When Ellis Knight and his friend, Vic Saunders, founded and started coaching Armor Elite in 2021, they had no way of knowing that within five years they would join a prestigious Nike powered program.
The girls on Armor Elite, now in seventh grade, have been working and training together since they were in second grade. They are a team, but they have also become family.
Based in Oklahoma City, Armor Elite was selected to compete in Nike’s Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) Jr. program for girls 13 years of age and under. The EYBL Jr. program is the “grassroots” version of its full EYBL program, covering grades two through eight. Once the girls reach high school, they can compete in the full EYBL program, though Knight, a Chickasaw citizen, and Saunders still have a long road ahead of them to make that happen.
The Nike EYBL program showcases the top youth basketball leagues in the U.S. and is known for producing star athletes. While a great accomplishment for the girls on the team, it is also a rare feat for an independent team to join the program without the backing of a professional athlete.
“We are the first independent team in Oklahoma to be offered the opportunity to join the Nike program,” Knight said. “Typically, you see Nike extend invitations to teams that have some type of NBA star backing them. Norman already has the Legynds, which is backed by Blake Griffin and Trae Young, and people used to tell us that Oklahoma wasn’t big enough to have two EYBL programs. Well, now we have Armor Elite.”
This new honor also helps Knight and Saunders achieve dreams for Armor Elite that go beyond the court.
“Our goal from the start was always bigger than basketball,” Knight said. “It was always to do whatever we can to get each and every one of our girls into college with some type of financial relief.”
Joining the Nike program provides the visibility necessary to help the young athletes reach future college and financial assistance opportunities.
“This gives these young ladies an opportunity to play in front of college coaches at a high level,” Knight said. “You never know who is watching. We play everybody, and we play everywhere. All you have to do is catch somebody’s eye one time, and you can be a star overnight. So that’s really what the Nike platform brings to you — the eyeballs of the sport.”
Now that Armor Elite has entered the EYBL Jr. program, Knight and Saunders have their sights set on the full EYBL program. While a challenge, it is not insurmountable. They must have five different teams running simultaneously with ages corresponding with grades eight through 12. In addition to their EYBL Jr. team of seventh graders, they also have fourth grade and sixth grade teams. While their sixth and seventh grade teams will be able to move up in the ranks, they must still build the three older teams. However, due to the Nike partnership and the program’s unique character, Knight does not envision the accelerated growth to be a problem.
One thing separating Armor Elite from other leagues is their focus on player development, both on and off the courts. Even with the youngest teams, Knight said they keep high expectations for all players.
Knight and Saunders initially planned to simply be supportive dads of daughters who played basketball. However, they felt compelled to step up and coach as the landscape of girls’ and women’s basketball began to evolve.
To ensure Armor Elite stays competitive, Knight and Saunders teach the girls how to play multiple positions and layer strategic game play knowledge into every practice. Knight said this foundation of coaching began for the girls on Armor Elite as early as second grade.
Armor Elite takes a lot of time, dedication and perseverance. In addition to playing basketball for their individual school districts, the girls practice with Armor Elite four days a week during the offseason — two-hour practices on Mondays and Thursdays, and individualized training on Wednesdays and Saturdays. These sessions are vital to team development and prepare them for upcoming EYBL Jr. tournaments.
In addition to their normal game schedule, Armor Elite participates in four Nike sessions between April and July. In April, Armor Elite traveled to Phoenix. In May, they competed in New Orleans. Then, in July, they have two tournaments: the first in Las Vegas, and the second, Nike Nationals, in Chicago.
Beyond basketball skills, Knight also weaves Chickasaw values of perseverance, faith, family and community into his coaching.
“It’s about representing who we are — our faith, our work ethic and our commitment to excellence,” Knight said. “As Chickasaw people, we’ve always believed in resilience and in lifting the next generation. That same spirit drives everything we do at Armor Elite.”
Above everything, though, Knight said he finds the most joy in watching these girls grow into great people and great players.
“We had a lot of these young ladies since second grade and now we get to see them grow into young women which has been amazing,” Knight said. “Just seeing them get better is the best part of it. We’re tough on them, and we have been through the blood, sweat and tears, but it is amazing to see them persevere through all of that, for our own daughters, but our additional daughters as well, because everybody becomes family.”
