Top high school girls basketball players in the country–here this weekend!

Be on the lookout this coming weekend for large groups of tall, athletic girls wearing a variety of different-colored basketball shirts and jerseys.

When they are not hoopin’ it up at Chicago’s beautiful McCormick Place as part of the big Nike Nationals Basketball Tournament, they may be seen wandering the fine streets of Chicago doing a little sightseeing and shopping. If you do encounter them passing by on the sidewalk, it might be best to politely–but promptly–step out of the way.

These girls mean business. At least they do on the basketball court.

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Hundreds of girls’ club teams will be competing, beginning Thursday, July 17, and ending with championship games to be played on Monday, July 21.

For these dedicated young ladies, this tournament is the culmination of a long and intense summer of basketball. Many of them have been in training since school let out in early June. They have personal trainers, they work out with weights, they go to camps, they go to clinics, and they join club teams that travel all over the country and play other top-level competition.

The marquee attraction is calledThe EYBL circuit. These are the top 32 girls’ club teams in the country, and they play in their own separate Nike-sponsored league. 

Teams such as The All Iowa Attack (Caitlin Clark’s old club team), Chicago’s  own Midwest Elite, The California Stars, New York Exodus, Jersey Gems, Drive Nation, The Miami Sun, The California Storm, Michigan Crossover and Kentucky Premier–among others–all will be competing for the title of National Champions.

Some of the best of the best individual high school girls’ basketball players will be playing this weekend, and no doubt many future college stars and WNBA players will be here, on the big stage for the first time.

One of the coolest parts of the tournament is the way our event center, McCormick Place, is transformed. Using two different giant exhibition halls, literally dozens and dozens of basketball courts are brought in and there can be as many as 40 or 50 games going on at the same time.

Bring your earplugs! 

It is fun to watch, especially to see how talented the girls have become–truly amazing in skill, size, strength, athleticism, and basketball instincts and smarts.

All on display this weekend, right here in Chicago.

For more information, go to this Nike website.