King of Summer: Former Wildcat Kyle Fogg leads team to another TBT championship

Four-peat for Fogg

Kyle Fogg and his Overseas Elite teammates have officially become summertime basketball legends.

Overseas Elite knocked off Eberlein Drive 70-58 in The Basketball Tournament’s championship game Friday in Baltimore to pick up the $2 million winner-take-all prize. The victory came one night after the former Arizona Wildcats guard scored 38 points in a semifinal win.

Fogg scored 10 points in the title game by shooting 4 of 14 from the floor. He added seven rebounds.

Overseas Elite improved to 25-0 over the last four TBTs, and has won $7 million as a team. Fogg earned $147,000 of the $2 million share last summer and is expected to earn a similar amount this time.

The TBT’s all-time leading scorer, Fogg was the MVP of the previous two tournaments while showcasing some clutch play. This year, Fogg hit a 3-pointer to win the game for Overseas Elite in the quarterfinals and then dropped his 38 points in an 85-60 romp over the (Marquette) Golden Eagles in the semifinals on Thursday.

After the Overseas Elite’s quarterfinal win, Fogg said on a TBT video that the team wasn’t focusing on the chance to win a fourth straight title.

“We just think about one game at a time,” Fogg said. “We’re happy to be here but we got a lot of work to do.”

After the championship game Friday, former St. John’s forward D.J. Kennedy, the MVP this year, told ESPN that “to do this is just remarkable.”

Not only has Fogg cleaned up in his TBT earnings over the years, but he’s halfway through a two-year contract in China worth about $2 million. Fogg says he’s handing most of his TBT money over to his mom and Pencils for Promise, the charity he works with to develop schools in areas of need around the world.

Since playing for the Wildcats between 2008-09 and 2011-12, Fogg’s professional career has steadily elevated. He lead leagues in Finland (2013-14) and Germany (2015-16) in scoring, helped Malaga win a Eurocup title in 2017 and spent last season in China.

UA snubbed on national lists

The Wildcats received some more potential motivation this week, when they were not listed among the top 100 teams in ESPN’s Basketball Power Index. Furthermore, none of their players were among the 50 top listed by USA Today’s The Big Lead. UCLA was also not named among ESPN's Top 100 teams even though the Bruins might become a preseason Top 25 team.

ESPN wrote that "BPI sees a drop-off for Arizona and UCLA, two of the best teams in the conference in recent years, because of low percentages of returning minutes and less-than-stellar opponent-adjusted efficiency numbers for those returning players."

Arizona will have plenty of opportunities to prove it belongs. Teams in the ESPN Top 100 that Arizona will face include Alabama (20), Iowa State (31), ASU (45), Oregon (49), Baylor (53), USC (57), Washington (67), Stanford (72) and Oregon State (99).

The Wildcats could also face Gonzaga (2), Duke (9), Auburn (18), Illinois (21) and/or San Diego State (21) in the Maui Invitational.

Arizona will face at least five players listed among The Big Lead's Top 50: Oregon’s Bol Bol (28) and Payton Pritchard (42), along with No. 41 Lindell Wigginton (Iowa State), No. 40 Bennie Boatwright (USC) and No. 26 Jaylen Hands (UCLA). The list did not include three potential all-Pac-12 candidates in Colorado's McKinley Wright, UCLA's Kris Wilkes and Oregon State's Tres Tinkle.

Meanwhile, McKale Center was rated only the 25th-best atmosphere in college basketball, behind Grand Canyon (22), San Diego State (20), New Mexico (17) and Gonzaga (3).

Sean Miller hot on 2019 recruiting trail

Wildcats offer juco standout

Arizona is dipping into the junior college talent pool for its class of 2019 recruiting efforts, offering a scholarship to Southern Idaho forward Khalid Thomas.

Thomas averaged 14.7 points and 6.5 rebounds as a freshman last season at Southern Idaho. At Portland’s West Linn High School in 2016-17, Thomas averaged 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists and two blocks.

Thomas has also received offers from San Diego State, Nebraska, Missouri and UC Santa Barbara, among others, according to Verbal Commits. 

Timme, Walker narrow lists

Two four-star high school players in the class of 2019 included Arizona among their latest possible choices.

Dallas-area forward Drew Timme listed a Top 10 with Arizona, Texas Tech, Texas A&M, Gonzaga, Purdue, Louisville, Illinois, Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma.

C.J. Walker, a forward from Florida, included Arizona in his top 12, along with Florida, LSU, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, North Carolina State, Oregon, Georgia, Miami (Fla.), Oregon, Memphis and Arkansas.

Rim shots

• Former UCLA coach Steve Lavin will join ex-Wildcats Kenny Lofton, Bennett Davison, Craig McMillan, Reggie Geary and others at the second-annual Lute Olson Fantasy Camp, to be held in September at the Sporting Chance facility. "He’s a great story-teller and fun coach — even if he was a Bruin," Olson said in a statement. The registration fee of $1,750 ($2,250 with a hotel) includes meals, instruction and commemorative gifts.

• UA target Josh Green, a five-star guard in the class of 2019, was named to the Australian national team for World Cup qualifying play. He also received a scholarship offer from North Carolina.