Nike Hoop Summit Returns to Moda Center Saturday — Sport Oregon Voices

Inaugural women’s game adds to the all-star basketball excitement this year in Portland

Portland’s tradition of hosting elite high school basketball events continues this weekend at Moda Center, as the 24th edition of the Nike Hoop Summit takes place on Saturday, April 8. This year’s Nike Hoop Summit will feature both a men’s game and an inaugural women’s game, with both featuring the top American high school seniors facing a World Team of top international players 19 and younger.

This year’s event will feature the first-ever women’s game at 4:30 p.m., followed by the men’s game at 7 p.m. Held annually since 1995 (with the exception of 2001-03 and 2020-21), the Nike Hoop Summit has been held in Portland since 2008.

John McCallum, founder and president of Prime Time Sports, has been involved with the Nike Hoop Summit since it came to Portland. His company promotes the all-star event in partnership with Nike and USA Basketball, and says Portland has been an ideal host city for the event each year.

“Portland has become a hotbed where there’s a fan base that understands high school talent,” McCallum. “They really have grasped on, and enjoy seeing that next generational talent.”

With players, coaches, professional team executives, media and fans traveling from all over the country and world to Portland, the Nike Hoop Summit also provides a nice boost to the area economy in the form of lodging, meals, retail and entertainment.

The event has grown into a who’s-who of the next generation of top college basketball players, and the next NBA and, now, WNBA draft picks. Historically, 253 Nike Hoop Summit alumni have been drafted into the NBA, with 14 having been selected with the No. 1 pick and 90 selected in the top 10 of the NBA Draft.

This year’s men’s event has the somewhat-rare distinction of featuring a top local player, as Jackson Shelstad from West Linn was named to the USA roster. Shelstad becomes the fourth area player to feature in the Nike Hoop Summit, joining Mike Moser (Grant), Kevin Love (Lake Oswego) and Payton Pritchard (West Linn).   

The USA men’s roster also features two players – Bronny James from Sierra Canyon (CA) and Ron Holland from Duncanville (TX) – who made the all-tournament team during the Les Schwab Invitational that took place this past December at Liberty High School in Hillsboro.   

The inaugural women’s game features a USA roster filled with international experience, including eight players who were members of the 2022 U17 National Team that won a second straight FIBA World Cup gold medal in Debrecen, Hungary. The roster includes Judea “JuJu” Watkins, who recently was named the National Gatorade Player of the Year.

The 2023 USA Women’s Nike Hoop Summit Team includes Sunaja “Nunu” Agara, Kamorea “KK” Arnold, Madison Booker, Zoe Brooks, Breya Cunningham, Aalyah Del Rosario, Jadyn Donovan, Hannah Hidalgo, Ashlynn Shade, Watkins, Jada Williams, Mikaylah Williams and Sahara Williams.

Eight countries are represented on the inaugural women’s World Select Team roster, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, France, Japan, Kenya and Sweden.

While there are other All-America games around the country, McCallum says – given its stature, history and scope – the Nike Hoop Summit annually stands out as a marquee event. He says the event regularly draws general managers and scouts from every NBA team, which raises the level of competition.

“The players are playing in front of every general manager and scout, and they’re really trying to showcase their talent,” he said.

In addition to Holland, James and Shelstad, the 2023 USA Men’s Nike Hoop Summit Team features Omaha Biliew, Blake Buchanan, Isaiah Collier, Eric Dailey Jr., Justin Edwards, Jared McCain, Sean Stewart, Dajuan Wagner Jr., Ja’Kobe Walter and Cody Williams.

The Nike Hoop Summit men’s World roster includes players from Australia, Cameroon, Canada, Finland, France, Greece, Guinea, Jamaica, Nigeria, Senegal and South Sudan.

Since its inception, the USA men hold a 16-7 series advantage over the World Team.

If You’re Going
Tickets for the 2023 Nike Hoop Summit are available here, with both the women’s game (4:30 p.m.) and the men’s game (7 p.m.) being included in the price of admission.