Championship Sunday Under Armour Standouts

Championship Sunday at the UAA finals was the end of the second July live period and had UAA teams playing for trophies at the end of the grassroots season. In this article I'll break down my standouts from the 15 U UAA championship and the 17 U UA Rise championship.    Canada Elite won the 15 U championship and their point guard was the engine behind their offense and earned two Division I offers the day following the championship game. I was most impressed with St Louis' passing ability, showing the ability to make a variety of passes including kick outs, finding cutters and alley-oops. His highlight pass of the game came during the fourth quarter where he perfectly threw a lob from behind half court for a dunk. As a scorer, St Louis mostly got to the paint off the dribble and converted some floaters and had a sweet reverse layup as well. Making the move to the states at Winston Salem Christian, St Louis could make his mark as one of the more interesting 2028 point guards along the east coast.     One of the best shooters I saw all weekend, Young was making shots from all over the court and playing with a lot of confidence as an offensive player. Making some deep shots off the catch, Young had a corner 3-pointer where he could've been given the chance at a four point play. Young also made some plays off the bounce and could finish with his left hand. Once Young gets stronger physically I'd expect him to be able to showcase a more diverse offensive game than just being a shooter right now.     An impressive athlete from the power forward position, Matthews is very explosive and can play above the rim. Sitting in the dunker spot or attacking a closeout were two ways Matthews got shots up at the rim. Matthews wanted to get back to his left hand to finish by using crossovers and spin moves to finish with his left hand. More developed physically than a lot of other players at the 15 U group, Matthews is tough to stop on the interior at this level.     I was really impressed with Ellis as obviously he has a reputation as an elite shooter but his all around game is very advanced as a lead guard. Ellis plays with elite pace off the dribble, not getting sped up and using his body to shield the ball from defenders. Ellis also has an ELITE head fake which allows him to either get to the foul line or force the defense into an early contest. On a balanced team with a lot of shooters, Ellis could draw help defense and kick it out to a shooter. Really impressed with Ellis on Sunday to lead his team to a title.     One of the more intriguing 2026 bigs I've seen in July, Lay has some skills that are rare to find. His frame is excellent with wide shoulders and already stronger than a lot of other bigs. Lay started the game with a dunk on the first possession and a blocked shot on the next, that immediately caught my eye for a player his size. Lay is not a finished product by any means right now, but he has stuff you can't teach and that's why Division I programs have been aggressive in offering him over the past two months.     A talented slashing guard who made a lot of plays off the dribble, Blaackar was getting to the rim in both the half court and transition. With a couple of righty scoop layups on the left side. Blaackar's strength also shows in a game against a team like TLBA with a ton of physically advanced athletes. With a couple strong rebounds and in general not getting pushed around, Blaackar certainly fit in athletically on this court. With some of the top Division II teams in the region recruiting Blaackar, he's also got a handful of Division I programs monitoring his development as well.     One of the most talented offensive players on the UA Rise circuit, McGillis had some bright moments as a scorer and playmaker on Sunday against TLBA. When McGillis was able to turn the corner in the pick and roll, he hit a couple floaters and also found teammates for kickout passes. Add in the fact McGillis hit a sidestep 3-pointer and a give and go 3-pointer and McGillis was scoring to help his team stay competitive for a majority of the game. Look for McGillis to be a Kentucky Mr Basketball candidate this season on a Covington Catholic squad that should start near the top of preseason state rankings.

Championship Sunday at the UAA finals was the end of the second July live period and had UAA teams playing for trophies at the end of the grassroots season. In this article I'll break down my standouts from the 15 U UAA championship and the 17 U UA Rise championship.