[KingPapasParticipant]

Has anyone noticed that the Jordan Brand Classic has only selected players that played on Nike EYBL Teams.

head scratchers omissions.

– Lonzo Ball – Plays for the #1 high school team in the nation and is the #1 rated PG. AAU: Non-shoe company affiliate, high school is sponsored by Adidas.

– TJ Leaf – Plays for Adidas Compton Magic/high school is also sponsored by adidas #3 ranked PF and #9 ranked player overall.

Harry Giles who hasn’t played all year(high school season) because of a torn ACL was selected over these two and a couple of other players. I am a lil bias being from California and getting a chance to see these two play frequently but there is does the game really hold merit if you are showing favoritism and selection process is not strictly based on talent.

[Robb_CParticipant]

Ya well the Jordan Brand Classic is The Nike Shoe Brand AllStar Game, I thought it was obvious why guys who aren’t playing with Nike sponsors were left off the team..

When I was a kid around 14 through 17, I use to attend the Roundball classic Practices, I would literally sit next to Sonny Vaccaro and pick his brain about the game and watch him operate.. These Shoe all star games are just a glorified way for the shoe companies to brokerage deals and build relationships with the families of these players..

[KingPapasParticipant]

McDonalds All-American game is technically sponsored by Adidas but I don’t think they play politics with their player selection as the Jordan Brand Classic has, but I get your point.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

McDonalds has a selection committee that for the most part, I believe still, is not necessarily partisan to shoe companies. It is still headed by Morgan Wooten (former DeMatha HS coach) and while I could not find this years list of the committee, in past years they have been people who see a number of different tournaments and are not just partial to adidas.

With Jordan Brand Classic, they do not seem to have such a committee. One perk to this game is that they do allow 5th year players, which the McDonald’s All-American game does not. [Player: Omari Spellman] is the only one I see on the roster for this year, but it opens up the possibility for adding 5th year guys like [Player: Rawle Alkins] and [Player: Wenyen Gabriel], two guys who were not McDonald’s eligible.

The Hoop Summit is also absolutely a heavily Nike game (it is called "The Nike Hoop Summit"), but as with the JBC, they will make exceptions for top prospects. [Player: Josh Jackson] and [Player: Markelle Fultz] are two of the guys noticeably without a swoosh behind their head in their pictures (both played Under Armour Association).

Still, with the Hoop Summit, the other thing to factor in is USA Basketball. Last year, the only player on the team the US team who had never been to a USA Basketball event (either playing on a Cadet/Junior/3-on-3 team or going to a mini-camp) was Brandon Ingram, who as we can see was a major prospect (plus going to a Nike school in Duke, he had actually played AAU and gone to Eurocamp with adidas). This year the only newcomer on Team USA was adidas baller, Wenyen Gabriel. It still does feature Josh Jackson, Markelle Fultz, Joshua Langford, Terrance Ferguson, Frank Jackson, Jarrett Allen and Payton Pritchard who all played AAU ball outside of the EYBL.

With Lonzo, he did go to a USA tryout a few years ago, but did not make the team. Has never tried out again and has been pretty content sticking to adidas events and of course, going to UCLA (adias school). Do I think it is right? Absolutely not, love Lonzo, he is my favorite prospect in this class (not saying he is the best, but he is a great, exciting player and he is my favorite).

Plus, for the actual All-Star game that the JBC is, they are going to miss out on an incredibly dynamic, fun player if he does not get an invite. Lonzo is an All-Star Game’s dream, and it is his passing that makes him so, which people do not always do in that environment. Still, while my heart of hearts wanted Lonzo Ball to make the Hoop Summit (the event I have covered for this site for the last 5 years) roster, though knew it was a long shot.

With TJ Leaf, he had at least went to some USA Basketball camps, I know that. He was an adidas guy on the AAU circuit and his commitment to UCLA (plus his decommitment from Nike school Arizona) probably hurt his JBC chances. One possible scenario for Hoop Summit? TJ played U18 Ball for Israel this past summer. Guessing when they are grinding out the World Team for Hoop Summit, his name could pop up.

Just wanted to give some of the noticeable difference, possible biases with these different games. McDonald’s has always been criticized more for favoring NCAA blue bloods as opposed shoe company bias. Jordan has become absolutely Nike-centric, while Hoop Summit favors Nike, yet is also heavily influenced by USA Basketball. One thing I am sure of is, if a player is straight up sponsored by a competitors shoe company and refuses to wear Nike, they will probably not be a fit for the Hoop Summit. Know that Dragan Bender likely has a Maccabi Tel Aviv obligation, but after the fiasco from last summer, chances are the Hoop Summit was not happening. More often, I think obligations to pro teams are what keep some of the big names out of the game as opposed to shoe company drama, though Nike guys do seem to at the very least be prefered. 

 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

McDonalds has a selection committee that for the most part, I believe still, is not necessarily partisan to shoe companies. It is still headed by Morgan Wooten (former DeMatha HS coach) and while I could not find this years list of the committee, in past years they have been people who see a number of different tournaments and are not just partial to adidas.

