HAMPTON, Va.—Year two of the Girls Nike Elite Youth Basketball League kicked off competition this past weekend with all 32 teams taking the floor in Hampton, Virginia as part of the long running Boo Williams Nike Invitational. Each team took on two divisional opponents in addition to three cross divisional rivals previously selected in a random draw. Round two will be in July with two divisions heading to Nashville and the Battle in the Boro while the other two make the trip to Chicago and the Nike National Invitational.
The lineup remains the same this year with 32 teams highlighted by five from the state of California and three each from Florida, New York and Texas. Across the rosters of all the competing teams you’ll find players from 37 different states. When all is said and done the top six finishers in each division will earn a coveted invitation to Nike Nationals and a chance at the ultimate in bragging rights on the club circuit. In last year’s inaugural EYBL final the California Storm /Team Taurasi laid claim to top honors edging Nike newcomer Tree of Hope in a down to the wire championship game.
Following round one, just two teams left the Boo Williams Sportsplex with unblemished records. Coach Kelly Sopak and the California Stars headed west after scoring 84.6 points per game and winning all five games by an average margin of 21.4. The Philadelphia Belles and Coach Fran Burbidge finished the weekend undefeated winning all of their contests by an average of 12 points per game including a one point win over Cal Swish. The Belles held all of their opponents under the 50 point mark giving up just 46.8 points per game defensively. Six teams more teams made it through the first weekend with just one loss. On the other end of the spectrum All Ohio and the West Coast Premier failed to get into the win column in Hampton and will face an uphill battle when July rolls around.
For more information and complete results follow the links below at nikegirlseybl.com or by registering for free with Game Changer at the link below.
Below are images and first round records for all 32 teams from round one this past weekend. Check back with Blue Star Media for more EYBL coverage as well as other events from last week’s NCAA Evaluation Period.
