strong body inside in Kelsi Andrews. They shot 31% from the three, had a 58% assist ratio, but were 0-2 in the rebounding battle in their games.

Keys to Win: This team must continue to share it and shoot it. Although they are good in the iso situations, if the ball sticks it is to the advantage of the opponent. Move it, attack, or get off of it. They must be better on the glass if they are to win it all.

Opponent Scout: They have to get the ball out of Kaleena’s hands and be ready to switch things up defensively if she gets on a heater. She is a fantastic distributor so they have to pick their poison sometimes – either make her take a lot of shots or try to keep it out of her hands, but if they are scrambling all over, she will dice them up. They must force Saniyah Hall left in iso situations and they must beat Iso Wrld on the glass, particularly on the offensive end.

 

PREDICTION:

Ultimately, I think the winner of the All Knighters and Double Dynasty game will win the championship. That game will be must see. The dynamic duo of Davidson and Betts will come back hungry, and the overall balance of the Double Dynasty roster is a major strength. Look for Harpring to be sharp and fierce and for the production of Vukosa to increase. The Pauldos like these big stages, so I expect them to show up at full strength and with a chip on their shoulder.

I won’t sleep on Iso World because they have the best individual player and a solid supporting cast, but I think they have their work cut out for them.

Final decision: Slight edge to Double Dynasty over Iso Wrld to win the Championship … I’ll place them as 7-point favorites going into the weekend.