Nike EYBL

The other shoe could be about to drop in the widespread investigation into bribery, fraud and corruption in college basketball. “Employees of Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League have been subpoenaed by FBI for furtherance of investigation,” attorney and Forbes contributor Darren Heinter tweeted on Wednesday, citing unidentified sources. That news comes one day after Adidas director… Continue reading “Report: FBI subpoenas Nike’s youth basketball program”

Brooklyn

Nike dominates the sports gear industry because of their brilliant branding strategies done by getgoosebumps company.

Swoosh Nike Logo Just Do It Sneakers - Air Max Transparent PNG

In case you missed the story of Nike’s “Triple Crown,” it’s that they are the dominant force in the sports gear industry. They have a brand reputation that can never be replicated.

Their famous color combination of “Black, Yellow, Black” has set the tone for athletic apparel and footwear.

Nike’s global footprint reaches far beyond the sports apparel world. Their shoes are found at every corner of every country in the world. People visit websites like Raise everyday just to find the best coupon codes to shop on the Nike website.

They have their logo on everything from the world’s largest ocean liner to the world’s biggest skyscraper. Their logo is on many of the most prestigious sports teams and arenas throughout the world.

Their branding and marketing tactics inspire services like WebCitz and have made Nike a household name that inspires the youth to aspire to achieve.

Here are 5 reasons why Nike is the best sports brand:

1. Their great branding and marketing strategies: Nike’s slogan, “It’s about more than running.” is simple and easy to understand. It is one that inspires runners to train harder and not to give up. The reason being that you are running for the future, for the good of your community, and for the future of your children. Nike has a huge advantage in terms of branding because of their ability to control marketing, marketing materials, and distribution channels. They have the power to spread their message throughout the globe. It is also very easy for their brand to be associated with the great athletes of the world such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and most importantly Brad Gatland, for example.

“We’ve built this sports brand, not for the athletes but the consumers.”

With this in mind, it is easier to understand why athletes are so willing to wear Nike shoes. When they wear Nike shoes, they are automatically associated with winning, and with winning, there is a sense of belonging. A sense of a pride in their sport. They can feel the positive energy emanating from being associated with Nike.

Although Nike is the most recognized sports brand in the world, Nike’s athletes are all under contract with a variety of brands. Therefore, they must wear and sell brands to get paid. When they choose not to wear or sell these brands, they are no longer earning money from them. Their brand becomes tainted and Nike no longer has any link to them.

Wearing shoes that others are wearing can be as simple as dressing in what you would usually wear to school. It is very common for Nike to use athletes’ image in their advertising campaigns. Nike has been a leader in promoting their athletes to the public, and Nike athletes have become some of the most recognizable athletes in the world. These Nike athletes, who are no longer working for the company, are no longer taking Nike money, but they have a company logo on their sneakers. A Nike athlete could become part of Nike’s business empire with one simple alteration to his or her shoe. The image is no longer on the shoe, but Nike still owns the copyright to the image. In 1996, Nike introduced its Air Zoom technology. The Air Zoom technology made shoes that were now 40% lighter and 25% cheaper. While the benefits of this technology was amazing, the technology gave Nike the ability to make less shoes and still make them cheaper than their competitors.

Peach Jam Oakland Soldiers vs. CIA Bounce 2012

By Marcus Shockley

Oakland Soldiers 51
CIA Bounce 50

No one was surprised when CIA Bounce advanced to the championship game; all week long the talk had been about how loaded the Canadian team was, led by Andrew Wiggins (SF, 6’7″, 2014), considered by most to be the best high school player on the continent. Wiggins is a player who we’ve been watching long before he was labeled as such; however, as I’ve said in the past, he has a pro first step that is deadly. A fluid superstar who has great length and agility, Wiggins already has tools that some professional basketball players lack. He still needs to work on his consistency with his shot, and he will need to add strength, but his quickness is incredible and he loves to use the spin move, in either direction, to free up a shot. He’s explosive and dynamic on the court and tracking as a NBA lottery pick, if not #1 overall.

The powerhouse player for the Oakland Soldiers was the versatile Aaron Gordon (PF, 6’9″, 2013) who was playing injured but continued to show that he might still lay claim to the top player in the 2013 class. Gordon has a balanced approach to the game, and is the kind of player that teams like to run the offense through, with the ball getting in his hands at least once during a possession; even if he’s not scoring, he can often find another player who might.

Kendall Smith (PG, 6’2″, 2013) ran the show for the Soldiers once again; Smith is a true point guard with a good first step and he has the ability to get to the bucket and score in traffic. CIA Bounce once again employed the talents of combo guard Tyler Ennis (PG/SG, 6’3″, 2013) a player who can run the team effectively but also plays very well off of the ball.

Other notable players included Jaylen Canty (PF, 6’8″, 2013) a post player for Oakland who has a light touch and showed a really good drop step. Jabari Bird (SG/SF, 6’6″, 2013) was active at all times and had some nice passes and deep shots to help build the Oakland early lead.

