07.30.2019

Play Like a Champion

Girls UA Association Basketball Circuit Crowns Inaugural Season Winners

They showed up and they balled out.

 

The first season of the Under Armour Association's (UAA) grassroots platforms – Girls UAA (GUAA), Girls UA Rise and Girls UA Future – for girls age groups from 17U to 10U has concluded, after a battle for championship glory at the finals. 

 

Keep reading to learn what went down during the inaugural Girls UAA Finals events. 

 

Girls UAA

Girls UAA provides elite girls travel teams with the same league-style circuit as the boys UAA teams. After launching in April 2019 with 36 teams at the 17U and 16U levels and 32 teams at the 15U level, the teams participated in 10 regular season games, five final games and three total league sessions with the Girls UAA Finals taking place in Atlanta, July 23-25, 2019 at the Georgia International Convention Center. 

 

The energy in the venue was contagious, the crowds were electric, and the players were competitive, skilled and ruthless in their journeys to championship victory. The event was home to more than 100 Girls UAA teams, spanning across 15U, 16U and 17U. 29 states and two Canadian provinces were represented, and 590 college coaches were onsite over the course of the event to scope out the talent. On court were the consensus number one players from each of the 2020-2024 graduation classes, solidifying Girls UAA as one of the most talented grassroots basketball leagues in the nation. Each age division crowned a first-time champion for the newly formed league.

 

At the 17U championship (see the championship bracket here) FBC United took on Example Sports. FBC United, coming off a strong showing throughout the season, had asserted dominant play in a number of games, displaying the depth of their team’s collective talent, skill and knowledge of the game. The team stormed through the 17U division with a 10-0 record, with shooting guard Treasure Hunt leading the team in scoring. With a final score of 66-36, FBC United ended their first Girls UAA season undefeated. Center Kamilla Cardosa earned Finals MVP honors for her stellar Offensive and defensive performances throughout the championship run. 

 

FBC United remained undefeated in their division and were crowned the first Girls UAA 17U Champions.

 

The 16U finals championship match up included two well-coached, competitive and undefeated teams – West Virginia Thunder and Minnesota Fury. The battle for glory in the division started with 32 teams from across the country. Shooting guard and 16U finals MVP Kendall Hale led the WV Thunder to victory with a final score of 60-52.

 

The FBC United family further showed out, with their 15U team taking home the division championship chip and remaining undefeated in the league with a 15-0 season record. Point guard Ava Watson, class of 2024, was crowned the 15U finals MVP.

 

Girls UA Rise

The UAA also expanded its leagues for high school and middle school athletes in 2019. Similar to the UA grassroots circuits, Girls UA Rise provided the opportunity for 48 travel teams from all over the country at the 17U, 16U and 15U age groups. Girls UA Rise played under the same roof as the UAA during the NCAA certified live periods, creating a powerful recruiting atmosphere. Each team played 10 games during the regular season, with the top 16 qualifiers in each age group battling for the UA Rise Championship in Atlanta. The results of each division include:

 

17U – BC Denver GUAA defeated Team Felton (46-42)

 

16U – Lady Phoenix Select defeated PSB Denver (56-48)

 

15U – Lady Thrill Defeated Banshees (50-39)

 

Girls UA Future

Middle school athletes were also provided with the opportunity to compete at the next level with Under Armour’s Girls UA Future league this year. UA Future offered a regional league format for teams in the 14U-10U age groups. It also became the foundation of UAA’s youth basketball as it seeks to advance the development of young players, teams and coaches to set the course of grassroots basketball. UAA offered a regional league format for these teams leading to the Girls UA Future National Championships on June 28-20 at Pacers Athletic Center in Westfield, IN. The results of each division include: 

 

10U - AAO Flight defeated KC Gold Elite (38-34)

 

11U - AAO Flight defeated WPA Bruins (52-50)

 

12U - KC Lady Run GMC defeated Team Felton (36-34)

 

13U - OK PWP defeated Team Thad (62-35)