Tag Archives: college athletics

Champion Women and Advocacy Groups File Amicus Brief in Ninth Circuit Challenging NCAA Settlement That Entrenches Inequity and Silences Athletes’ Voices

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 12, 2025 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Champion Women, together with Wrestle Like A Girl, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, and the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group, announced today that they have filed an amicus curiae brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (No. 25-4190). According to Liberty Law, Inc., the filing supports a slew of objectors challenging the NCAA’s proposed $2.8 billion settlement, arguing that it perpetuates systemic inequities, suppresses athlete compensation, and strips athletes, particularly women and those in Olympic and non-revenue sports, of fair representation.

Image caption: Logos of organizations that filed the amicus curiae brief.

The amici warn that the settlement is not the “historic breakthrough” it has been portrayed to be, but rather is a deal that institutionalizes inequality. It binds nearly 400,000 current and former college athletes into one massive class action, negotiated by a single group of lawyers without independent or conflict-free counsel. Under the settlement, men’s football and basketball players receive more than 95% of the settlement funds, while athletes in 42 other NCAA sports, representing the overwhelming majority of Division I competitors, share less than 5% of the paltry settlement but are required to release all of their legal claims.

“This is not progress — it’s the preservation of the same inequities that have defined college sports for decades,” said Nancy Hogshead, Olympic gold medalist and founder of Champion Women. “The NCAA and class counsel have created a settlement that looks like reform but, in reality, leaves women athletes and most college sports behind.”

The amicus brief cites landmark Supreme Court precedents, Amchem Products, Inc. v. Windsor and Ortiz v. Fibreboard Corp., and the Third Circuit’s recent Murray decision, which all reaffirm that when class members have divergent interests, the law requires separate representation and conflict-free counsel. With 46 NCAA sports effectively competing for the same limited pool, the settlement exposes these conflicts, granting 95% of the proceeds to men’s football and basketball while providing minimal relief to women and athletes in non-revenue sports. The amici argue that this structure violates established class-action safeguards and fails to deliver the fairness the law demands.

Led by attorneys Gerson H. Smoger, JD., PhD. (Smoger & Associates), Micha Star Liberty (Liberty Law, Inc.), and David Arbogast (Arbogast Law), the amici call for the Ninth Circuit to remand the case to the district court with instructions to require separate, conflict-free counsel and dedicated representatives for women athletes and other underrepresented groups.

“True reform means every athlete, regardless of gender or sport, has an advocate fighting for their interests,” said attorney Micha Star Liberty. “This case is a turning point — the Ninth Circuit has the chance to decide whether college sports move toward equality or remain entrenched in the same systemic imbalance.”

Champion Women, Wrestle Like A Girl, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association, and the Women’s Sports Policy Working Group joined forces in this filing to stand for fairness, representation, and equality in collegiate athletics — principles that must finally extend to every athlete, in every sport.

The amicus brief was filed on November 10, 2025, and is available on the Ninth Circuit’s docket for In re College Athlete NIL Litigation (No. 25-4190).

MEDIA CONTACT:
Micha Star Liberty
Liberty Law, Inc.
https://libertylaw.com/
Micha@LibertyLaw.com
510-645-1000

MULTIMEDIA:
Image link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/25-1111-s2p-liberty-300dpi.webp

Image caption: Logos of organizations that filed the amicus curiae brief.

NEWS SOURCE: Liberty Law Inc.

This press release was issued on behalf of the news source (Liberty Law Inc.), who is solely responsible for its accuracy, by Send2Press Newswire. Image, if any, was provided by the news source and not this website or the wire service. Information is believed accurate, as provided by the news source, but is not guaranteed.

To view the original story, visit: https://www.send2press.com/wire/champion-women-and-advocacy-groups-file-amicus-brief-in-ninth-circuit-challenging-ncaa-settlement-that-entrenches-inequity-and-silences-athletes-voices/

After 50 years, H.E. Hodge Company, Cumming athletic and institutional equipment company, kicks off a new season of ownership

CUMMING, Ga. /ScoopCloud/ -- DeJazz Woods has always had a love for sports. He has been around athletic equipment since childhood football, leading him to play at the collegiate level as an outside linebacker for the University of Illinois from 2010 - 2014. Upon graduation, armed with a master's degree, his career would take off in the athletic equipment industry. As a Business Development Manager for three major athletic equipment manufacturers, Woods would cross paths with Jeff Hodge, President of H.E. Hodge Company, and Bud Hodge, the company's founder, who are both huge college football fans. They began mentoring Woods in the athletic equipment industry, which would score a winning touchdown for each team.