With Jordan Brand Classic, they do not seem to have such a committee. One perk to this game is that they do allow 5th year players, which the McDonald’s All-American game does not. [Player: Omari Spellman] is the only one I see on the roster for this year, but it opens up the possibility for adding 5th year guys like [Player: Rawle Alkins] and [Player: Wenyen Gabriel], two guys who were not McDonald’s eligible.

The Hoop Summit is also absolutely a heavily Nike game (it is called "The Nike Hoop Summit"), but as with the JBC, they will make exceptions for top prospects. [Player: Josh Jackson] and [Player: Markelle Fultz] are two of the guys noticeably without a swoosh behind their head in their pictures (both played Under Armour Association).

Still, with the Hoop Summit, the other thing to factor in is USA Basketball. Last year, the only player on the team the US team who had never been to a USA Basketball event (either playing on a Cadet/Junior/3-on-3 team or going to a mini-camp) was Brandon Ingram, who as we can see was a major prospect (plus going to a Nike school in Duke, he had actually played AAU and gone to Eurocamp with adidas). This year the only newcomer on Team USA was adidas baller, Wenyen Gabriel. It still does feature Josh Jackson, Markelle Fultz, Joshua Langford, Terrance Ferguson, Frank Jackson, Jarrett Allen and Payton Pritchard who all played AAU ball outside of the EYBL.

With Lonzo, he did go to a USA tryout a few years ago, but did not make the team. Has never tried out again and has been pretty content sticking to adidas events and of course, going to UCLA (adias school). Do I think it is right? Absolutely not, love Lonzo, he is my favorite prospect in this class (not saying he is the best, but he is a great, exciting player and he is my favorite).

Plus, for the actual All-Star game that the JBC is, they are going to miss out on an incredibly dynamic, fun player if he does not get an invite. Lonzo is an All-Star Game’s dream, and it is his passing that makes him so, which people do not always do in that environment. Still, while my heart of hearts wanted Lonzo Ball to make the Hoop Summit (the event I have covered for this site for the last 5 years) roster, though knew it was a long shot.

With TJ Leaf, he had at least went to some USA Basketball camps, I know that. He was an adidas guy on the AAU circuit and his commitment to UCLA (plus his decommitment from Nike school Arizona) probably hurt his JBC chances. One possible scenario for Hoop Summit? TJ played U18 Ball for Israel this past summer. Guessing when they are grinding out the World Team for Hoop Summit, his name could pop up.

Just wanted to give some of the noticeable difference, possible biases with these different games. McDonald’s has always been criticized more for favoring NCAA blue bloods as opposed shoe company bias. Jordan has become absolutely Nike-centric, while Hoop Summit favors Nike, yet is also heavily influenced by USA Basketball. One thing I am sure of is, if a player is straight up sponsored by a competitors shoe company and refuses to wear Nike, they will probably not be a fit for the Hoop Summit. Know that Dragan Bender likely has a Maccabi Tel Aviv obligation, but after the fiasco from last summer, chances are the Hoop Summit was not happening. More often, I think obligations to pro teams are what keep some of the big names out of the game as opposed to shoe company drama, though Nike guys do seem to at the very least be prefered. 

 

[KingPapasParticipant]

McDonalds All-American game is technically sponsored by Adidas but I don’t think they play politics with their player selection as the Jordan Brand Classic has, but I get your point.

[Robb_CParticipant]

Ya well the Jordan Brand Classic is The Nike Shoe Brand AllStar Game, I thought it was obvious why guys who aren’t playing with Nike sponsors were left off the team..

When I was a kid around 14 through 17, I use to attend the Roundball classic Practices, I would literally sit next to Sonny Vaccaro and pick his brain about the game and watch him operate.. These Shoe all star games are just a glorified way for the shoe companies to brokerage deals and build relationships with the families of these players..

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

But, have they announced the full rosters yet? They announced 16 guys (with one of them being Harry Giles, who will not be playing) and the other day I heard [Player: Cassius Winston] was invited, but have yet to see a full roster. Have no idea why it has taken them so long to offer the next 6-8 players, but will have to see who gets an invite. Meanwhile, have seen no additional news and the roster is currently at 16 on the official JBC website.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

But, have they announced the full rosters yet? They announced 16 guys (with one of them being Harry Giles, who will not be playing) and the other day I heard [Player: Cassius Winston] was invited, but have yet to see a full roster. Have no idea why it has taken them so long to offer the next 6-8 players, but will have to see who gets an invite. Meanwhile, have seen no additional news and the roster is currently at 16 on the official JBC website.

[Hype Machine]

 I wonder if it will effect the Nike Hoops Summit too.

Sneaker wars are a complicated issue. However I think if the integrity of these games is compromised then they’ll become less relevent and something else will take its place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Hype Machine]

 I wonder if it will effect the Nike Hoops Summit too.

Sneaker wars are a complicated issue. However I think if the integrity of these games is compromised then they’ll become less relevent and something else will take its place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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