New grassroots basketball circuit, same mission for the Iowa Barnstormers

What do NBA players Marcus Smart and Michael Porter Jr. and WNBA star Skylar Diggins-Smith have in common?

They’re all sponsors for youth basketball teams in the NXTPRO and PRO16 circuit, which announced a change in partnership from New Balance to Puma Hoops in September.

NXTPRO, founded in 2021, is one of the nation’s largest basketball grassroots platforms and shoe circuits, operating more than 35 tournaments throughout the year that feature more than 15,000 players from across the U.S. and beyond.

“I think it’s a great thing that NBA guys continue to give back,” Iowa Barnstormers co-director and recruiting coordinator Tanner Carlson said. “It also makes the league very exciting for the players to see those (NBA players) names on the jerseys of the teams they are playing against — and in some cases, the players are on the sidelines watching their team play.”

It’s a circuit the Barnstormers, a Corridor-based AAU basketball program, will compete in again this spring, this time under Puma’s administration.

“We're excited about this Puma league because we think it's going to really help our guys get more exposure playing against high-level competition,” Barnstormers executive director Jamie Pettigrew said. “We want to get our guys in front of as many college coaches as possible. That's what it's about.”

Exposure to college coaches has become increasingly important for high school athletes in the era of the NCAA’s transfer portal, which launched in 2018.

“The reality is, in today's world with the portal, it's harder than it's ever been (to play Division I basketball) because colleges are recruiting old,” Pettigrew said. “The thing you'll hear from college coaches all the time is, ‘I want to get older. Why would I go recruit a high school freshman when I can go get a 21-year-old transfer who’s already played and proven himself?’”

According to the NCAA, 1,649 men's Division I basketball players entered the transfer portal in 2022. Compare that to the 689 men’s basketball players who transferred in 2017.

Also, consider 84 percent of the student-athletes who entered the portal in 2022 were on athletics aid at their departing school.

All this has made player development at an early age paramount to young athletes’ college basketball aspirations — and it’s why the Barnstormers offer programs to players as early as sixth grade.

“We have to teach kids how to play basketball the right way,” Pettigrew said. “They have to be locked into playing together on defense, giving up good shots for great shots, not settling and being very unselfish. We preach that if you play the right way, the college coaches will see you.”

Ultimately, the Barnstormers’ mission is to put young athletes in a better position to obtain a college education through basketball.

“It's always been about trying to help kids in Eastern Iowa get opportunities to use the game of basketball to get a college education, either free or reduced in terms of finances,” Pettigrew. “And then hopefully they’ll become our next leaders.”

With DI opportunities becoming harder to come by, the Barnstormers encourage their players to be open to opportunities and other levels.

“Being on the right circuit is important, but being in a program that has the connections to get you in front of the right level of college coaches is key,” Carlson said. “Not every college player is DI, so understanding that teams need to have coaches of different levels watching their games is key.

“The NXTPRO and PRO16 league has coaches of all levels in attendance at live events, and had a good showing of DII, DIII, NAIA and JUCO coaches at non-live events as well.”

The Barnstormers’ 17U team is set to participate in Puma's inaugural season, due in part to the program’s competitive history. Playing against sponsored teams is a unique opportunity not always available to other teams.

It will be a highly competitive league with plenty of high-profile exposure, according to Pettigrew.

“Puma’s been all-in since the day it was announced,” Pettigrew said. “They put out statements to the NBA guys who were excited because what they (NXTPRO, formerly affiliated with New Balance) did in year one without the backing was tremendous.”

Several former Barnstormers have gone on to have successful college basketball careers — five have reached the NBA: Keegan Murray, Kris Murray, Joe Wieskamp, AJ Green and Sam Hauser.

“We’re very proud that we currently have five NBA alumni, and we’re hoping that we get more soon,” Pettigrew said. “We’re proud of all our guys, as the leaders of their communities, whether it's playing professionally, giving back to coaching or whatever they're doing.”