Nike Hoop Summit ‘26 | The Boneyard

Nike Hoop Summit ‘26

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darrell

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World roster’s finally been revealed. It features our very own Big O (Croatia) & Jovana Popovic (Serbia), as well as POIs Eve Long (Nigeria) & Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka (Cameroon).

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Does anyone know if UConn is interested in Ogechi Okeke? While going over the names on the World Team roster, I noticed hers. I usually know the international players, but her name wasn’t familiar to me. Here’s what I found out. Her parents are from Nigeria, and she lived in Sweden before coming to the U.S. at age 13. She plays for Hightower High School in Texas. She’s ranked 19th in ESPN’s 2027 class, up from 35th in June 2025. The next ESPN ranking update should come after the Nike Hoop Summit game, if it’s like last year. I don’t know if she has dual citizenship; she’s only 16, which means she was likely born in 2009 (or later), making her eligible for next summer’s U17 World Cup. She hasn’t yet competed in any FIBA international tournaments; if she had, I would have found evidence of it. I know she has received offers so far from Duke, Notre Dame, TCU, Oregon, North Carolina, and several others. I’ve attached a short recent video. There are 9 players on the roster who are already in the U.S. and 8 who play for an American high school. The game will be broadcast on Peacock.

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From Canada said:
www.fiba.basketball

FIBA rising stars headline World Select Team for Nike Hoop Summit 2026

Some of the best young ballers on the planet are stepping out at this year's flagship event in Portland.
www.fiba.basketball www.fiba.basketball
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There is a nice photo of OLIVIA VUKOSA in her Croatian jersey with
the Croatian flag. Otherwise, this is stuff the Boneyarders know (and LOVE).
The NIKE HOOP SUMMIT '26 had a link to some J. Popovic's FIBA stuff, but it takes some looking to process the link and the Highlights already on the Boneyard "recruiting" page seem to be in my opinion the best.
 
The players on the World Team have started arriving. From the two Instagram posts, I recognized: #1 Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka, #3 Sara Okeke, #4 Jovana Popovic, #9 Jada Lynch, #10 Sitaya Fagan, #12 Olivia Vukosa, as well as Savvy Swords and Ogechi Okeke, whose jersey numbers I couldn’t make out. It seems the World Team will have one or two more days to prepare for the game than they did during the first three years of the women’s division of the event.

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Olivia is hanging out on the sidelines. We see her with Emilia Krstevski who is wearing a sweat suit; she appears to be treating an injury to her left thigh, as ice is being applied to it. I don’t think this will prevent her from playing in the game. She practiced earlier with a bandage on her thigh. For Krstevski (#41 ESPN Class of 2026), it’s a different story. The player, who has committed to Oregon for next season, may well miss the game. She injured her right leg during a scrimmage on March 29 at the Canadian team’s camp ahead of the upcoming U18 Americas Championship.

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From Canada said:
World Team Measurements - UConn 2026-2027 --> #4 Jovana Popovic - #12 Olivia Vukosa
UConn P.O.I --> #1 Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka - #5 Kathy-Emma Otto - #11 Eve Long
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Interesting to see the extent of their "reach": wingspan and standing reach!,
 
BOXSCORE
www.usab.com

USA Basketball

USA Basketball is the National Governing Body for the sport of basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), USA Basketball is...
www.usab.com www.usab.com
 
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CTBballfan243 said:
Do we recruit American high school kids anymore?
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Did you ask this question on the men's board about the 5 foreign born kids on Hurley's roster this year? FYI, 3 of these 4 girls are HS students in the US.
 
CTBballfan243 said:
Do we recruit American high school kids anymore?
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There were eight players on the World Team who attend American high schools. At least five of them hold dual citizenship. As BRS24 noted, Olivia Vukosa (Croatia/USA) plays for a high school in New York and on the international stage for Croatia.

Eve Long (Nigeria/USA) plays internationally for the USA; last summer she was part of the U16 national team that won the Americas Championship, and she was selected for the All-Tournament First Team. The same applies to Ivanna Wilson-Manyacka (Cameroon/USA), who was named MVP at that same championship.

The Nike Hoop Summit is an exhibition game; to participate on the World Team, one must hold foreign citizenship. The U.S. team is always made up of seniors only. Wilson-Manyacka and Long will be seniors next year. Although this situation seems odd to me, I wouldn’t be surprised if both of them wore the U.S. colors next year at the same event. So, to answer your question, UConn still recruits players from U.S. high schools.

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CTBballfan243 said:
Do we recruit American high school kids anymore?
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Aside from Jovana, each of the kids mentioned are American citizens & HS students who chose to represent their family’s heritage to participate for the “World” team. Ivanna (Maryland native) & Eve (Kansas native) both currently hold offers.

In addition to them, several other ‘27 kids currently hold offers (Haylen Ayers, Lauren Hassell, Kaleena Smith). So to answer your question: Yes, we do still recruit American high school kids.
 
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