UA Association Earning Its Rep

The Under Armour Association’s slogan is “Reps Are Earned,” and in two short years the UA Association has “Earned” its “Rep” as one of, if not the, premier summer circuits. The Association has done so by playing host to some of the best players in the country who are apart of some of the most highly rated teams in the country.

This past weekend in New York City, where the spotlight always seems to be a little brighter, the Association brought together some of the most talented young men in the country to shine in that light. Appearing on the UA Circuit this past weekend were 11 of ESPN’s Top 60 players in the class of 2016. Among those 11 were the #3 ranked player and USA U17 member Josh Jackson, the #9 ranked player and fellow USA U17 member Terrance Ferguson and #55 ranked player and rising star Markelle Futlz.

The UA Association brought just as much talent in other classes as well. The Association played host to 4 of ESPN’s Top 25 players in the class of 2017. Among those was the #1 ranked player Denadre Ayton, who garnered national attention when he tallied a monster double-double of 17 and 18 for the Providence Storm in an exhibition against the University of North Carolina. Also playing in the Association this weekend was the #15 ranked player Trevon Duval, who was arguably the best player all weekend and will likely see his ranking jump to the top 10 when ESPN releases its new rankings later this summer. Also competing on the circuit were 2018 phenoms Nazreon Reid and Louis King of Sports U, who are likely to be ranked in the Top 25 of ESPN’s class of 2018 rankings when they release in June.

The Association has not earned its rep as one of the best circuits just because of the talent that plays in the league, but also because of the quality programs that compete in it. The Association boasts 8 teams ranked in the the top 25 of indihoops.comnational rankings. Included in those 8 are the #3, #4 and #5 ranked teams in WE-R1, New Heights and Atlanta Xpress. Also competing in the Association is New Jersey based program Sports U, who went 4-0 over the weekend in NYC, with an impressive win over the #8 ranked DC Premier.

With the abundance of talented players and high level competition going on the national media took notice. In attendance over the weekend were ESPN’s Adam Finkelstein and Paul Biancardi, Scout.com’s Evan Daniels and legendary recruiting analyst Tom Konchalski. Also among the spectators were 2014 and 2015 McDonald’s All-Americans Isaiah Whitehead and Isaiah Briscoe, former Big East Player of the Year Terry Dehere and future top 5 NBA Draft pick and UA endorser Emmanuel Mudiay.

When the Association makes its final stop in Atlanta, Georgia July 15 – 18 to crown a national champion expect the league to continue to earn its rep as one of the best around.

x Paul Johnson

Photo courtesy of Kelly Kline/Under Armour