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Heartfire (TBT)

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Heartfire
LeaguesThe Basketball Tournament
Founded2015
HistoryTeam 23
(2015–2019, 2021)
Heartfire
(2022–present)
LocationPhoenix, Arizona
Team colorsCrimson, Black, and Grey
     
Main sponsorChoreo Advisors
General managerHomer Drew
Head coachLaPhonso Ellis
Championships1 (2023)
WebsiteTeam page

Heartfire (formerly known as Team 23) is an American basketball team that competes in The Basketball Tournament (TBT), an annual winner-take-all competition. The team has competed in each tournament since 2015, except for 2020. The team is composed of players from Arizona. As of 2025, the team's general manager is Valparaiso alumnus Homer Drew, and the head coach is LaPhonso Ellis.

History

[edit]

The team was originally named after Michael Jordan's primary uniform number during his professional career—Team 23's general manager Michael Illiano wrote that his "basketball passion started with MJ".[1]

2015

[edit]

After being accepted into TBT 2015 with 165 registered fans, Team 23 opened its tournament run by defeating the West Coast Ronin, 91–67. The team notched another win in the second round, against Richard Roby and Team Colorado, behind 28 points from Davin White, by a score of 78–72. White was effective once more as Team 23 bested Team B-Ball Breakdown in the following game, 86–72, pushing them to the Super 17 round in Chicago.[2]

At the Super 17, Team 23 defeated 7outz, 105–64, in their first game, allowing only two of their opponents' players to score over 10 points.[3] Team 23 made the semifinal round of the tournament after they won their fifth straight game by double figures. The losing team, LA Unified, missed one of their players, Ekene Ibekwe, and allowed Team 23 to score 11 straight points to begin the second half, en route to a 77–56 win.[4]

Team 23 entered the semifinals as the most efficient team of the tournament.[5] In New York City on August 1, they defeated Ants Alumni, 87–76, to advance to the championship game.[6] In the finals on August 2, Team 23 narrowly fell to Overseas Elite, 67–65.[7]

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 10RegionalLos Angeles, CA91–67West Coast RoninWest No. 19[8]
July 1178–72Team ColoradoWest No. 4
July 1286–72Team B-Ball BreakdownWest No. 11
July 17Super 17Chicago, IL105–647outzWest No. 9
July 23Quarterfinals77–56LA UnifiedWest No. 2[9]
August 1SemifinalsNew York, NY87–76Ants AlumniMidwest No. 2[6]
August 2Finals65–67Overseas EliteSouth No. 3[7]

Roster

[edit]

Source:[10]

2016–2019

[edit]

In TBT 2016, Team 23 was the top seed in the West Region, played in Los Angeles. After winning their first two games, they fell to Team Colorado, the eventual tournament runner-up, by a score of 78–73.[11]

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 9RegionalLos Angeles, CA121–81Kimchi ExpressWest No.[11]
July 10101–88New Mexico RHWest No.
July 1173–78Team ColoradoWest No. 5

In TBT 2017, Team 23 was the fifth seed in the West Region, played in Las Vegas. They defeated 12th-seeded Pedro's Posse, 107–92, then lost to fourth-seeded Armored Athlete, 84–77.

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 8RegionalLas Vegas, NV107–92Pedro's PosseWest No. 12
July 977–84Armored AthleteWest No. 4

In TBT 2018, Team 23 was the eighth seed in the West Region, played in Los Angeles. They lost in the first round to the ninth-seeded CitiTeam Blazers, 82–71.

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 14RegionalLos Angeles, CA71–82CitiTeam BlazersWest No. 9

Roster

[edit]

Source:[12]

In TBT 2019, Team 23 was the sixth seed in the Greensboro Regional.[13] They lost in the first round to third-seeded Power of the Paw (Clemson alumni), 82–78.[14]

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 19RegionalLos Angeles, CA78–82Power of the PawGreensboro No. 3[14]

The team did not compete in the reduced-size (24 teams) TBT 2020.

