Inside the TBL Combine and Draft with Wendell Maxey

Last week, I talked about the TBL Combine and Draft going on in Indianapolis, and what it meant for the Firebirds. The Combine and Draft concluded last night, so today, I want to give you a full, in-depth breakdown of exactly how it went (and pictures from the event!). My buddy Wendell Maxey (who runs the Around The Basketball League Substack), was in attendance in Indianapolis, so he could describe everything that happened. Here’s how it went down:

The Combine

League officials and team market owners arrived on Thursday of last week, as Thursday and Friday were specifically tailored to teams. The league talked about the purpose of the combine and the draft, as well as the rules for new teams who haven’t done this before. By Friday evening, when the players arrived, the teams were fully caught up to speed and knew what they had to do.

When the players arrived Friday evening, the first thing they did was go through an interview process with every team. All the teams were set up at different tables and talked to various players at the combine. “It’s like a rapid-fire speed dating process,” said Maxey. “You get to know a little bit about them {the players} before you actually get to see them play.”

After the interview process, players went to bed early, as drills and tests began on Saturday at 8 AM! The combine was held at The Factory in west Indianapolis, and there were around 300 players present over the two days. From 8 AM-4:30 PM, the drills (run by MagFit training) were conducted, including measurements (like height, weight, and vertical), shuttle runs, skills drills, and full-court drills.

The TBL combine featured players who had played in the TBL, overseas, D2/D3, JuCo, and just in high school. This became more apparent as the players’ conditioning was shown throughout the exhausting drills. Players who already had professional experience were used to this level of rigor and exhaustion, whereas those who hadn’t were doubled over, wheezing, and desperately trying to catch their breath.

The difference in skill even further showed itself during scrimmages. According to Maxey, it was easy to tell which guys had played high-level basketball before and which ones hadn’t due to spacing on the court. Those who hadn’t tended to be clustered around the ball, and weren’t getting to their spots.

However, just because there was a clear talent gap didn’t mean that there was a clear consensus on who the best prospects attending were. “This year, it’s a little bit more of a crapshoot,” said Maxey. “There was more size last year, there were a lot more bigs; this year it’s very guard heavy. I think teams are coming and know exactly what they’re looking for.”

When Maxey was asked about what the biggest surprise of the Combine was, however, he said, “I didn’t expect a 7’3” center to walk through the door this {Sunday} morning.”

The Draft

The draft began at 6 PM on Sunday evening. The draft featured 38 teams, each making one first-round and one second-round selection. Each team was given two minutes to make each selection. The first pick belonged to the Rocket City Flight, but the Jacksonville 95ers traded up, and with the first pick, they selected Chris Sodom. Sodom is the 7’3” kid that Maxey was talking about earlier, and he has a 7’6” wingspan too.

The best and worst part about this selection is that the 95ers are in the Southeastern Conference…the same conference as the Firebirds. Yup, if you come out to our games on March 10th, April 13th, or April 26th, you’ll get to watch this real-life giant in person. As scared as I am for how good he’s going to be, I’m also really excited to see him play in person.

Another person I’m excited to see play in person is the Firebirds’ number five overall draft pick! The order of the first round was determined by lottery, and the Firebirds were lucky enough to pick fifth overall. You may be curious to know who that is, and the answer…will be revealed on Wednesday’s Firebird Focus! Make sure you check your inbox at 7 AM to learn all about the Firebirds’ draft pick(s), and how he’ll solidify our chances at a run for The Lillie this year 🙂 

-Tex