South Bend amateur girls hoops team heading to international competiton

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- As the summer winds down, most of the amateur basketball scene begins to wind down with it.

However, a group of South Bend girls are still playing – and they’ll be on the world stage next week.

“In order to be the best, you’ve got to see what the best looks like,” said Moe Scott, who coaches Sky Digg Soldiers, an AAU program named after South Bend Washington and Notre Dame legend Skylar Diggins-Smith.

This particular group is the program’s 14u girls team to the Jr. NBA World Games after they ran through a Midwest gauntlet this summer.

“The biggest thing for me is that they get this opportunity and they get to experience all the things that come with it. I just tell them to take it all in. It’s going to be a lot.”

These girls will travel to the Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida this weekend – and right away will be immersed in a full schedule that extends even beyond the basketball court.

“There’s a lot planned that the kids will be going through,” Scott said. “From lifeskill classes to leadership classes to actually doing a community service project with NBA Cares, it’s going to be a great experience.”

And that’s something they’ve all be hoping for.

Not only a chance to continue playing deeper into the summer, but to really test their skills against teams from across the US and around the world.

Just ask them.

“We really wanted to play different people around the world,” said Nevaeh Foster. “[We’ll] have that experience that some other people won’t have.”

“We basically know how everybody plays so when we get down there,” said Rashunda Jones. “We just have to communicate and we still have to practice.”

“Even if we don’t win, it’s going to be a really exciting experience,” Amiyah Reynolds added. “If we do come back and do it again, I’m sure we’ll go even farther.”

“We’re representing the whole Midwest,” said Karina Scott, “and if we win, we’ll really put South Bend on the map.”

And that’s exactly how Coach Moe wants them to think.

Putting South Bend on the map and showing these girls just how far they can go.

“We’re excited about that," he said, "and the possibility for them to grow in the game and the doorways that it’ll open for them. It’s just amazing.”