In the late 60s, Bud Hodge, Jeff's father, served as Southeast Regional Manager with Brunswick Bowling which had diversified into a school division. This division specialized in school equipment, and Bud called on school systems to offer classroom, athletic, and institutional equipment solutions. Under his leadership and partnership with his wife, June, sales in the Southeast rocketed from $300K to over $3.5M in 3 years. With these impressive results, he was offered the Brunswick School Division Dealership for the Southeast in 1972. This dealership offering was the beginning of the H. E. Hodge Company. Eventually, Jeff took the company reins and has built a strong reputation as a merit-based business with a tradition of success in providing quality facility solutions. For 50 years, H.E. Hodge company's objectives have been to exceed customer expectations. With Jeff eyeing retirement, he considered passing the company on to the next generation. Woods met the owners of H.E. Hodge in 2016 at a job site for a customer in Chamblee, GA. After several years of mentoring Woods, they realized they had found their successor. Woods became the new owner in November 2022 and is poised to take the company to the next level.

Woods is carrying on the family-owned tradition, bringing his fiancé Karina Gomez onto his leadership team. Her role at H.E. Hodge focuses on marketing, branding, communications, lead generation, and other functions that facilitate daily operations. He is focusing on cultivating improvements within the company processes and developing the company's product offering. Woods is also working on improving the customer experience and creating resolutions for the customer's complex needs. His strategy is to provide a quality turn-key solution for all H.E. Hodges customers. H.E. Hodge's standards will exceed customer expectations with innovation and integrity.

Today, H.E. Hodge Company specializes in the preliminary planning, specification writing, budgeting, engineering, field measuring, project managing, and installation of specialty athletic equipment such as goals, lockers, and bleachers for schools and municipalities. H.E. Hodge Company will continue to evolve. Its mission moving forward is to serve our customers based on their need for efficient facility operations and services that ensure our clients have fully operable facilities to coordinate their programming and facilitate their community needs. While the ownership has changed, the winning spirit of the business remains the same.

Learn more: https://www.hehodge.com/

H.E. Hodge Company, 2393 Pendley Road, Suite 200, Cumming, GA 30041.

DeJazz Woods has always had a love for sports. He has been around athletic equipment since childhood football, leading him to play at the collegiate level as an outside linebacker for the University of Illinois from 2010 - 2014. As a Business Development Manager for three major athletic equipment manufacturers, Woods would cross paths with Jeff Hodge, President of H.E. Hodge Company, and Bud Hodge, the company's founder, who are both huge college football fans.

Related link: https://www.hehodge.com/

Washington Youth Soccer Partners with CaptainU to Create a New Pathway for Athletes to Play in College

PLANO, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Washington Youth Soccer - originated in 1966, and the authorized state youth soccer association of Washington and is affiliated with US Youth Soccer, US Soccer, and FIFA the international governing body of soccer - announced today a new partner in CaptainU, powered by Stack Sports, to help more athletes find college opportunities.

CaptainU a self-managed recruiting software tool that connects high school athletes and college coaches across the country, is the best way to connect with college coaches and get recruited. This 3-year partnership allows Washington Soccer athletes and parents, instant access to every college soccer coach in the country, while increasing CaptainU's exposure in the college soccer recruiting world.

"We can't wait to work with CaptainU to discover more innovative ways to improve college soccer recruiting in the state of Washington," said Roger Levesque, Executive Director of Washington Youth Soccer. "This partnership will provide our athletes, parents, coaches, and teams access to expert recruiting tools and resources to further enhance their soccer journeys."

Through this partnership, Washington Youth Soccer athletes will receive a free recruiting profile and highly discounted upgraded plans, coaches are eligible for free CaptainU College accounts, teams are eligible for a free CaptainU Teams accounts, and more.

"We couldn't be more excited to be partnering with Washington Youth Soccer and providing them with additional tools and resources to enhance their already great program," said Brandon Hollmann, General Manager of CaptainU. "Assisting college coaches, teams, and athletes throughout the recruiting process is what we do best, and teaming up with Georgia Soccer is a great opportunity to continue our mission."

About Washington Youth Soccer:

Washington Youth Soccer originated in 1961 and is affiliated with US Youth Soccer, US Soccer, and FIFA the international governing body of soccer through the Regional Club League. These partnerships have helped enrich our member and make Washington Youth Soccer the best choice for youth athletes.

