All eyes are on women’s basketball right now. The WNBA just completed its most watched Finals since 2003, while the University of Iowa drew a sport-record 55,000 fans to an exhibition game earlier this month.
Now comes a new competition at the high school level. On Monday, digital sports media brand (and, increasingly, an amateur sports events organizer) Overtime announced the creation of Overtime Select, an eight-team summer league for elite women high school basketball players. The program has already signed up HoopGurlz’s top two ranked recruits in the Class of 2025, Aaliyah Chavez and Jasmine Davidson. College and pro stars including Paige Bueckers, Zia Cooke, Flau’jae Johnson and Breanna Stewart have signed on as advisors for the league.
Overtime CEO Dan Porter said the organization zeroed in on offering top players the chance to play high level competition while learning how to maximize their financial opportunities, especially given that many women athletes still see their marketing earning potential reach its high point before they turn pro.
“I think doing a lot of storytelling and helping athletes build their brands, especially through video… which is what we do, means it’s that much more valuable when they get to campus,” Porter said.
The Select teams will compete at Overtime’s OTE Arena in Atlanta, home to Overtime Elite, the organization’s pro league for 16-to-20 year-old men’s players. Launched in 2021 as an alternate route for young stars, OTE initially offered a minimum salary of $100,000. With NCAA players now able to earn money using their name, image and likeness, however, OTE today also serves as a potential pathway to be recruited by college powerhouses.
As it expands into other competitions, including football, Overtime has opted to create formats that complement athletes’ existing school and club commitments rather than a full-time residential option. Overtime Select plans to train its athletes as well as help them grow their personal brands. The league already has relationships with Gatorade, State Farm, Adidas and Nissan.
“Providing more opportunities for the many talented, up-and-coming players is essential to continuing the growth of our game,” Stewart said in a statement, “and my ambition is this league serves as a platform and accelerator for those athletes.”
Overtime has also already built multiple women’s basketball specific media brands on social media. On TikTok, @Overtimewbb has 1.9 million followers, more than the WNBA. It’s nearing a million followers on Instagram as well. Overall, the company boasts 85 million followers.
“We are so excited to tip-off Overtime Select and to give fans the chance to see elite match-ups with the best players in the country,” Overtime Select director Sascha Malas said in a statement. “Overtime WBB has been a leader in the space for five years, and we can’t wait to continue our support and growth of women’s basketball with the future stars of the game.”