The club basketball off-season has been relatively quiet with Nike not making any changes so far for 2024 but Under Armour is different. Under Armour added two of the top teams in the country this week with perennial Adidas champion San Antonio’s Finest leaving the 3SSB circuit, which was announced this week. The Wisconsin Lakers, who have been one of the top independent programs in the nation, opted to join Under Armour this week as well. This culminates with UA hosting their director’s meeting at the beginning of December in Baltimore. We took time to catch up with both San Antonio’s Finest and the Wisconsin Lakers regarding their move to UA this week.
Ray Caldwell of San Antonio’s Finest
Why UA? What made you want to join the UAA?
UA has a reputation as a player’s circuit. The content and matchups will help our players grow personal brands as well as compete against national juggernauts like FBC, WV Thunder, FGB, etc. Giving our girls the opportunity to play multiple times east of the Mississippi, where 2/3 of colleges and universities are located, was a huge benefit as well. UA has some real go-getters leading programs so Finest will fit right in.
If there was an all-time starting 5 for Finest who would be on it?
Tough! Gotta go with a 4 guard lineup:
- Recee Caldwell – UCLA/Texas Tech/Cal
- Amber Ramirez – TCU/Arkansas
- Kiana Williams – Stanford
- Chelsea Dungee – Arkansas
- NaLyssa Smith – Baylor
We’ll zone, shoot 30 threes per game, average 80 points and Lyssa will lead us averaging 20.
List to us some of your major on-court accomplishments. I know you’ve won the 3SSB a few times.
Not necessary. 100+ kids at the next level from a program built from scratch makes the on-court success seem unremarkable.
What are your expectations for joining the UAA in year one?
Continue to get our kids in school and help them prepare for the next level as future leaders in their families, professions, and communities. We are loaded with a handful of Top 25-50 prospects and college-bound hoopers. We can kinda coach so the games will take care of themselves. We’ve never emphasized winning more than growing our players, culture, and brand.
Anything else we should know about your program
Need, no. Plenty of clubs across the country are helping change lives for the better. We are a proud part of that community.
Joe Ellis of the Wisconsin Lakers
Why UA? What made you want to join the UAA?
The UAA provides an opportunity to play against some of the best programs in the country. Additionally, we’re passionate about the UA brand and mission.
If there was an all-time starting 5 for the Lakers who would be on it?
Thank you for this question, we had quite the debate as our alumna base is STACKED!
- Kalee Whipple – Utah
- Teagan Mallegni – Iowa
- Grace Grocholski – Minnesota
- Alana Jefferies (Cesarz) – UNLV
- Grace Schmidt – CBU
What are your expectations for joining the UAA in year one?
We’re looking forward to playing great competition from coast to coast with one of the best apparel brands in the world. We look forward to the challenge, the grind, and the work ahead to prepare for this opportunity.
Anything else we should know about your program?
We’re a family-run club that started with two teams in 1997. Going into year 27 now we have 21. Despite spanning four decades, multiple recessions, and a pandemic, we’ve never turned a family away for inability to pay. We’ve put athletes first since day one.
