Team Elite on the Adidas 3SSB Circuit

In the Mishawaka Fieldhouse on the second Saturday in July, I left the 17U courts and found a spot between the columns to watch Team Elite’s 15U team. By then Class of 2029 forward Peyton Frazier had already drawn a following of college coaches.

I was writing notes when Coach Chad Hubbard hopped up from behind the Team Elite bench and pointed at me. We have known each other for years, long enough that we can speak honestly about his players. We talked briefly about Frazier’s rising profile and about his seventh-grader, Kynlee Swain, who seemed to get better with every game. I told him the future looked strong with that young talent and with his established 17U point guard, Zoe Williams.

Hubbard acknowledged the optimism. Then he turned in his chair and nearly poked me in the chest. “But Hemingway, you gotta know I love the Georgia Red Clay.”

He was not talking about the soil he prefers for his backyard vegetables. He was telling me his investment is with the young women from Georgia.

“We practice together. We do a better job of developing than anyone, because we actually practice as a group. Not just show up the day before the tournament and run some plays.”

If you do not know Chad Hubbard, his directness can land as abrasive. What he is showing, however, is the depth of his commitment to the girls he coaches and to the game itself. Most people who take on travel basketball as a side project eventually get sorted out by the cycles of talent, money, or burnout. Not Hubbard. He stamped the Team Elite standard once again this summer.

Stamping the Standard

The late Kirk Pointer created the vision for the Team Elite program more than a decade ago. He built it quickly and with precision. In 2016 Team Elite won both the EYBL 17s and 16s titles. Hubbard coached the 16s that year, then took the same group of players and won the 17s title the following season. Pointer set the standard. Hubbard has kept the same expectations in place since Pointer’s passing.

This summer the 17s reached the Adidas 3SSB Final Four in Rock Hill. They faced an undefeated 7 Days team built around Kaleena Smith, the top player in the country for the past two years. Smith finished with 12 points and only three field goals in that Final Four game. Hubbard took pride in how the group finished the run, but he does not traffic in moral victories. He believes his players can beat whoever stands across from them once the ball is tipped.

The Method

The program stays focused on Georgia players who can practice together during the week. Hubbard, Eric Addie, and Robert Swain share the coaching responsibilities and stay equally involved in the individual development of each player. Melvin at Fit for Life handles the strength and conditioning, an important part of the program that often goes unseen. Defense remains the filter the staff uses to decide who gets on the floor. That standard has been consistent since the beginning of the Team Elite organization.

Final Four in Rock Hill

The 17s reached the Adidas 3SSB Final Four with a backcourt supercharged by playmaking and defense. Zoe Williams, a 2029 with a recent Harvard offer, ran the group. Deyva Davis and late addition London Smith completed a premier backcourt on the 3SSB circuit. All three are elite offensive players and defensive ball hawks.

The frontcourt work was shared. Nimah Ibidunni made the biggest individual jump, rising from relative unknown to a consistent double-double threat and a top-50 ranking while playing through injury in Rock Hill. She committed to Princeton this week. Binetou Diop, a 6-2 post who runs the floor and can defend 1 through 5, gave the group another physical presence when she was available. She missed the 3SSB Finals while competing with her national team. Sophia Louis-Pierre brought length and energy, Jasmine James handled the hardest perimeter matchups including the primary work on Kaleena Smith, and Nylah Loukides supplied the uninterrupted minutes off the bench.

None of those roles arrived fully formed. They were built through the same consistent standard the program has held for years.

Point Guard U

Hubbard notes that the program has produced a steady line of elite point guards. Khayla Pointer, daughter of the late founder, led the 2016 title team. She became the only player in LSU history — men or women — with at least 1,500 points, 500 rebounds, and 500 assists. She earned AP All-American Second Team honors as a senior. Zoe Williams is the latest in that lineage.

Coach Eric Addie puts the emphasis on the work. “Practice matters on the girls side. Meshing together matters.” Hubbard adds that the goal is to have the best point guard in the city annually. The coaching and training group stays consistent. Hubbard also points to the McDonald’s All-Americans the program has produced in recent years. He lists Flau’jae Johnson, Kayla McPherson, Jillian Hollingshead, and Hailey Swain since 2022 and says no travel program in Georgia has had more in that four-year window.

The Next Wave

The 16s finished 12-3 and reached the Elite Eight. The Parish twins, Gabrielle and Aleigha, play a physical style the coaches call “Pain Ball.” They do not shy away from contact. Cailyn Landrew led the group as a steady all-around guard and shooter. Micahla Butler, a 2029 from McEachern, competes on both ends with the tenacity the program requires.

On the 15s, Hubbard made a deliberate choice to keep Peyton Frazier in her age group. The 6-2 forward with wing upside gained confidence during her time with her age group. Her game expanded and she took on more leadership. The decision paid off with Frazier recently earning an offer from Tennessee. Kynlee Swain, a 2031 still just 12 years old, made the clearest leap from the first tournament in April through the summer viewing periods. In one Rock Hill game the team was down one when she stepped to the line and made both free throws to win it. Hubbard said in that moment he could no longer coach her like a seventh grader.

Ellie Warren, a 6-foot wing from Marist, continues to add poise and go-to skills. Marya Trotman joined her as a reliable shooting piece. Harlow Kendrix from Carrollton brings toughness and feel as a lead guard. Samayiah Florence, a 2029 5-10 wing from a basketball family, and Jaleeah Miller, a 2030 5-9 wing still developing, add depth to the group.

The same demands that shaped the older teams are already at work with the younger ones.

The standard was set more than a decade ago. Team Elite is still working under it.

Team Elite 17u

Nylah Loukides 2027 5'8
Sophia Louis-Pierre 2028 6'1
Jasmine James 2027 5'10
London Smith 2028 5'8
Deyva Davis 2027 5'7
Nimah Ibidunni 2028 6'2
Zoe Williams 2029 5'7
Nyomi Williams 2029 5'7
Binetou Diop 2027 6'2
London Williams 2027 6'0

Coaches:

Chad Hubbard
Lamar Harris
Ken Austin

Team Elite 16u

Micahla Butler 2029 5'8
Cailyn Landrew 2029 5'7
Gabrielle Parish 2029 5'10
Amaya White 2029 5'11
Samayiah Florence 2029 5'10
Aleigha Parish 2029 5'9
Olivia Albright 2030 5'6
Lauren Williams 2029 5'8
Mayci Roser 2029 5'10
Marya Trotman 2030 5'8
Nariah Mapp 2029 5'7
Iyana Johnson 2029 5'10

Coaches:

Eric Addie
Dave Session
Eric Landers

Team Elite 15u

Harlow Kendrix 2031 5'6
Jaleeah Miller 2030 5'9
Kynlee Swain 2031 6'0
Skylar Gresham 2030 5'7
Ellie Warren 2030 6'0
Peyton Frazier 2029 6'2
Aniya Porter 2031 5'7
Kennedy Jackson 2031 5'10
Kendall Jackson 2031 5'8
Janiyah Hines 2030 5'7
Tai'Shaun Robinson 2031 5'7
Remi Rutherford 2031 5'9

Coaches:

Rob Tate
Trell Tate
Robert Swain

Written, edited, and formatted for web by the author

Jonathan Hemingway is a senior writer for On the Radar Hoops. He has covered basketball for the site since 2013 and has been involved in the game since 1995 as a coach, camp director, and evaluator. Reach him at CoachHemi@gmail.com or follow @CoachHemi on X and @Coach_Hemi on Instagram.