Over the club off season we have seen several major changes as we enter 2021. Here we talk about those major changes and how the could impact the world of club basketball during the 2021 travel season and beyond.
Milaysia Fulwiley and Ashlyn Watkins Join FBC – The South Carolina 76ers finished 11th at the 2019 GUAA FInals behind a pair of young talented players In Milaysia Fulwiley and Ashlyn Watkins both of South Carolina. The 76ers over time have moved from being the GA/LINA 76ers who were a Nike Club team to their current form under Roger Wiley. During the pandemic year Wiley decided to not run the team and both Fulwiley and Watkins joined FBC which made a dramatic power shift from the 76ers who were poised to be one of the top clubs nationally to FBC loading up even more. This move makes FBC United a clear cut favorite to win the GUAA and be the top team Nationally and puts the 76ers in a rebuilding situation. South Carolina always has great under the radar players. It will be interesting to see how they rebuild for this travel season.
Philly Rise Joins EYBL – We covered this last week but this is a huge shift in the Northeast region for a new EYBL club. How closely will it resemble it’s previous club and how does this work going forward? Kevin Lynch is a great coach but there are a lot of questions to be answered as this shift moves forward.
Banshees Leave UA for adidas – The Banshees landed one of the biggest club deals in all of grassroots basketball this off season and after finishing 4th in the GUAA in year 1 they make the jump back to adidas. Jada Williams joins the Banshees from Missouri Phenom and look to be the clear cut favorite to be the Top adidas program.
Central Florida Elite Joins Adidas – Central Florida Elite has elite players and was without a shoe company home for about 12 months during the pandemic. During that time they played a limited schedule and had to figure out what their next step was to remain a player in grassroots basketball in Florida. The move to adidas was a necessity to continue to be able to hold on to top players with independent events taking a step back with the shoe company expansion.
New Heights Merges with Iexcel – NYC underachieved a little bit during the first season of the GUAA until Kateri Poole put New Heights on her back and led them to a Top 10 finish. Now with Walter Welsh in the fold for New Heights the program looks to compete with the best in New York City in 2021. New Heights probably starts the club season as a favorite to breakout and move into a Top 10 spot within the GUAA.
Golden City and Arizona Select Merge to form Jason Kidd Select – The Southern California Nike Clubs for a long period have struggled to move above .500 in the EYBL and Cal Stars has dominated the state since joining Nike. Golden City and Arizona Select’s merger signifies a real west coast club rather than focusing on state lines. Both Golden City and Arizona Select have Top 100 2022’s and would have individually been good in 2021 they could push to be one of the top independent clubs in the country and threaten to be a Top 2-3 team on the west coast overall this club season.
FBC Northwest Alliance Launches – For a long time its been a two horse race in the Pacific Northwest with the Northwest Blazers who dominate most of the eastern part of the state of Washington and surrounding areas and Tree of Hope in Seattle and other pockets. Entering FBC’s influence in the Pacific Northwest under Nars Martinez’s leadership they are already announcing an impressive group of players which will play under the FBC banner in 2021. How much will their non-affiliation at least currently with a shoe company impact them? Or is there a possibility a shoe contract could be in the cards for 2021? Only time will tell.
Ohio United Joins Adidas – No team emerging in 2020 ruffled as many feathers as Ohio United. Ohio United who was founded under the Blue Star League now has moved over to adidas and could be a player to be a Top 5 program under adidas this year. Ohio United has announced several key additions so far this winter so keep an eye on them things spring and summer as the season progresses.
Books and Basketball Join Team Final – We covered this as well as with the rumblings around the City of Philadelphia and Nike were brewing it seemed that this move was directly tied to a potential EYBL move. Team Final Girls at this point did not get the EYBL spot but Philly Rise is still an unproven commodity and the collaboration between Books and Basketball and Team Final could be a strong second option if things do not workout long term with Philly Rise.
