WASHINGTON D.C.—Eight teams from around the globe will duke it out at Trinity Washington University in the 2013 Nike Global Challenge. Three days of high-paced basketball action will determine the world's top team.
Basketball will be played from sunrise to sunset Thursday, as six games kick off the tournament's pool play. Pool A will be comprised of the USA East, USA West, Canada and France, and Pool B will contain USA Midwest, USA South, Brazil and Pan-Africa.
One of the tournament's biggest storylines is not the big names who are slated to showcase their skills, but rather the highly-touted recruits who will not be attending. The highly-anticipated pairing of Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones were slated to suit up for the USA Midwest squad, but Okafor pulled out of the event Tuesday evening along with his teammate on the FIBA U19 World Championship squad, Justise Winslow. The July live period has the nation's top recruits flying all over the country for a slew of tournaments and showcases, but Okafor and Winslow took that a step further when they competed for the United States in Prague.
But after four high-paced scrimmages Wednesday evening, it was clear that there was plenty of talent left in the tournament's field.
Here's a look at some of the players we'll be keeping an eye on throughout the week:
Playing for a deep and talented USA South squad are Duke's lone Class of 2014 commit, Grayson Allen, and Moss Point, Miss. shooting guard Devin Booker. Allen showed off his athleticism during Wednesday's scrimmage, flying through the air for a rim-rocking alley-oop jam. Booker is one of the best shooters in his recruiting class, and still has a long list of suitors, which he will trim at the end of July. Michigan and Michigan State are two of the programs most frequently associated with Booker, but it will be telling to see which coaches are keeping an eye on him this week.
A large group of coaches were already in the building Wednesday evening, including Duke's Steve Wojciechowski, Pittsburgh's Jamie Dixon and Michigan's John Beilein.
Even without Okafor to feed in the post, Jones could be one of the more exciting players at this year's Nike Global Challenge. Ranked the No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2014 by ESPN, Jones' sharpest skill is his court vision. Jones has publicly indicated that he and Okafor are indeed a package deal when it comes to their recruitment, and there is a possibility that Winslow could go with them as well.
Duke has only offered three scholarships to Class of 2015 prospects, but Rockwall, Texas power forward Elijah Thomas could be next. Thomas will suit up for the USA West squad. A 6-foot-9, 230-pound rising junior, Thomas has the physical tools that equip him for the next level, but will work to polish his game in the coming years. Class of 2015 guard Luke Kennard earned a scholarship offer from the Duke coaching staff last week with a stellar performance at the Nike Peach Jam. Thomas will see if he can do the same this weekend.
Follow along at The Blue Zone and @dukebasketball on Twitter for live updates throughout the week, including video analysis and interviews with the participants.
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