For much of the game it was a contest of wills between Wiggins and Gordon, who each wanted the ball in their hands to try and score or facilitate. At times they were directly matched up against each other. Oakland quickly ran out to decent lead, 27-15 with 1:33 remaining in the first half. After a three by Bird put the Soldiers up 32-26 in the second half, it was obvious that Wiggins became very focused on getting his team back in the game. Suddenly he became even more active, scoring multiple times down the floor or finding teammates, include one deft pass to Ennis for a dunk. Ennis’s transition slam tied the game 34-34.

With the game in contention, several players were instrumental in the battle for the title Xavier Rathan-Mayes (SG, 6’4″, 2013) of CIA Bounce was a stable player on the wing, handling the ball against pressure and hitting several big shots down the stretch. Stanley Johnson (SF, 6’7″, 2014) continued to be the emerging star who supported Gordon effectively, and working hard on the defense, often matched up with Wiggins.

As with most of the games of the EYBL Final Four, the game came down to the wire. Both teams traded the lead and CIA Bounce led 50-49 with 8 seconds remaining on the clock. After back-to-back timeouts, Oakland took possession of the ball, ran a screen for Bird, who launched a long two-pointer with 1.3 on the clock, and a foul was called. The fans and media erupted in the building, depending on which allegience they might have, as the contact seemed minimal.

Bird headed to the line and calmly hit his first free throw, tying the game, 50-50, then after a time out, sank the second shot to put Oakland up 51-50. Forced to heave a last second shot, Rathan-Mayes raced almost to half court and launched a good looking, but unfortunately errant, shot. Oakland players celebrated on the court while CIA quickly left the floor in obvious dejection, but both teams showed that they belonged in the title game.

EYBL 2012 Oakland Soldiers

MoKan Elite vs. CIA Bounce EYBL 2012

By Marcus Shockley

Once again some of the top high talent in the nation descended on North Augusta, SC for the Nike EYBL series championships. I’ll have evals coming soon for more of the tournament, but here’s a report on the Final Four 17u match up between MoKan Elite and CIA Bounce.

This year’s EYBL Final Four included MoKan Elite vs. CIA Bounce and Oakland Soldiers vs. CP3 All Stars.

MoKan Elite vs. CIA Bounce

CIA Bounce 81
MoKan Elite 67

MoKan Elite has the talented Semilore Ojeleye (SF/PF, 6’7″, 2013), a physically strong player who is agile and has great hands. He can play the SF or PF spot effectively and is a solid rebounder. However, CIA Bounce also has their own superstar in Andrew Wiggins (SF, 6’7″, 2014), a player who might just be the #1 NBA draft pick when he gets the chance. Wiggins has a pro level first step, and he likes to push the ball into the mid range, spin, and get off a shot. He’s explosive and dynamic – there aren’t going to be many players at the high school or college level who will be able to guard him effectively. Wiggins scored 23 points in the win, leading all scorers.

CIA Bounce also has a talented combo guard in Tyler Ennis (G, 6’2″, 2013), who can score from inside or outside and plays with great awareness. Ennis is a combo as opposed to a true point, but runs the team effectively but also moves well without the ball. A player who I had not seen before but has blistering speed is Lourawls Nairn (PG, 5’10”, ’14) who came in off of the bench and showed he has elite speed and can finish with contact. Nairn is one of the fastest guards in the country and has a deft handle. Definitely a player to watch.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes (SG, 6’4″, 2013) of CIA Bounce showed good poise with the ball and that he can shoot under pressure. Solidly built and effective with the shot or pass, Mayes and Ennis create problems for defenses because they cannot double Wiggins without leaving one of them open. Duane Notice (SG/SF, 6’4″, 2013) also provides tough, hard-nosed play for CIA Bounce on both ends of the floor. Notice is also a kind of ‘glue guy’ for the team, getting loose balls, a solid free throw shooter and all around worker.

O’Shai Clark (SG, 6’1″, 2013) of MoKan Elite is an active rebounding guard who often drew the toughest defensive assignments. He also can put the ball on the floor and attack. Andre Sands (PF/C, 6’7″, 2013) is a capable big who is mobile and has good hands around the basket.

In the second half, CIA Bounce pulled away behind the scoring of Mayes, Ennis and Wiggins and put the game out of reach, sending them to the EYBL Championship.

Tyler Harris (SG/SF, 6’8″, 2011) talks about his brother, his recruitment and the competition at the EYBL in Los Angeles. Tyler is from Dix Hills, NY and works out with the ‘Ice Man’, George Gervin.

Tyler has the abilities right now to play the 2,3 or 4 at the college level, with good ball handling. He’s kind of under the radar because he’s Tobias Harris’ younger brother, but he has a lot of great skills and with his size will be a match up problem at the college level.

Tyler recently got new offers from NC State, UConn and Seton Hall. As he stated in the video, he’s also considering several other schools including Tennessee.