Six of the biggest high school basketball programs in the U.S., including Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) and Montverde Academy (Florida), are forming an elite national league set to begin 2021.
Six of the biggest high school basketball programs in the U.S., including Oak Hill Academy (Virginia) and Montverde Academy (Florida), are forming an elite national league set to begin 2021.
The National Interscholastic Basketball Conference will also feature IMG Academy (Florida), La Lumiere School (Indiana), Sunrise Christian Academy (Kansas) and Wasatch Academy (Utah), and two other schools yet to be announced.
The teams will play a 10-game regular season and a postseason tournament.
"For student-athletes who want to remain in high school and keep their options open for college or the G League post-graduation, the NIBC represents a tremendous platform that combines elite-level basketball with excellent academics in a real campus setting," Rashid Ghazi, partner at Paragon Marketing Group, will serve as commissioner of the league, told ESPN in a statement. "These six schools have outstanding histories and helped develop countless young men to achieve their dreams of excelling in both college and professional basketball."
The six announced teams in the league have combined to win the last eight national championships, with Montverde winning five times. There are 24 alums at such schools currently in the NBA and there were 44 players at NIBC schools who played in last year's men's NCAA tournament.
News of the NIBC league comes just days removed from media company Overtime selecting Atlanta to host its own basketball league that will pay teen players over $100,000 a season. That league, scheduled to start in September, will feature 30 players and have former NBA point guard and UConn head coach Kevin Ollie as its coach.
From SI All-American: