Yanders Law boys 17u is headed to the Under Armor Association Championship Bracket this weekend.

A small program from a largely rural area, Yanders Law has been turning heads on the Under Armor circuit. Starting in UA Rise, the boys 17u team rose to the top and gets to play in the UAA. This may be a big first for the Yanders Law program, but it has not happened by accident. Not by luck, but by trickle-down tenacity, grit, and a pure hooper mentality that runs deep.

“I love that we are one of the first teams from a smaller area to be in the UAA Finals,” Coach Rob Yanders says. “It is just a huge privilege to be here, and I want to thank UAA and UA Rise for having us.”

Through the first couple of weekends alone, the young men of Yanders Law have played in front of 60-plus universities. ACC, SEC, Big 12, Missouri Valley, OVC… the list goes on. These are opportunities that would previously not have been possible for players from our area, and we are thrilled to be a part of the movement.

Yanders believes that their demanding early schedule back in April has played a big part in preparing them for the current level of competition. Yanders Law faced EYBL, Nike, and Adidas teams and beat many of them. These challenges have prepared them for the elite, which they will certainly see at the Pacers Athletic Center in Indianapolis this weekend.

The results of the high levels of exposure and competition have been immediately apparent for the players. The college offers and correspondence are mounting in a hurry.

Jonathan Dunn (6’7 F) recently accepted his offer from Missouri State after holding multiple D1 offers. Sincere Malone (6’8 G/F) picked up a nice new offer of his own from Western Illinois. More to come as Malone’s defense and rebounding proficiency will be on full display in Indy.

Kanon Gipson (6’3 G) already holds an offer from UW Milwaukee and has now heard from Eastern Illinois in addition to Santa Clara and UC Santa Barbara. Corey Williams Jr. (6’2 G) has now heard from Jacksonville State in his short time with Yanders Law. We are excited for Williams Jr. to gain continued exposure with our program.

Logan Applegate (6’2 G) holds offers from Texas State and SIUe and has had interest from Drexel, Westpoint, Belmont, and Nebraska Omaha. The more coaches see App’s basketball IQ in person, the longer that list grows. This could be a big weekend for Elijah Whitley (6’3 G) and Tyler Harmon (6’2 G) as well, as more eyes will be on the squad.

A pair of guys with a list of suitors growing every day is Zach Howell (6’5 G/F) and Cameron Liggins (6’4 G).

Howell has been an aggressive scorer, and his shooting prowess has drawn plenty of attention. He currently holds offers from Texas Tech and SIUe. Texas Tech has been watching him each day of the circuit. In addition, Howell has now drawn interest from Ohio University, Eastern Illinois, Navy, Air Force, Colorado State, Harvard, Wisconsin, Omaha Nebraska, Mizzou, and IUPUI. Hype train.

Cam Liggins holds offers from Western Illinois and Montana State. He has now also heard from Tulsa, Montana State, SIUe, South Dakota State, Cal State Bakersfield, Oral Roberts, Furman, and Oklahoma State. Liggins has been one of the most dangerous two-way players on the circuit.

“This has become a great team that plays together,” Yanders says. “It starts on defense with Cam Liggins. Then, together, we attack.”

Yanders says that he believes his squad is the hardest working team in the Under Armor Association. “This weekend - the Championship bracket is for the elite,” Yanders says. “These guys have earned the right to be a part of that. I am proud of them. This is their time now. They have earned it, and I’m going to set them loose.”