COLORADO SPRINGS, CO-USA Basketball, the National Governing Body for basketball in the United States that is responsible for the selection and training of US National teams that compete in international competitions including the Olympic Games, has announced that both the BOYS (May 27-28) & GIRLS (June 10-11) GymRat CHALLENGE events have been designated as OFFICIAL QUALIFIERS for the US OPEN Basketball Championships that will take place in conjunction with the NCAA College Basketball Academy in Memphis on July 24-27 (BOYS) &July 28-31 (GIRLS). As a result, the 9th &10th Grade Platinum Bracket Champions from the GymRat CHALLENGE will receive an AUTOMATIC BID and an all expense paid trip to compete in the US OPEN Championships at the NCAA College Basketball Academy in Memphis.

?Both of the US OPEN Championships will be LIVE recruiting events for NCAA college coaches. The US OPEN Championships will be the ONLY live recruiting events ANYWHERE IN THE COUNTRY in late July. But it gets even better....For the 24 BOYS teams &24 GIRLS teams that qualify in each Age Division, the NCAA will cover the actual and necessary expenses of 10 players, 2 coaches, and one parent/chaperone for each player to travel to and stay in Memphis during the event.

The GymRat CHALLENGE is proud to be among only 6 GIRLS events &7 BOYS events in the United States to receive this designation from USA Basketball as an Official Qualifier. One of the most iconic events in grassroots basketball history, the GymRat CHALLENGE is a true test of both basketball skill &will where yesterday's, today's, and tomorrow's NCAA, NBA &WNBA stars have come to earn their reputations over the past two and a half decades....and where others have come to compete against them and see how they measure up. Including two-time NBA &WNBA MVPs Steph Curry and Breanna Stewart, since 1998, some of the greatest players on the planet have arrived at the GymRat CHALLENGE to compete and be seen, and exited the GymRat CHALLENGE having catapulted themselves to the top of recruiting boards everywhere.

To see if your team can punch its ticket to qualify for USA Basketball's US OPEN Championships, get your team registered to compete at the GymRat CHALLENGE today by visiting https://gymratchallenge.com/gymrat/. Registrations for the GymRat CHALLENGE are on a 26-year record pace. As a result, if you know that you want to compete, get your team(s) registered as quickly as possible. Teams will be accepted on a first come, first served basis until our maximum capacity has been reached.

BASED IN COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO, USA BASKETBALL IS A NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION AND THE NATIONAL GOVERNING BODY FOR BASKETBALL IN THE UNITED STATES. AS THE RECOGNIZED GOVERNING BODY FOR BASKETBALL IN THE UNITED STATES BY THE INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL FEDERATION (FIBA) AND THE UNITED STATES OLYMPIC & PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE (USOPC), USA BASKETBALL IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SELECTION AND TRAINING OF USA TEAMS THAT COMPETE IN FIBA SPONSORED INTERNATIONAL BASKETBALL COMPETITIONS, AS WELL AS FOR SOME NATIONAL COMPETITIONS, AND FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF YOUTH BASKETBALL INITIATIVES THAT ADDRESS PLAYER DEVELOPMENT, COACH EDUCATION AND SAFETY.

GymRat LIVE is the GREATEST SHOW IN GRASSROOTS BASKETBALL! By INVITATION-ONLY, the GymRat LIVE field includes representatives of NIKE’s EYBL, the Under Armour Association and Adidas’ 3 Stripe Select Basketball Circuit going head to head in Alpha v. Alpha match-ups that are displayed across the country and around the world in a full broadcast production that provides the brightest spotlight’s ever to shine on the grassroots basketball landscape. As a true invitational event, there is no charge for teams to compete at GymRat LIVE. Teams are selected to compete at GymRat LIVE based on input from national and regional media members, sneaker company executives, basketball coaches, experts, and evaluators. Created as a complimentary addition to the legendary GymRat CHALLENGE events that have been the proving ground for today and tomorrow's NCAA and NBA stars since 1998, GymRat LIVE is NOT a live “stream” with a teenager holding an iPAD at half-court while every viewer squints to see jersey numbers and hopes that the iPAD operator remembers to move their lens. GymRat LIVE IS an ESPN-quality full broadcast production with multiple professionally operated cameras on every court, replay cameras, color and play-by-play commentators, as well as full technical and graphics staffs. Click the video clips below to see why NOTHING LIKE GymRat LIVE HAS EVER TAKEN PLACE IN THE HISTORY OF GRASSROOTS BASKETBALL.