BRYAN, Texas (KRHD) — More than 300 teams from across the country are competing in the NXTPRO Puma Pro 16 National Finals at Legends Event Center in Bryan, now in its second year at the facility. The tournament features players ages 15 to 17 competing for exposure in front of college coaches and scouts.
Andre Stringer, assistant coach for Sipp United, said the event's structure gives players meaningful access to college programs.
"The way they set it up, you know, as far as the coaches, the media part, um, the college coaches having access to the kids without having too much access, and I think moving forward it's only gonna get better," Stringer said.
The facility itself has drawn praise from those involved in the event.
"This place is immaculate. state of the art, uh, courts are wonderful. I wish I was 15, 16, 17 playing on these courts," Stringer said.
For the players, the competition level is part of what makes the experience valuable. Parent Aaron Settles, who was watching his son compete, said the mental side of the game is just as important as the physical.
"Play your game. You're going to be out here. You know, in front of scouts, you're going against top D1 talent, uh, the kids you're reading about on Instagram or social media or whatever, you can't let that really affect how you play," Settles said.
Settles also spoke to the risks players face when competing at this level.
"Videos on TikTok of the flooding being so bad people are getting stranded, cars being left on the side of the road. Obviously that's never good. That's never safe. So hopefully the the city can take a look at some of those roads and get those patched up," Settles said.
Legends Event Center General Manager Jamie Cox said the relationship with Puma began at a national conference.
"We developed a relationship with them a couple of years ago at a national conference and explained the facility that we have, the community that we have, and that we could be the ultimate destination for an event like this. They came out, visited, said we agree, we'd love to give it a try. Last year it was a great success, so they came back for a second year and you know we just continue to develop and build that relationship," Cox said.
Cox said the second year has brought a more relaxed atmosphere for the Puma team, in part because some staff members are experiencing the event for the first time.
"They've had some change within their operations team, so a little bit was teaching them, reminding them, hey, this is how it went last year because they weren't here. So that was good for our team. We're continuing to develop that relationship, but the biggest thing I think we've seen is they are more comfortable. The community, they're more comfortable with the hotels or restaurants and what to expect," Cox said.
Cox said the success of the event goes beyond Legends and Puma, crediting a broader community partnership.
"It starts with the relationship with not just the rights holder, the operator, and our team, but also with Destination Bryan, the city of Bryan, and the partnership that we have, the collective partnership we have there. They help with any grant opportunities. They help with communication on, hey, when your teams do come to Bryan, do come to the community, here's what they have to do. Here's what they can experience. So it's not just Legends and Puma, it's a collective effort across the board, and we want that to continue. It can only improve. I mean, it's great, but we always try to get better every time," Cox said.
Cox also noted the economic development goals behind the facility and the tournament.
"The city of Bryan invested a lot to build a facility like this, but they also continue to invest resources to help us bring high-level national tournaments to this community. And then you're starting to see the development around Legends and Midtown Park in the city of Bryan and ultimately that was the goal of the city. You don't build a facility just to add courts, you build a facility to drive economic development and hopefully they're seeing and reaping the benefits of their efforts," Cox said.
The tournament is using 17 total courts, including facilities at Bryan ISD high schools and middle schools and Brazos Christian, in addition to Legends Event Center. More than 300 teams from most U.S. states are participating.
The tournament runs through Sunday. For more information, visit NXTPRO Puma Pro 16 National Finals or Legends Event Center.
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