2021

[edit]

In TBT 2021, Team 23 was seeded sixth in the West Virginia Regional.[15] They defeated Georgia Kingz in the first round, 91–64,[16] Herd That in the second round, 74–71,[17][18] and second-seeded Best Virginia in the regional semifinals, 75–67.[19][20]

Team 23 next faced top-seeded Sideline Cancer in the regional final, registering a 78–71 win.[21][22] Team 23 then met Blue Collar U—who advanced from the Columbus Regional—in a tournament semifinal game on August 1; Team 23 won, 78–62.[23][24]

Team 23 met Boeheim's Army—who advanced from the Illinois Regional—in the championship game on August 78th; the game was won by Boeheim's Army, 69–67.[25]

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 17First roundCharleston, WV91–64Georgia KingzWest Virginia No. 11[16]
July 19Second round74–71Herd ThatWest Virginia No. 3[17]
July 21Regional semifinals75–67Best VirginiaWest Virginia No. 2[19]
July 31Regional finalsDayton, OH78–71Sideline CancerWest Virginia No. 1[21]
August 1Semifinals78–62Blue Collar UOhio No. 6[23]
August 3Championship67–69Boeheim's ArmyIllinois No. 3[25]

Roster

[edit]

Source:[26]

2022

[edit]

In TBT 2022, The newly branded Heartfire was the first seed in the New Mexico regional. In the first round, they played Competitive Choice and won 84-75. In the 2nd round they played The Enchantment, (New Mexico alumni team) and won 79-74. In the third round, they played the LA Cheaters from the Drew League and won 86-72. In the fourth round, they played Blue Collar U (Buffalo alumni team) and lost 74-66

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 18First roundAlbuquerque, NM84–75Competitive ChoiceNew Mexico No. 8
July 19Second round79–74The EnchantmentNew Mexico No. 4
July 21Third round86–72LA CheatersNew Mexico No. 3
July 29QuarterfinalsDayton, OH66–74Blue Collar USyracuse No. 2

2023

[edit]

TBT 2023, Heartfire was the second seed in the Witchita 1 regional. In their first matchup they played Juco Products, (junior college alumni) and won 69-66. In their second matchup they played the LA Cheaters, (from the Drew league) and won 62-57. In their third matchup they played Mass Street, (Kansas alumni) and won 73-60. In their fourth matchup they played the Aftershocks, (Wichita State alumni) and won 76-53. In the semi-finals they played Herd That, (Marshall alumni) and won 73-68. In the Championship, they played Bleed Green, (North Texas alumni) and won 78-73.

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 19First roundWichita, KS69–66JUCO ProductsWichita 1 No. 7
July 22Second round62–57LA CheatersWichita 1 No. 3
July 23Third round73–60Mass StreetWichita 1 No. 1
July 25Quarterfinals76–53AftershocksWichita 2 No. 1
August 2SemifinalsPhiladelphia, PA73–68Herd ThatWest Virginia No. 4
August 3Championship78–73Bleed GreenLubbock No. 2

Roster

[edit]

Source:[27]

2024

[edit]

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 20First roundDayton, OH68–64Rise and GrindDayton No. 8
July 22Second round70–68We Are D3Dayton No. 4
July 24Third round70–74Carmen's CrewDayton No. 3

Roster

[edit]

Source:[28]

2025

[edit]

Games

[edit]
DateRoundLocationScoreOpponentRef.
TeamSeed
July 20Second roundKansas City, MO89-70Sheffield SharksKansas City No. 4
July 22Third round (Kansas City Regional Championship)71–68JHX HoopsKansas City No. 2
July 27QuarterfinalsWichita, KS68–74AftershocksWichita No. 2

Roster

[edit]

Source:[29]

Record by years

[edit]
YearSeedWonLostNotes
201513th West61lost in final to Overseas Elite
20161st West21lost to Team Colorado
20175th West11lost to Armored Athlete
20188th West01lost to CitiTeam Blazers
20196th Greensboro01lost to Power of the Paw
2020—00did not enter
20216th West Virginia51lost in final to Boeheim's Army
20221st New Mexico31lost in quarterfinals to Blue Collar U
20232nd Wichita 160won in final over Bleed Green
20241st Dayton21lost in third round to Carmen's Crew
20251st Kansas City21lost in quarterfinals to Aftershocks
Total258

Awards

[edit]

All-Tournament teams have been named since 2016; MVPs since 2014.

