HAMPTON, Va.—All too often those of us on the media side of things talk about ‘changing the landscape” of this or that. Of course, when we make that kind of observation we’re generally doing so in the figurative sense, This club season the folks from Nike are getting more literal and actually changing the landscape of four premier events between now and the end of the July recruiting period.
Following a similar approach that they’ve previously taken on the boy’s side of things, Nike is running the first competitive league for their club teams within the framework of three established events leading into their own Nike Nationals tournament which annually wraps up the summer evaluation window. This year’s 32 Swoosh sponsored teams will have to compete for an opportunity to be one of the 24 teams actually qualifying for a trip to North Augusta to compete for bragging rights among La Famiglia Nike.
Tony Dorado, Nike’s national Manager for High School Basketball, outlines the intent and focus of the Elite Youth Basketball League.
“Nike’s reason for establishing the Girls EYBL is aligned with our overall goals for girls’ basketball: we want to help improve the girls’ game and provide opportunities for girls to be seen by colleges to improve their chances of receiving a scholarship. We feel that a league with something to play for increases the importance of games during the summer which will improve the quality of games.”
Beginning this weekend at the Boo Williams Nike Invitational (Hampton, Virginia), four groups of eight teams will compete in hopes of securing a top six finish in their respective divisions and a ticket to the big stage at the end of July. All 32 teams will be on hand in Hampton and compete in five games. In July, the Battle in the Boro (Franklin, Tennessee) and the Nike National Invitational (Chicago, Illinois) will each host two of the divisions (16 teams) for the second round of five more games and final determination of the lineup for the 2014 Nike Nationals. Both second round events run concurrently at the end of the first seven day NCAA period. (Boro July 10 – 13, Nike July 10 – 12).
Last year saw the Nike stable of teams grow by four programs and the advent of the EYBL has led to the addition of 10 more. Below are the four divisions, their line up and location for the second round of play.
Dorado commented on the new additions.
“The teams that were added were some of the top summer travel programs previously not with Nike. These teams saw the same value in the EYBL as we did. Having these teams adds to the overall quality of the league while giving more girls a chance to showcase their abilities in the highest competitive atmosphere possible.”
All teams will play a total of 10 games with seven coming from within their own division and three more that were determined in a random draw held at this year’s NCAA Final Four in Nashville, Tennessee. The schedule still allows for eight days during the summer evaluation period for Nike teams to compete in certified events outside the EYBL.
One thing the EYBL guarantees is that each game has something on the line that should result in challenging games from start to finish during each event. From a recruiting and evaluation standpoint it will be revealing not only in tangible basketball skills but focus and competitive drive as well. Let the games begin!
