How Chris Brickley, a world-renown basketball trainer, is trying to grow the women’s game

When Chris Brickley sat down to review his inaugural high school All-America showcase and plan Year 2, one glaring omission immediately stood out.

The event needed a girls game.

“I kind of felt off,” Brickley said. “Like, I worked with Breanna Stewart really closely all summer this year. I’ve worked with Azzi Fudd. I’ve worked with Paige (Bueckers). I’ve worked with A’ja Wilson. So it’s only right that I do girls and guys (events) as we build it. It can’t be built if we don’t have both sides.”

Brickley, who has over 3 million Instagram followers, is among the most famous basketball trainers in the world. LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Stewart, Wilson and rappers Drake and J. Cole, among many other basketball superstars and celebrities, have played in his famous Black Ops Basketball runs and trained with him in New York. He has his own signature shoe with Puma and more brand partnerships than most NBA stars.

Last year, he launched the Brickley Invitational, a high school All-America game held in Chicago featuring a hand-selected group of prospects. The primary difference between this event and other notable high school showcases is that players train with and learn from Brickley, both on and off the court.

This year, Brickley worked to identify…