It’s the time of the year where everyone talks about playing the best and having the best platform but who is actually living up to those promises? Who’s actually sponsored and who is affiliated with a sponsored team? I think at times as a parent and player it is hard to figure out.
Lets Start with the Actual Sponsored Teams & Events They Attend
Under Armour (Under Armour has a Sponsored League for 17U, 16U, 15U and a 14U Only UAA Team Division at Each Event)
FGB – FGB is the only Under Armour Program in Florida.
UAA Only Exposure Events
April 22-24 – UAA Session I – Hoover, AL
July 10-12 – UAA Session 2 – Hamilton, OH
July 23-25 – UAA Finals – Manheim, PA
Nike (NIke Sponsors a League for 17U and 16U Teams in the EYBL – Elite Youth Basketball League)
Miami Suns & Essence – Essence and the Miami Suns will have 2 sponsored teams each for the 2022 Nike EYBL Season.
Nike EYBL (Potential Schedule – Not Published Yet)
April 22-24 – Boo Williams Invitational – Hampton, VA
July 6-8 – EYBL Session 2 – Either Ames, IA or Louisville, KY
July 10-12 – Nike Nationals – Chicago IL
Adidas (The 3SSB has a Sponsored Championship in 17U and 16U so each program can have one team in each sponsored division)
Team Knight, Central Florida Elite, Hoop Dreams Elite are the 3 sponsored programs in Florida for adidas. Each has 2 sponsored teams one at 16U and one at 17U.
Adidas 3SSB Exposure Schedule
May 20-22 – 3SSB Event – Spartanburg, SC
July 9-12 – 3SSB Event – Rock Hill, SC
July 21-23 – 3SSB Finals – Southern California
Other Affiliated Teams in Programs
Affiliated Teams and Programs can represent the brand of the sponsored team but unless they are given a spot in the shoe league they are not actually playing in sponsored events. Many teams will say they are sponsored in middle school or even 9th grade but there are not actually sponsored divisions at events.
Always 100 Florida – Always 100 who runs out of Northern Indiana has founded a club in Florida with Gilman Farley (formerly of Always 100 in Indiana), David Gaulman (formerly of 941 Lady Elite and Local Trainer), and David Collazo (Formerly of Team Florida, FGB, DME, and Orlando Future Starz. Always 100’s sister program in Indiana is a sponsored adidas 3SSB team but the Florida team is affiliated and will not play in the adidas 3SSB Events. Always 100 Florida looks to have a strong roster in year 1 adding Liv Fuller (formerly of FGB and committed to Georgia Southern), Olivia Davis (Alabama Southern Starz), Kennedy McClain (formerly of FGB), and Lailani Washington (daughter of former NFL’er Fabian Washington). Always 100 Florida will fight for prime court space during the 2022 season at the Ohio Basketball Events with a good start up roster.
DME – DME three years ago absorbed the Tampa Thunder 2020 squad which was the second best 2020 in Florida and during that year they were an official adidas 3SSB team but since the addition of Hoop Dreams and CFE DME has been pushed to the non-sponsored Adidas Gold Division which they played in last season.
KA Nightmares – The Nightmares have a long history in Florida being founded as a team in Jacksonville and running as an independent for a few years before joining FGB for one year, FBC for two years, and recently now joining Essence. It is unclear on social media if the Nightmares will have their own teams for if they will just serve as coaches and recruit for Essence. The Nightmares lost their top returning player 2024 Eris Lester over the Christmas Holiday to the Miami Suns and are in an already weak Jacksonville area where all the top players are mostly spoken for.
CFE – Chamberlain Shrell Chamberlain has joined CFE after spending time with FGB, DME, Blue Star, among others over the last few years. Chamberlain is putting together younger teams affiliated with CFE for the 2022 season in a hope to revive their middle school program which essentially didn’t exist last year. With all the competition in Central Florida Chamberlain has his work cut out for him but he does start with one of the state’s Top 2026’s in Guard Ciara Hayes, who he can put around her will dictate the level of success they have to put together a group for this season.
