Nike Girls EYBL 2026 Session 2 - New Orleans (Part 1)

Three reasons why Team Takeover 17s are undefeated through EYBL Session 2: (L-R) #4 Jaylah King, Qandace Samuels, and Nyair McCoy.

Team Takeover, Exodus NYC and CyFair Elite lead EYBL 17s going into July!

June 10, 2026

When it comes to talent in girls’ club basketball, there is the Nike EYBL and there is everybody else.  The various other circuits have made inroads as to talent in their respective circuits but as it has been for well over a decade, Nike dominates.  Here in Part 1, a look at the massive event’s organization and discussion of the top three teams in the EYBL 17u will follow.  Part 2 will contain comments on over 40 individual players that stood out.   

So many teams!

Run by Tournament of Champions, Inc., the Nike Tournament of Champions Southeast was held at the Ernest N. Memorial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana, over May 15-17, 2026, weekend.  While coverage in this article will be solely about Nike EYBL Session 2 (96 teams with 32 in each of 17u, 16u and 15u), there were Jr. EYBL (14u and 13u of EYBL, EYCL and independents) divisions plus Nike’s developmental EYCL (second tier teams of EYBL clubs and other clubs hoping to move up to the EYBL level) and TOC (mixture of lesser level teams of EYBL clubs and independents). All told, this added up to close to 500 teams playing on the 51 courts. Courts 1-15 were for EYBL three divisions plus EYCL 17u.

Very well run!

Given the event’s massive size, the New Orleans stop came off remarkably well.  The only complaints from the college coaches were games not starting on time (happen at all events as games run late due to overtime or injury-related stoppages) and the long distance between the 15 EYBL courts and courts 16-51 (for the most part less college traffic with very young kids and developmental players). 

Another special salute must be given to the security around this event with those individuals posted at entrances both courteous and professional, moving people into the playing hall in a timely fashion.      

College coaches by the hundreds!

According to event organizing staff, there were around 410 college coaches in attendance with just over 375 from division1 institutions (some schools sent more than one, not staying all three days).  As seems to be the trend due to costs/time involved, there were relatively few colleges below NCAA Division 1 present.

Too much to digest in one weekend

Watching EYBL 17u teams over the years I ask “who on the team is a Power 4 prospect, not who is a division 1 prospect?”  Rarely are the EYBL 17u teams not almost exclusively NCAA Division 1 prospects at some level.  On other circuits, it is much more common to have future non-D1 players on a club’s top 17u team.

17u going young convenient for scouts; a few times near desperation for club administrators  

Several EYBL 17u teams ‘went young’ with multiple 2029 and 2030 players on their rosters.  This was a plus for scouts as players below rising senior (this year the 2027’s) on a 17u roster are usually several of the clubs’ higher-level prospects seeking out the strongest competition and having them there makes a quicker than normal ‘ID’ for such.  

In a few cases, however, the youth for a 17u squad appeared to represent a bit of panic as these players were not quite ready.  Likely, older quality players in their territory (NCAA-registered state location and surrounding states) had opted for another club (Nike or otherwise).  In the latter case, it’s being thrown to the wolves (more veteran high-quality opponents) and hope for the best!  

17u top dogs after EYBL Session 2 

Going undefeated in the EYBL 17u is no easy trick and three teams posted 10-0 records through session 2.  They are Team Takeover (won Nike Nationals last year with a lot back), Exodus NYC and CyFair Elite. With two events coming up in July, there is a long way to go until a champion is crowned in Chicago with multiple contenders below the top current three. Let’s take a quick look at these three teams!

Team Takeover 17 EYBL

The defending champs from Nike Nationals 2025 have the inside track on repeating in large part due to its ‘big three’ (photo at top of article).  In its 10 wins, three opponents finished within single digits but not a single possession.  Qandace Samuels (6-2, small forward, 2027) is a Power 4 shooter deluxe.  Jaylah King (5-10, shooting guard, 2028) is a high energy player regularly turning defense into offense.  She is a stock riser who’s on-court success is moving her into consideration for All-American candidacy for the 2028 class.  NyAir McCoy (5-5, point guard, 2027) runs the team, defends hard and manages to contribute to the offense as well. These three are the core of Bishop McNamara (of Maryland) High School which finished consensus top five last year and will be one of the pre-season favorites for 2026-2027.    

Exodus NYC 17 EYBL

Undefeated, this team has had more close calls than Team Takeover. It also has a ‘big three.’ Ryan Carter (6-0, guard, 2027, Friends Central School, PA) often initiates the offense but is one of team’s leading scorers and contributes significantly on the boards. Over the last year, she has significantly improved her shooting range and is a McDonald’s All-American candidate for the coming year.  Ashley MacCalla (5-10, guard, 2027, St. James Performance Academy, VA) is one of the top athletes in her class, improving her shooting range and edging her way into All-American conversations. Zya Small (6-0, forward, 2027, Friends Central School, PA) usually contributes double-digit scoring and significant rebounding. One area of concern going forward could be that the team does not shoot the three well (around 20% through the May stop). 

Ashley MacCalla of Exodus NYC 17 EYBL: stock riser quality athlete.

CyFair Elite 17 EYBL

While multiple teams have played CyFair Elite to single digits, none have finished within one possession.  The team struck me as a tad more balanced in scoring than the two above. Two players stood out in my viewing.   Through the New Orleans stop, Arianna Robinson (5-10, guard, 2028, Plano East High School, Texas) leads the team in scoring. She recently was selected for the USA U17 team. Ogechi Okeke (6-4, center, 2027, Hightower High School; verbally committed to Baylor University) leads the team in rebounding. Both are potential All-Americans in their respective classes. 

Ogechi Okeke, Cyfair Elite's force in the middle (Photo Credit: Super Star Hoops).

Check out Part 2 for more individual player performances at NIKE’s New Orleans stop!