Elite Sports Connect | Featured Story 

June 2026 

By Sabai Burnett 

Founder, Elite Sports Connect 

Memphis felt like the real start of the AAU season. 

You could feel it the moment you walked into the gym that weekend. 

Courts packed with teams from all over the country. 

Parents lined up along the baseline. 

Kids warming up with a little extra energy, like they knew it meant something. 

The Jr EYBL Super Regional has become one of those events where you start to see  just how deep the talent pool is getting at the younger levels. 

Not because the season ends there. 

Because it begins there. 

Before the games started that weekend, I told my son something simple. 

No matter how he played, I loved him. 

That this was only part of his journey, not the destination. 

Block out the noise and lock in. 

Because the truth about weekends like that is that they’re not meant to define a player. They’re meant to develop one. 

Walking through the gym, what stood out wasn’t just the talent. 

It was the environment. 

You had kids from all over the country stepping into a higher level of competition. Different styles of play.

Different speeds. 

Different expectations. 

Some adjusted quickly. 

Some didn’t. 

But that’s part of it. 

This is where the game starts to look different. 

The spacing is tighter. 

The decisions have to be quicker. 

The margin for error gets smaller. 

And for a lot of players, this is the first time they really feel that shift. That’s what stood out most walking through the gym that weekend. Not just who played well. 

But how players responded to the moment. 

Some leaned into it. 

Some rushed. 

Some tried to do too much. 

Some stayed within themselves. 

And all of it is part of the process. 

Because at this level, especially in middle school, none of it is final. 

No one is getting recruited off what happens here. 

No one’s future is decided in a weekend. 

The runway is still long. 

But what does matter is how players begin to understand the game at this level. 

How they respond to pressure. 

How they handle success. 

How they adjust when things don’t go their way.

That’s where the growth happens. 

The reality is, the real evaluation doesn’t begin until later. 

High school is where things start to separate. 

Sophomore and junior years are when college programs really start paying attention. 

So while events like the Jr EYBL Super Regional carry energy and attention, they’re not  the destination. 

They’re part of the foundation. 

And that’s the balance. 

Because the environment feels important—and it is. 

But not for the reasons most people think. 

It’s important because it exposes players to what’s ahead. 

It shows them the level. 

It gives them something to measure against. 

But it should also remind them of what matters most. 

Getting better. 

Staying grounded. 

Continuing to develop. 

There are a lot of tournaments throughout the AAU season. 

But opening weekend always carries a different kind of energy. 

It’s the first real reminder that the season is underway. 

For players, it’s a chance to compete. 

For programs, it’s a chance to evaluate. 

For families, it’s a chance to understand the road ahead a little more clearly. And for the kids in the gym, it’s just another step. 

Part of the journey.

Not the destination.