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Tene Smith

PICTURED: 17U GymRat CHALLENGE Gold Bracket MVP Tene Smith of UnderArmour’s Canada Elite. Smith commanded both guard spots in leading Coach Jason Fowler’s Canada Elite crew to the Gold Bracket Chip doing damage from beyond the 3-pt arc and then using a lightning first step to blow by defenders and create in the paint. Here’s what the GymRat Evaluation Team wrote about Smith in the June GymRat Report “Tene Smith (12) 5-6 point guard, Canada Elite 17U GUAA/Kings Christian Collegiate: Superior ball-handling ability. Cleans up loose balls and dribbles to daylight. Quickness on defense leads to more than her share of steals. Hit some big three-pointers in the championship game. Has a terrific cross-over dribble moves to the hoop when defenders come out to guard her from three-point range. U. Buffalo, Fordham, Evansville, UTEP and Rider have shown interest”. Photo by GymRat staffer Eddie Quinn

WHO

GIRLS teams in the 12U through 11th Grade divisions from across the North American continent. Teams will be accepted on a “first come, first served” basis until maximum capacity is reached.

COMPETITION DIVISIONS

In accordance with USA Basketball’s Grade and Age Eligibility Requirements, the following competition divisions will be offered at the GymRat CHALLENGE

  • 11th Grade– Athletes must be enrolled in the 11th grade or below (as of October 1, 2023) AND cannot turn 19 prior to September 1, 2024
  • 10th Grade– Athletes must be enrolled in the 10th grade or below (as of October 1, 2023) AND cannot turn 18 prior to September 1, 2024
  • 9th Grade– Athletes must be enrolled in the 9th grade or below (as of October 1, 2023) AND cannot turn 17 prior to September 1, 2024
  • 14U– Athletes cannot turn 15 prior to September 1, 2024 (age division, no grade exceptions)
  • 13U– Athletes cannot turn 14 prior to September 1, 2024 (age division, no grade exceptions)
  • 12U– Athletes cannot turn 13 prior to September 1, 2024 (age division, no grade exceptions)

PLAYER ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION

It is the responsibility of the head coach to provide age and grade (if applicable) verification for players at any time throughout the tournament. Permitted forms of player age verification include birth certificates, passports and government-issued IDs (originals, hard copies or digital copies). Permitted forms of player grade verification include school-issued report cards or school administrator confirmation of grade issued on school letterhead (originals, hard copies or digital copies).

WHATICONIC FOR A REASON

MORE PLAYERS ARE RECRUITED OUT OF THE GymRat CHALLENGE THAN ANY OTHER EVENT IN THE NATION. AS THE SINGLE LARGEST EVENT OF ITS KIND IN THE EASTERN UNITED STATES, AND THE THIRD LARGEST EVENT OF ITS KIND ON THE ENTIRE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT, REPUTATIONS ARE EARNED AT THE GymRat CHALLENGE. The GymRat CHALLENGE IS A TRUE TEST OF BOTH BASKETBALL SKILL AND WILL WHERE TODAY’S NCAA AND 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 TO SEE HOW THEY MEASURE UP. FROM WNBA ALL-STAR AND SCORING CHAMP EPIPHANY PRINCE TO TWO TIME WNBA MVP AND FOUR-TIME U.CONN NATIONAL CHAMPION BREANNA STEWART, SINCE 1998, THE GREATEST PLAYERS ON THE PLANET HAVE COME TO THE GymRat CHALLENGE TO PROVE THEMSELVES AGAINST TOP COMPETITION AND EXITED THE GymRat CHALLENGE HAVING CATAPULTED THEMSELVES TO THE TOP OF RECRUITING BOARDS EVERYWHERE.

