U.S. Regional Play Complete, Field Set For Jr. NBA World Championship
By LeagueApps
July 2, 2018
4 min
After three weeks of regional play coast-to-coast, the U.S. entries for the inaugural Jr. NBA World Championship are now set. Two separate 16-team tournaments, one for 14U boys and one for 14U girls, are set to tip off in Orlando, Florida on August 7th at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex. Both tournaments will feature eight teams from the U.S. and eight international teams. Once in Orlando, U.S. and international teams will enter a round-robin competition, followed by a single-elimination tournament. The winners of each bracket will then go on to play in the World Championships on August 12th.
Two teams will punch their ticket to the #NBAJrWorldChampionship in Orlando next month! Gotta love the competition. 🏀🌎🏆 pic.twitter.com/RhSHdVhb4h
— LeagueApps (@leagueapps) June 29, 2018
The NBA has engaged LeagueApps to power league management tools and other technology solutions for the Jr. NBA and its network. Here at LeagueApps we’re thrilled to work with the NBA as it carries out its mission to support youth basketball by promoting player health and wellness and age-appropriate rules and standards. After powering the registration of each regional tournament in the U.S., we’re proud to announce the 16 regional champions:
Northwest (Boys – Seattle Rotary / Girls – Tree of Hope Pacific Red)
West (Boys – Elite SC / Girls – California Storm)
Central (Boys – Drive5 Power Elite 2022 / Girls – KC Prodigy)
South (Boys – Team FOE / Girls – Lady Nike Pro Skills 2022)
Midwest (Boys – The Family / Girls – Sky Diggs Soldiers)
Southeast (Boys – TSF Mack 2022 / Girls – SC76ers)
Mid-Atlantic (Boys – Slam City / Girls – Germantown Lady Panthers)
Northeast (Boys – 6th Boro Hoops / Girls – Empire State Basketball Club)
International qualifiers for the Jr. NBA World Championship punched their tickets by winning one of the following regions:
Canada (Boys – Brampton Breakdown / Girls – Welland Warriors)
Mexico (Boys – TBD / Girls – TBD)
South America (Boys – S.A. All-Star / Girls – S.A. All-Star)
Africa & Middle East (Boys – AME All-Stars / Girls – AME All-Stars)
Europe (Boys – Euro All-Stars / Girls – Euro All-Stars)
India (Boys – Delhi / Girls – Bengaluru)
China (Boys – Chengzu / Girls – Hunan)
Asia Pacific (Boys – Eltham Wildcats / Girls – Bulleen Boomers)
Once in Orlando, teams will not only compete on the floor, but they’ll also be exposed to a wide variety of off-the-court educational programming. David Krichavsky, NBA Vice President and head of youth basketball development, has articulated the goal of the event at several of the U.S. regionals in recent weeks. “We designed a tournament to reflect our core values – respect, determination and community. It’s a tournament designed around player health and wellness based on our guidelines with USA Basketball. Life skills education is also a prominent part of the tournament experience,” Krichavsky told reporters last month at the Mid-Atlantic Regional in King of Prussia, PA.
The commissioner of the NBA, Adam Silver, views the world championship as a vital part of the league’s commitment to youth and grassroots basketball. Silver is quoted on the Jr. NBA website saying the following:
“The Jr. NBA World Championship represents another significant step in our effort to get more involved in grassroots basketball. In addition to the great competition on the court, the tournament will show ways to promote the values of our game and improve the health and well-being of young players.”
Three-time NBA Champion Dwyane Wade and two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker are serving as global ambassadors for the Jr. NBA World Championship. “Basketball means so much to me and my family, and I look forward to helping the NBA improve the game at the youth level for the next generation of players from around the world,” Wade told reporters back in December. “The Jr. NBA World Championship is a great initiative that will connect U.S. and international youth in a meaningful way,” said Parker. “As a global ambassador, I’m looking forward to making a positive impact on the participants, both on and off the court.”
All 32 teams will enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Orlando to represent their region at this global event in August. Back in April, the NBA and Fox Sports announced a multi-year deal in which FOX and FS1 agreed to televise the Jr. NBA World Championship. In total, FOX Sports will air 16 games totaling 20 hours of programming, including the boys’ and girls’ U.S. and international championship games as well as the World Championship games between those winners.
For more information on the Jr. NBA World Championship, check out their website and social media here.