About CaptainU:

CaptainU empowers athletes to take their game to the next level through recruiting and discovery tools to connect with clubs, events and colleges. More than 3 million high school athletes, college coaches, club coaches and tournament directors have used CaptainU tools to network, build relationships, and build championship teams. CaptainU was founded in 2008 and now powers the recruiting journey for partners like AAU, USA Gymnastics, Washington Youth Soccer, and US Rowing. To learn more about CaptainU, visit http://www.captainu.com/.

About Stack Sports:

With nearly 50 million users in 35 countries, Stack Sports is a global technology leader in SaaS platform offerings for the sports industry. The company provides world-class software and services to support national governing bodies, youth sports associations, leagues, clubs, parents, coaches, and athletes. Some of the largest and most prominent sports organizations including the U.S. Soccer Federation, Little League Baseball and Softball, and Pop Warner Little Scholars rely on Stack Sports technology to run and manage their organizations. Stack Sports is headquartered in Dallas and is leading the industry one team at a time focusing on four key pillars - Grassroots Engagement, Participation Growth, Recruiting Pathways, and Elite Player Development. To learn more about how Stack Sports is transforming the sports experience, please visit https://stacksports.com/.

Washington Youth Soccer - originated in 1966, and the authorized state youth soccer association of Washington and is affiliated with US Youth Soccer, US Soccer, and FIFA the international governing body of soccer - announced today a new partner in CaptainU, powered by Stack Sports, to help more athletes find college opportunities.

Related link: https://stacksports.com/

Georgia State Soccer Association Partners with CaptainU to Create New Recruiting Pathways for Athletes

PLANO, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Georgia State Soccer Association - the official National State Association of USSF, as well as the recognized national soccer association within the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), the worldwide governing body for soccer - announced today a new partner in CaptainU, powered by Stack Sports, to help more athletes find college opportunities.

CaptainU a self-managed recruiting software tool that connects high school athletes and college coaches across the country, is the best way to connect with college coaches and get recruited. This 3-year partnership allows Georgia Soccer athletes and parents, instant access to every college soccer coach in the country, while increasing CaptainU's huge reach for college soccer coaches.

"We couldn't be more excited for the opportunity to work with CaptainU and discover innovative ways to improve college soccer recruiting in the state of Georgia," said Laura Halfpenny, Executive Director of Georgia Soccer. "This partnership will provide our athletes, parents, coaches, and teams access to expert recruiting tools. Expanding our Partnership with Stack Sports to provide additional resources to our members was an easy choice for us after the service we receive from them over the last decade."

Through this partnership, Georgia Soccer athletes will receive a free recruiting profile and highly discounted upgraded plans, coaches are eligible for free CaptainU College accounts, teams are eligible for a free CaptainU Teams accounts, and more.

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Georgia Soccer and providing them with innovative tools and resources to enhance their already great program," said Brandon Hollmann, General Manager of CaptainU. "Our mission has always been to assist college coaches, teams, and athletes throughout the recruiting process, and by teaming up with Georgia Soccer, we're doing just that."

About Georgia Soccer:

Georgia Soccer is the authorized state youth and adult association for Georgia within the United States Adult Soccer Association, United States Youth Soccer Association, and through them is part of the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). Also, Georgia Soccer serves as the official National State Association of USSF making it responsible to act on behalf of USSF and provide licensing courses for coaches and certification courses for referees.

In turn, the United States Soccer Federation is the recognized national soccer association within the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), the worldwide governing body for soccer. Essentially, we serve affiliated member organizations throughout Georgia in both program and administrative support activities.

About CaptainU:

CaptainU empowers athletes to take their game to the next level through recruiting and discovery tools to connect with clubs, events and colleges. More than 3 million high school athletes, college coaches, club coaches and tournament directors have used CaptainU tools to network, build relationships, and build championship teams. CaptainU was founded in 2008 and now powers the recruiting journey for partners like AAU, USA Gymnastics, Georgia Soccer, and US Rowing. To learn more about CaptainU, visit CaptainU.com.

About Stack Sports:

With nearly 50 million users in 35 countries, Stack Sports is a global technology leader in SaaS platform offerings for the sports industry. The company provides world-class software and services to support national governing bodies, youth sports associations, leagues, clubs, parents, coaches, and athletes. Some of the largest and most prominent sports organizations including the U.S. Soccer Federation, Little League Baseball and Softball, and Pop Warner Little Scholars rely on Stack Sports technology to run and manage their organizations.

