Harry Giles and his best friend Jayson Tatum will both play in a Nike event in the Bahamas instead of the Under Armor Elite 24 Game on Aug. 22 in Brooklyn.
The news was first reported by Gary Parrish of CBSSports.com, and Giles’ decision was confirmed by Oak Hill Academy (VA) coach Steve Smith.
Giles and the Duke-bound Tatum were both extended invites to the Elite 24 Game which will be show on the ESPN networks, but opted for Nike’s new event in the Bahamas, which appears aimed at drawing talent away from Under Armor.
“The fact that they’re putting something together, kind of last-minute, tells me they’re trying to play defense,” Nick Blatchford, Under Armour’s director of grassroots and college basketball, told CBSSports.com. “It’s interesting to see them react to our event in this way.”