Sneak Peek
UNDER ARMOUR'S move into the sneaker wars—it now sponsors eight of the Power 5 conference teams—has prompted talk about the influence of shoe companies in AAU basketball, based on the idea that acclaimed high schoolers are often funneled to colleges that wear the same brand as their summer-league team. Well, Nov. 11 marked the beginning of the weeklong early signing period, and while not every player will commit in the fall, 20 of the top 29, based on RSCIhoops.com's aggregate ranking, had as of Monday. According to the data, half of the high school stars stuck with their AAU team's brand.
[This article contains a table. Please see hardcopy of magazine or PDF.]
RANK | PLAYER, POSITION | AAU TEAM (AFFILIATION) | COLLEGE (AFFILIATION) |
1 | Harry Giles, PF | Team CP3 (Jordan)* | Duke (Nike) |
3 | Jayson Tatum, SF | St. Louis Eagles (Nike) | Duke (Nike) |
T-5 | De'Aaron Fox, PG | Houston Hoops (Nike) | Kentucky (Nike) |
T-5 | Dennis Smith, PG | Team Loaded NC (Adidas) | N.C. State (Adidas) |
7 | Lonzo Ball, PG | Big Ballers VXT (No Sponsor) | UCLA (Adidas) |
9 | Miles Bridges, SF | The Family (Nike) | Michigan State (Nike) |
10 | Jonathan Isaac, SF | E1T1 Elite (Nike) | Florida State (Nike) |
11 | Markelle Fultz, SG | DC Blue Devils (Under Armour) | Washington (Nike) |
12 | Terrance Ferguson, SG | MWA Elite (Under Armour) | Alabama (Nike) |
13 | Frank Jackson, PG | Utah Prospects (Adidas) | Duke (Nike) |
15 | T.J. Leaf, PF | Compton Magic (Adidas) | UCLA (Adidas) |
16 | Wenyen Gabriel, PF | Mass Rivals (Adidas) | Kentucky (Nike) |
18 | Joshua Langford, SG | Atlanta Celtics (Adidas) | Michigan State (Nike) |
T-19 | Omari Spellman, C | PSA Cardinals (Nike) | Villanova (Nike) |
22 | Mustapha Heron, SF | New York Rens (Adidas) | Auburn (Under Armour) |
24 | V.J. King, SF | Team Takeover (Nike) | Louisville (Adidas) |
25 | Sacha Killeya-Jones, PF | Team Felton (Under Armour) | Kentucky (Nike) |
27 | Tyus Battle, SG | New Heights (Under Armour) | Syracuse (Nike) |
28 | Tony Bradley, C | E1T1 Elite (Nike) | North Carolina (Jordan) |
29 | Cassius Winston, PG | The Family (Nike) | Michigan State (Nike) |
Change of Affiliation
*Jordan is owned by Nike
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SNEAKER: JOHN JONES/ICON SPORTSWIRE
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SNEAKER: KELLY KLINE/GETTY IMAGES
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SNEAKER: GREGORY PAYAN/AP