Stack Sports is headquartered in Dallas and is leading the industry one team at a time focusing on four key pillars - Grassroots Engagement, Participation Growth, Recruiting Pathways, and Elite Player Development. To learn more about how Stack Sports is transforming the sports experience, please visit https://stacksports.com/.

Georgia State Soccer Association - the official National State Association of USSF, as well as the recognized national soccer association within the Federation International de Football Association (FIFA), the worldwide governing body for soccer - announced today a new partner in CaptainU, powered by Stack Sports, to help more athletes find college opportunities.

Related link: https://stacksports.com/

Macclesfield FC and CaptainU Partner to Bring College Recruiting to the UK

PLANO, Texas /ScoopCloud/ -- Macclesfield FC - a professional association football club in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England - today announced that they have selected CaptainU, powered by Stack Sports, to provide its organization with a self-managed recruiting software tool that will connect American high school athletes with Macclesfields International Academy.

Macclesfield FC is the UK's leading private development academy providing it's athletes with the world's most prestigious coaches. With these senior coaches, student athletes are able to focus on individually-tailored and position-specific training to further enhance their football skills. The academy is open to all qualified athletes across the globe who wish to continue their football development and education.

"With this partnership, we are looking forward to supporting youth soccer athletes and helping them develop on all fronts through a unique experience," says Robert Smethurst, owner of Macclesfield FC. "CaptainU will allow us to connect with more student athletes overseas, expanding our academy to potential we are excited to explore".

CaptainU allows athletes to take what can often be a confusing recruiting experience and make it simple. With the most comprehensive suite of online recruiting tools and hands-on assistance, CaptainU boosts the athlete's exposure to college coaches.

Through this exclusive partnership, CaptainU is the official recruiting software for Macclesfield FC to provide support and connections for their International Academy through CaptainU's database. Student athletes in the states will be able to use their CaptainU profile, which allows them to post skills and highlight videos, store academic information, and much more, to connect with Macclesfield FC coaches. Additionally, the CaptainU recruiting ecosystem will assist Macclesfield coaches in managing the recruiting process, identifying talent, and building championship teams.

"We are proud to welcome CaptainU as the official recruiting software for Macclesfield FC," says Robbie Savage, Director or Football for Macclesfield FC and former pro player, including 10 years and 346 appearances in the Premier League, and 39 international caps for Wales. "This partnership, like our academy, is unique by allowing us to connect with American athletes and continue to inspire, educate, and evolve young, aspiring footballers."

"We're excited to partner with Macclesfield FC to bring college recruiting to the UK," said Tanner Highlen, General Manager of CaptainU. "Our mission has always been to assist athletes and college coaches with the recruiting process. By working together with Macclesfield FC, we have the incredible opportunity for our athletes to compete in an international market and get a chance to experience a new culture with our partners in Macclesfield."

About Macclesfield FC

Macclesfield FC, established in 1874, is a professional football club located in Cheshire, England. Macclesfield has returned to play for the 2021-2022 season, and continues to do work in their town and community while implementing their redevelopment plans. Macclesfield FC is dedicated to bringing back the game to their fans and their community. For more information about Macclesfield FC, please visit https://www.macclesfieldfc.com/.

About CaptainU

CaptainU empowers athletes to take their game to the next level through recruiting and discovery tools to connect with college coaches, clubs, and events. More than 3 million high school athletes, college coaches, club coaches and tournament directors have used CaptainU tools to network, build relationships, and build championship teams. CaptainU was founded in 2008 and acquired by Stack Sports in 2017. To learn more about CaptainU, visit http://www.captainu.com/

About Stack Sports

With nearly 50 million users in 35 countries, Stack Sports is a global technology leader in SaaS platform offerings for the sports industry. The company provides world-class software and services to support national governing bodies, youth sports associations, leagues, clubs, parents, coaches, and athletes. Some of the largest and most prominent sports organizations including the U.S. Soccer Federation, Little League Baseball and Softball, and Pop Warner Little Scholars rely on Stack Sports technology to run and manage their organizations. Stack Sports is headquartered in Dallas and is leading the industry one team at a time focusing on three key pillars -- Play, Improve, and Engage. To learn more about how Stack Sports is transforming the sports experience, please visit http://www.stacksports.com/.

Macclesfield FC - a professional association football club in Macclesfield, Cheshire, England - today announced that they have selected CaptainU, powered by Stack Sports, to provide its organization with a self-managed recruiting software tool that will connect American high school athletes with Macclesfields International Academy.

