Tai Bell, a five-star point guard in the 2028 class from Florida, who was re-offered by Syracuse basketball last month, will suit up in the Atlanta-based league Overtime Elite ("OTE") this coming season.
OTE announced via social media on Friday that the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Bell will be on the 2026-27 roster of the Cold Hearts. The team's roster also includes 2029 five-star power forward Cayden Gaskins and others who compete for the powerhouse Christopher Columbus High School in Miami.
Your 2026-27 Cold Hearts 🥶 pic.twitter.com/TKZCc0FuFj
— Overtime Elite (@OvertimeElite) August 14, 2026
Because Columbus competes in the Florida High School Athletic Association ("FHSAA"), the team cannot compete in OTE under that name. That's why Bell, Gaskins and others will play for the Cold Hearts as it pertains to games in Overtime Elite.
In recent years, Syracuse basketball coaches have recruited various prospects who have played in Overtime Elite. Former Orange guard Elijah Moore suited up in OTE, as did guard Ethan Butler, who will be a freshman for the 'Cuse in the 2026-27 season.
In 2025-26, Butler played in OTE for the Diamond Doves alongside 2028 four-star combo guard Ka'Shawn Gill from Flint, Mich., a 6-foot-6 prospect who disclosed an offer from SU coaches on July 12.
Syracuse basketball 2028 5-star recruit Tai Bell will play in Overtime Elite.
Bell, as a sophomore, averaged 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists per contest for Mater Lakes Academy in Hialeah, Fla., and also was named the Class 4A player of the year in Florida. He announced in May that he would transfer to Columbus for his junior season.
Columbus has won five straight FHSAA Class 7A state titles, and in the 2024-25 season, the Explorers won the high school national title by claiming the Chipotle Nationals.
The former SU staff offered a scholarship to Bell in July 2025. Orange first-year head coach Gerry McNamara and his staff re-offered Bell, a top-30 national prospect and a top-five point guard in his class, on July 22 of this year. He also took an unofficial visit to the 'Cuse this past March.
The son of former NBA shooting guard and defensive star Raja Bell, Tai Bell holds offers from schools such as VCU, Baylor, Arizona State, Florida State, Auburn, Houston, Kansas State, Missouri, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Pittsburgh, Purdue, TCU, Texas, Texas A&M, Virginia, Washington, Villanova, Creighton and South Florida, among many others.
Dating back to May, Bell played quite well for the 17U team of the Atlanta-based Jet Academy in Nike's EYBL league, and he competed up a division. For the entire EYBL season, Bell averaged 17.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game while connecting on 57.1 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from beyond the arc and 83.0 percent from the free-throw line.
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