Historic Oakland Soldiers Amateur Athletic Union basketball team officially launches new Central Coast Chapter in Santa Barbara, California
• The highly successful amateur basketball organization that participates in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) will add a Central Coast Region squad to its growing list of franchises throughout California.
• Established in 1990, the Soldiers organization has helped produce nearly 70 NBA players, such as LeBron James, Aaron Gordon, Chauncey Billups and Kendrick Perkins. The organization has also supported the development of hundreds of international professional players and Division 1 student-athletes, including a number of former UCSB men’s basketball players.
• The new Central Coast Soldiers will send local players to regional AAU tournaments across the West Coast and the very best athletes will have the opportunity to play with the Oakland Soldiers on the national level.
• The chapter is organized under the umbrella of the California Non-Profit, Prospects Basketball Association. This group runs the LevelUp Basketball Skills Development Program and sends PRO/SPECTS competition teams to local tournaments in and around Santa Barbara.
• We are currently assembling the Central Coast Soldiers Winter Season Teams. This season runs December 2025 – March 2026. Visit us at www.prospectsbasketball.org to find out more about our organization and register for upcoming evaluations.
• **All applicants will be invited to at least two evaluation practices, without any commitment.
• We are evaluating all players that want to compete in early November and will announce the Winter Teams on Monday, November 10.