Related link: https://stacksports.com/

Polovolo Launches the First Sport-Specific Digital Platform for Water Polo Recruiting

PITTSBURGH, Pa. /ScoopCloud/ -- High school water polo athletes looking to continue their playing careers in college have a new resource available to showcase their accomplishments and connect with college coaches. Polovolo is a digital platform designed for the unique needs of high school water polo athletes, their parents and the collegiate water polo coaching community.

Polovolo is exclusively focused on water polo and the Polovolo founders have incorporated their decades-long domain expertise to create an experience and functionality unique to the sport.

"Polovolo was created by water polo people, for water polo people," says Jim Staresinic, Founding Partner. "Our sport has its own vernacular and we feel that adding value to the recruiting process must start with strong knowledge of those you are hoping to benefit."

Staresinic adds, "For example, we saw two big recruiting needs for water polo athletes over the years. No matter their location water polo players need ways to be seen or noticed by college coaches. Also, the athlete and their parents need help to open lines of communication with those coaches. Polovolo is uniquely positioned to be part of the recruiting journey for thousands of water polo athletes and every college program."

The Polovolo platform is immediately available to high school players and provides a doorway to varsity water polo programs and their coaches. With Polovolo, the athlete can build a personalized dynamic profile, share video, provide details on academics and extracurricular achievements, highlight their accolades through verified badges, find colleges which fit their goals and use the unique social-media functions in the platform to create connections and communicate with coaches. Every DI, DII and DIII varsity program is listed on Polovolo.

Polovolo is a part of a successful recruiting experience. There are many great water polo showcases, clinics, club events and tournaments which athletes can take advantage and Polovolo works in a complimentary way with these things by connecting them all into a well-organized athlete story of activity, progression and accomplishment - at both the personal and athletic levels.

Polovolo also provides a solution to college coaches who need sport-specific information about the prospective student athletes delivered efficiently. Polovolo allows coaches to find, evaluate, validate and communicate with athletes who are a good match for their program. It also takes much of the guesswork out of evaluating an athlete since Polovolo focuses on verifiable information. A unique athlete badge feature showcases high-level achievements in the sport. Badges are activated by Polovolo staff only after verification of the information submitted by the athlete. Access to Polovolo by coaches is free.

Polovolo is the right solution at the right time for the water polo community. With the recent challenges holding tournaments and college site visits due to covid-19 restrictions, Polovolo provides an immediate solution to athletes who want to share their accomplishments with coaches and find the right college program.

About Polovolo

Polovolo is a digital platform focused on helping water polo athletes throughout their recruiting journey. Polovolo provides tools to showcase their attributes, abilities and experiences through validated information. It helps athletes find next-level opportunities for development and competition and provides open access to a comprehensive network of professionals and coaches engaged in the recruiting process. Learn more at: https://polovolo.com/

Media Contact:
Jim Staresinic
jim@polovolo.com

High school water polo athletes looking to continue their playing careers in college have a new resource available to showcase their accomplishments and connect with college coaches. Polovolo is a digital platform designed for the unique needs of high school water polo athletes, their parents and the collegiate water polo coaching community.

Related link: https://polovolo.com/

University of Los Angeles College of Divinity (ULACD) and Coach Mike Miller Notch Nations Second Best Two-Year Record of 56-4 Among All Four-Year Colleges from 2018-19 to 2019-20

LOS ANGELES, Calif. /ScoopCloud/ -- The Association of Christian College Athletics announce 2020 Championship Tournament Bracket. Despite a wonderful record of 27-1 the University of Los Angeles College of Divinity (ULACD) has a very tough road ahead as the fourth seed.

It all starts Thursday with a game against Baptist Bible College from Missouri, famous for being the Alma Mater of Liberty University founder Jerry Falwell. The game will be televised live on the ACCA YouTube channel at 2:30 p.m. Central Time on March 5, 2020. The game can be seen at: http://youtube.com/accasports.

In the same bracket is top seeded Champion Christian College from Hot Springs Arkansas. Both Baptist Bible College and Champion Christian College have outstanding experienced coaches that boast high scoring teams with excellent deep shooting guards.

Those styles contrast with ULACD which is defensive focused and prideful about those defensive efforts. One example of that came on January 12, 2020 when Coach Michael (Mike) Miller beamed after the 81-48 victory against Cety's University, from Mexico. On the Coach Miller post game show coach Miller was asked by TV personality Ronnie Wald about the effort in the nights home court victory over the high scoring Mexican University who tallied 99 points in a win the night before.

