After an uneventful club basketball season, things have begun to move to shape what the 2021 travel season will look like hopefully post COVID. The biggest announcement (maybe there will be a bigger one) so far has been the Banshees leaving the UAA (Under Armour Association) for 3SSB (Adidas 3 Stripes Select Basketball). A move that does not turn the grassroots world on its head but one that certainly sends shockwaves through the shoe circuits and the south.
The Banshees are a huge acquisition for adidas after finishing 4th in the inaugural UAA during the 2019 season then backing that up with a runner-up finish at the Prime Event this past fall. In 2020 the Banshees had a loaded roster which included 2020 Power 5 graduates Sasha Goforth (Oregon State) and Taylen Collins (Oklahoma State) also have National Top 10 2021 Jersey Wolfenbarger who is headed to Arkansas and participated in the Steph Curry camp after the 2019 season.
Banshees club director Nathan Sadler says “The support from and relationships with the sports marketing team at adidas corporate and opportunities for our players to increase their national visibility from a branding perspective” was the focal point of why the Banshees left Under Armour for adidas. According to Sadler the goals for the 2021 season are simple “To be the best program in the country. That’s hard to define but we have our own internal standards that Brian, Lee, Marcus, and myself will work every day to uphold.”
The Banshees may not be far off. FBC has been the top club in the country the last two years and beaten the Banshees in their last two 17U meetings but only by 10 this past year at the Prime Event and the Banshees have made significant additions over the off-season. According to Sadler, the Banshees will be headlined by Jada Williams 5-6 Point Guard of Blue Springs High School in Missouri who’s ranked 13th Nationally by ESPN. Williams makes the move over from the EYBL and Missouri Phenom for the 2021 season which originally had her slated to play in the UAA but now will be in the 3SSB. Williams is one of the most coveted players by any brand because of her national rank but also because she boasts more than 227,000 Instagram followers and represents what could be the face of NIL at the grassroots and college level in the near future with pending NCAA legislation.
Mattie Shocket, Director of Select Events and the Girls UAA said “I have a great deal of respect for the Banshees program. They ultimately had to do what they felt was in the best interest of their program. The Girls UAA league will continue to provide one of the top platforms for young women to showcase their basketball abilities”. Shocket had several major additions before the 2020 canceled season from adidas picking up the Northwest Blazers and Cincinnati Angels who were among the best adidas programs in 2019. In addition, the inaugural GUAA featured many programs that made the jump from adidas to the GUAA including Wisconsin Flight, Minnesota Fury, Banshees, and Western PA Bruins.
Regardless the Banshees are a major get for adidas and poised to be a Top 10 Program Nationally in 2021 and are the biggest shake-up of the club basketball off-season so far.