WITH UNPARALELLED COVERAGE FROM COLLEGE COACHES, SCOUTING SERVICES, AND BASKETBALL PUBLICATIONS, AS WELL AS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE & CREDIBLE EVALUATION SERVICES IN GRASSROOTS BASKETBALL, MORE PLAYERS ARE RECRUITED OUT OF THE GymRat CHALLENGE THAN ANY OTHER EVENT IN THE NATION. TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL NOTORIETY ON THE LINE, THOSE THAT PERFORM WELL IN THIS HIGH VISIBILITY EVENT RECEIVE AN UNPARALLELED BOOST IN RECRUITING EXPOSURE. EACH YEAR SEVERAL ALL-GymRat CHALLENGE SELECTIONS ARE TABBED BY THE GymRat CHALLENGE EVALUATION TEAM AS RISING MEMBERS OF THEIR CLASSES BOTH NATIONALLY AS WELL AS REGIONALLY IN THEIR HOME AREAS OF THE COUNTRY. ALL OF THIS, COMBINED WITH A REPUTATION AS THE BEST ORGANIZED EVENT IN THE NATION, MAKES THE GymRat CHALLENGE ONE OF THE MOST COMPLETE AND COMPETITIVE STOPS ON THE SUMMER BASKETBALL SCHEDULE.

With teams throughout the country building their national schedules to include this event, the GymRat CHALLENGE is guaranteed to be SOLD-OUT WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE OPENING TIP-OFF. TEAMS THAT WISH TO PARTICIPATE IN THE GymRat CHALLENGE ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO REGISTER AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE IN ORDER TO GUARANTEE THEIR PROGRAM’S SPOT IN THE TOURNAMENT FIELD, AVOID THE WAITING LIST, & GAIN ACCESS TO ANNUAL EARLY REGISTRATION NOTIFICATION. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

FORMAT

  • THREE game guarantee with additional games for Championship Round qualifiers
  • THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE & CREDIBLE EVALUATION SERVICES IN GRASSROOTS BASKETBALL GymRat Evaluation Team on hand throughout the weekend for talent evaluation & selection of All-GymRat CHALLENGE team and MVPs in each age division for inclusion in the GymRat REPORT that is available to every college coach in the nation.
  • Potential for MAXIMUM of 6 games over the event weekend
  • POOL PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT
  • POOL PLAY concludes at 11:15 AM on the final day of competition
  • Pool Champions & potential Wildcard teams advance to the CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND beginning at 1:35 PM on the final day of competition
  • CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND format includes
  • Bracket play based on POOL PLAY performance and resulting CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND seed
    • Single elimination with MAXIMUM of three games in CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND play
    • Champions awarded in each CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND bracket
    • This three-game maximum CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND formatreduces fatigue and results in higher quality performance in all brackets of the CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND
    • This format allows all CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND qualifiers to play a minimum of one and a maximum of three games in this highly competitive round.
    • This format preserves the legendary trademark Championship–style of the GymRat CHALLENGE, allows for national recognition for winners in all brackets, and allows for early conclusion times for all teams.
  • Certified referees for all games.
  • Athletic Trainers on site
  • STAY TO PLAYDiscounted HOTEL rates for all participants are contractually GUARANTEED to be the lowest available on GymRat event weekends. View hotel requirements & options at http://gymratchallenge.com/girls-event/team-hotel-requirements/

WHEREImpact Athletic CenterIMPACT Athletic CenterThe beautiful and brand-new Impact Athletic Center along with the state-of-the-art Albany Capital Center, Siena College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and Hudson Valley Community College will host the GIRLS GymRat CHALLENGE. Located within minutes of each other, the GymRat CHALLENGE’s tremendous host facilities are easily accessible from the North, South, East, or West. With over twenty, permanent full courts….NO PLAYING ON PLASTIC TILES, these complexes are ideal sites for a major grassroots basketball event from participants’, fans’, and recruiters’ perspectives. For a detailed breakdown of competition venues by Age Division. visit http://gymratchallenge.com/girls-event/game-sites-directions/

ACC

WHENJune 8-9, 2024

HOW

REGISTRATION FEES

  • From November 1st through December 31st:
  • $425 for teams in the 8th through 11th Grade divisions
  • $325 for teams in the 12U & 13U divisions
  • January 1st & beyond:
  • $525 for teams in the 8th through 11th Grade divisions
  • $425 for teams in the 12U & 13U divisions
  • Multi-team discounts available. Call 1-888-7-GYMRAT (1-888-749-6728) for details.
Rose Simpson

PICTURED: 10th Grade Honorable Mention ALL-GymRat choice ROSE SIMPSON of Lady Prestige Elite. Photo, Peter Barber, GymRat Staff.