Dr. Miller noted the pregame goal to hold the high scoring team to 50 points was achieved with great intensity of effort and the leadership of Senior returning ACCA 1st team All-American Jerron Wilbut (23.5 ppg, 9 rpg and 5 apg) and Junior team captain Dupree Mitchell (10 ppg and 4 apg).

Notably the third year team from Compton with no one taller than 6'4 and a roster of nine players has been consistently tough Defensively, especially in the latter part of the season. Junior college transfers, forward Troy Biglow (22 ppg and 8 rpg), guard KV Myricks (15.5 ppg and 3.5 apg) and Kelton Conway (11ppg, 4 rpg and 3apg) have made outstanding contributions to the defensive effort and also averaged double figures in points. Other team members are freshmen newcomers Samuel Rodrigues, Devone Brown and Josh Thompson and returning senior Johan Meclot (6 ppg and 5 rpg) as well as returning sophomore Dutch Samples.

The assistant coaches are Isaac Gordon and Wendell Westbrook, who was alongside coach Michael "Mike" Miller for over a decade at Los Angeles City College "LACC" during the record-breaking run of 14 straight conference championships. Coach Westbrook was the associate head coach at LACC from 1999-2000 to 2006-07 when the LACC teams compiled an overall record of 241-38 in eight seasons with a winning percentage of .864, exceeding all NCAA Division I Programs during the same time period.

More information on ULACD: http://universityoflosangeles.org/

The Association of Christian College Athletics announce 2020 Championship Tournament Bracket. Despite a wonderful record of 27-1 the University of Los Angeles College of Divinity (ULACD) has a very tough road ahead as the fourth seed.

Related link: http://www.universityoflosangeles.org/

Team Rio National and Sports U announce merger to create Team Rio University

COLTS NECK, N.J. /ScoopCloud/ -- Team Rio National and Sports U are proud to announce a collaboration and combination of NJ's most successful grassroots basketball programs over the last decade with the creation of Team Rio University (Rio U). As an Under Armour Association sponsored program, Team Rio University is able to deliver a complete student-athlete basketball development and educational advancement program.

Players will have access and support to the finest coaches, trainers, mentors, and educators to reach their potential on the court, in the classroom, and in life.

Over the last decade, the combined programs have graduated over one hundred NCAA Division 1 scholarship athletes, seven McDonald's All Americans, and eight NBA players.

"Eight years ago we created Team Rio National because we wanted a comprehensive academic and basketball development experience for a group of passionate local players. Over the years, the formula has proven successful and we would like to extend the opportunities to more student-athletes in the tri-state area. By combining forces with Sports U, Team Rio University can extend its reach and help impact more youth players throughout the region," said Brian Klatsky, founder of Team Rio National.

Former Big East head coach and Team Rio coach, Mike Rice added "We have a tremendous amount of respect for Brian Coleman and his accomplishments with Sports U are immense. We now unite and marry the two strongest grassroots programs over the last decade in New Jersey. This is going to have a very positive impact on student-athletes in the Garden State."

Sports U founder, Brian Coleman, says "This merger is going to be a disruptor and game changer in the tri-state basketball community. I'm very excited for the future of Rio U basketball!"

Shannon Coyle, coach and director of Rio U Girls, added, "After a very successful launch of the Girls UAA circuit in 2019 and the inaugural seasons of Team Rio National girls, we are very excited to broaden our reach throughout the tri-state area with Sports U. The synergies, resources, and network that come with the combination of both boys basketball and Sports U, gives our girls an elite experience for them to maximize their potential."

Tryouts for the upcoming season start on February 29, 2020 and continue on March 7, 2020. Tryout details, location, and times, can be found at https://teamrionational.com/.

About Team Rio University:

As a 501(c)(3) organization, Team Rio University is an Under Armour sponsored program that assists student-athletes on and off the court in their pursuit of college and professional basketball. The boys and girls programs participate in the highly regarded Under Armour Association (UAA). Both the boys and girls UAA leagues generate hundreds of college coaches and scouts at their NCAA live session events to provide student-athletes a world class platform for competition and recruitment.

*LOGO link for media: https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0228s2p-team-rio-300dpi.jpg

Team Rio National and Sports U are proud to announce a collaboration and combination of NJ's most successful grassroots basketball programs over the last decade with the creation of Team Rio University (Rio U).

Related link: https://teamrionational.com/