Imani Daniel: John Curtis senior wins Nike National Champion
Imani Daniel from John Curtis Christian High School played with a team in Texas called CyFair
Elite 17U, a Nike EYBL team this spring and summer. In Chicago, on July 22 her team won the
17U Nike National EYBL championship, which featured the best teams in the country.
Her team included the No. 1 ranked player, Aaliyah Chavez, and four other top 100 players on her team, including LSU commit Bella Hines.
Games were featured on ESPNU and the NBS app. Daniel was the only player on the team from Louisiana.
The Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL) National Championship is a basketball tournament for players aged 17 and under. The EYBL is considered one of the top youth basketball circuits in the United States and includes teams from across the country. The 2024 EYBL Championship League will included 15U, 16U, and 17U age groups. The EYBL is made up of AAU travel teams, including Nike-sponsored programs and independent programs. The top two seeds from the EYBL Champions League get a chance to play in the Nike Nationals Tournament. The 2024 Nike EYBL National Championship was held in Chicago.
The 17-and-under girls’ basketball team just clinched this year’s Nike EYBL national championship, a
big for this AAU program. Only the best of the best in the country can claim this title.
Daniels is a senior at John Curtis High School where she is a an honor student and participates in dual enrollment classes at LSU. She is also a multi-sport athlete, playing volleyball, basketball, track,
and softball. Daniel led John Curtis to two state championships and was named the MVP in 2024. She competed at the U.S. Open in 2023, earned all-district honors at Riverside Academy as a seventh grader and is a Nike Game Grower Alumni representing the New Orleans Pelicans. She is a Division I recruit and has been a part of the following AAU teams: River Parish Ladies, St John Recreation Biddy, Riverside Recreation, Lady Jets, Louisiana Prodigy Elite, Louisiana United and CyFair Elite 16U & 17 U EYBL.
Daniels is the 17-year-old daughter of Shalina Austin and DeJuan Daniel. She grew up in LaPlace and now resides in Gramercy. Her siblings are DeJuan Daniel, a senior at the University of Kentucky, and Imari Daniel, a freshman at LSU. Daniel’s goals are to get an excellent education and pursue her goal of playing in the WNBA.