YearPlayerAwardRef.
2021Raphiael PutneyAll-Tournament[30]
Marc HughesAll-Tournament (Coach)

Logo and uniforms

[edit]

Roster

[edit]
2025 Heartfire roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.No.Nat.NameHt.Wt.Age
F 0 United States Mack, Tevin 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 29 – (1997-05-01)1 May 1997
G 1 United States Hall, Marcus 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 40 – (1985-08-06)6 August 1985
F 15 United States Owens, Larry 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 43 – (1983-01-08)8 January 1983
F 17 United States Griffin, Eric 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 36 – (1990-05-26)26 May 1990
SG 22 United States Sword, Craig 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 32 – (1994-01-16)16 January 1994
G 23 United States Stevens, Jordan 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
F/C 24 United States Putney, Raphiael 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 36 – (1990-04-21)21 April 1990
C 25 South Korea United States Griffin, Bryan 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 28 – (1998-04-30)30 April 1998
F 31 United States Kennedy, D. J. 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 36 – (1989-11-05)5 November 1989
PG 33 Malta United States Washington, Eric 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 33 – (1993-06-23)23 June 1993
PG 34 United States White, Davin 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 44 – (1981-12-31)31 December 1981
G 55 United States Ellis, Walter 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 26 – (1999-11-29)29 November 1999
Head coach

LaPhonso Ellis

Assistant coach(es)
  • David Rocha
  • Ron Katich
  • Stephen Dyer
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Injured Injured
Updated: July 20, 2025

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ "Team 23". thetournament.com. 2021. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Results from The Basketball Tournament". thetournament.com. 2015. Archived from the original on September 1, 2015 – via Wayback Machine.
  3. ↑ "Official Basketball Box Score: Team 23 vs 7outz". Imageshack. Retrieved 31 July 2015.[dead link]
  4. ↑ "2015 Bracket". The Basketball Tournament. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  5. ↑ "The Basketball Tournament Rosters: Meet The Final 4 Teams". Heavy.com. 30 July 2015. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  6. 1 2 "Overseas Elite's Semifinal Win Over Team City Of Gods (Photos)". thetournament.com. August 2015. Archived from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  7. 1 2 Connor, Desmond (August 3, 2015). "Overseas Elite Brings It Home". Hartford Courant. Hartford, Connecticut. p. C3. Retrieved July 29, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Fitzgerald, Matt (July 12, 2015). "The Basketball Tournament 2015 Scores: Sunday, July 12". Bleacher Report. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Meet The Four Teams Playing For $1,000,000". thetournament.com. 2015. Archived from the original on July 30, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2025 – via Wayback Machine.
  10. ↑ "The Basketball Tournament Rosters: Meet The Final 4 Teams". heavy.com. 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  11. 1 2 Ronan, Patrick (2017). "TBT SPOTLIGHT: TEAM 23". Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Team 23 Basketball Roster 2018". usbasket.com. 2018. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  13. ↑ "TBT Releases 2019 Teams and Bracket" (Press release). The Basketball Tournament. June 11, 2019. Archived from the original on June 13, 2019. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  14. 1 2 "#3 POWER OF THE PAW 82, #6 TEAM 23 78". thetournament.com. July 19, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Bracket". thetournament.com. Archived from the original on July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  16. 1 2 "Scores".
  17. 1 2 "Scores".
  18. ↑ "Herd That Come Up Short Against Team 23 At TBT". WVOW-FM. July 20, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  19. 1 2 "Scores".
  20. ↑ "Best Virginia falls in regional final in TBT". WSAZ-TV. July 21, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  21. 1 2 "Scores".
  22. ↑ "Sideline Cancer vs. Team 23". WWCP-TV. August 1, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  23. 1 2 "Scores".
  24. ↑ Burtnett, Peter (August 1, 2021). "Sibert falls just short of 33-point contest final, TBT Championship Game set". flyernews.com. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  25. 1 2 McAllister, Mike (August 3, 2021). "Boeheim's Army Wins The Basketball Tournament". All Syracuse FN. Retrieved August 3, 2021 – via MSN.com.
  26. ↑ "Team 23 Basketball Roster 2021". usbasket.com. 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Heartfire Basketball Roster 2023". usbasket.com. 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  28. ↑ "Heartfire Basketball Roster 2024". usbasket.com. 2024. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
  29. ↑ "Heartfire Basketball Roster 2025". tbthoops.com. 2025. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  30. ↑ @thetournament (August 3, 2021). "These guys were amazing all summer Introducing your TBT 2021 All-Tournament Team!" (Tweet). Retrieved August 3, 2021 – via Twitter.
[edit]
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