What Happened To The Bewley Twins?
What went wrong for Overtime Elite's first major signings?
Way back in May 2021, the upstart Overtime Elite signed a pair of twins to 2-year deals as they looked to launch their alternative for prep prospects looking to make it to the pros. This pair of twins was OTE’s first major signings as they looked to make a splash and gain credibility for the league. The highly-rated pair of forwards gained a significant buzz at the time and were thought of as great prospects. They had fantastic size, great strength and plenty of athleticism. They had everything to make it in the pros. Now, at this point, if you are thinking that I am referring to the Thompson twins, Amen and Ausar, then you are sadly mistaken. There was another pair of twins that were supposed to be shining lights of OTE in it's early years - the Bewley twins, Matt and Ryan.
The Bewley’s were athletic Power Forwards, both standing around 6ft 9in tall with great strength and powerful frames. During the 2022-23 season, their final year with OTE, Matt averaged 11.3 points, 0.3 assists, 9.1 rebounds, 0.3 steals and 2.7 blocks a game, while Ryan averaged 10.7 points, 0.2 assists, 7.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals and 0.4 blocks a game. While they had their strengths, such as interior presence, powerful play finishing and tough rebounding awareness, they also had their weaknesses. Neither Bewley was a shooter during their OTE days with neither brother shooting from the outside and Matt only averaging 35.9% from the Free Throw Line, although Ryan fared slightly better at 60%. Despite this, they were still viewed as top prospects as they looked towards the possibility of college ball. So what went wrong and why haven't we seen more hype around them?
Well, a lot of has it to with, as it often does, the NCAA. The two brothers committed to play for Chicago State for the 2023-24 NCAA season to help bolster their NBA prospects, but a row regarding their eligibility ensued, with the NCAA denying their eligibility owing to the brothers being payed for the on-court labour and having ‘received additional benefits, including lodging, three meals per day, transportation reimbursement and educational services,’ beyond what could be reasonable classed as NIL. This row effectively wiped out the Bewley’s season as they were forced to sit out the entire season while the disagreement rumbled on.
In January 2024 the twins went to court in hopes of being granted an injunction which would have allowed them to suit up for the rest of the season, but this was denied by the courts. The Bewley’s were left in a position with their season in tatters, their draft stock plummeting and their pro dreams hanging by a thread. With no resolution coming before the end of the season, the Bewley’s were forced to consider their next move.
The Bewley’s entered the transfer portal at the end of the season in hopes of finding a new home to rebuild their draft stock and get on draft radars again. The brothers ended up committing to Daytona State College, a Division 1 JUCO school. Not exactly where many people thought they would be just a few short years ago. So what exactly went wrong?
Well, two things - they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and they underwhelmed with their production. When they signed for OTE back in May 2021, they signed 2-year contracts that were essentially professional contracts. They were paid a salary to play basketball basically as this was what OTE provided at the time. The very next season, however, OTE started offering prospects a scholarship option where they could waive their salary and retain their college eligibility, while still offering a salary option alongside it. This is the point of contention between the Bewley’s and the NCAA where the Bewley’s argue they were paid for their NIL and not their labour (i.e. playing basketball) and the NCAA argue that they received a salary in a professional context thereby forfeiting their college eligibility. The Thompson twins also signed 2-year professional contracts with OTE in 2021 with the major difference being the overall production from the Thompson’s compared to the Bewley’s which bossted their draft stock to the point of being top-5 picks.
This leads nicely to the second thing that went wrong for the Bewley’s - production, or lack of it. When looking at the twins’ per game stats from the 2022-23 OTE regular season, courtesy of our friends at Cerebro Sports, it’s clear that they hardly set the world on fire.
They both scored around 10 points a game, the assist numbers are dire which is backed up by the film as neither brother showed much playmaking prowess, and the shooting numbers are….horrendous? Neither Bewley is a 3-point shooter with Matt having taken 33 3-pointers and only making eight of them over his career so far, although 24 of these came before his time with OTE. Ryan fared even worse, only attempting 17 3-pointers and making a grand total of….two.
They showed a good rebounding prowess and a good willingness to fight down low near the basket. Their physicality leant itself perfectly to being good interior presences, with Matt particularly showing a good shot blocking awareness. Overall though, their production just didn’t live up to the hype they had when they entered OTE. Their draft stock wasn’t helped either with the arrival of the Thompson twins who were clearly insanely talented despite their flaws.
Ask anyone about the twins from OTE and they will likely tell you all about the high-flying Thompson’s. The Bewley’s have become a classic case of what-could-have-been, unfortunately.