High school basketball coaches can gain a true perspective about their team from summer basketball leagues, which provide a capsulated view of the winter season ahead.
It has been a staple for numerous programs in greater Bucks County and beyond, and it isn’t without its advantages and challenges.
Some programs have thrived during the summer, while others have struggled. One of the major hurdles has been participation.
Quakertown’s girls program has played in a summer league over the years, but they needed to shelve participation this year. The Panthers will look to seniors Ava Pistone and Addyson Davis along with freshman Ambri Dager to make an impact. Quakertown was 10-12 last season.
“We played at Parkland the last four years,” said Quakertown head coach Brittany Remmey. “My numbers are way down this year, so I knew I wouldn’t get a commitment for a summer league.”
Quakertown’s boys teams competed in the Cedar Beach Summer League in Allentown. The Panthers finished with an overall 5-6 record, and head coach Tony DaCosta saw plenty of progress. Quakertown finished 8-14 last season.
“After a slow start, the team made tremendous strides, keeping their turnovers down and limiting second shots by teams,” he said. “While defense remained our calling card, we did a remarkable job getting out in transition.
“The team averaged 61 points in our five wins, and we’ll continue to put an emphasis on getting up and down the floor. Depth was an issue last year, but, hopefully, the guys that have stepped up will continue with their progression and make it sustainable during the season.”
In addition, basketball continues to thrive in the Dock Mennonite Summer League for the past six years. The league features 20 teams from the Suburban One League, Pioneer Athletic Conferenc, Philadelphia Catholic League, Central League and Bicentennial Athletic League. Each team plays 12 games and the season will conclude at the end of July.
League director and Dock boys head coach Mike Fergus stated there aren’t any standings and playoffs this summer unlike other years.
Yet, it remains a highly competitive league. Other local teams in the Dock league are Central Bucks East, Central Bucks South, Faith Christian and New Hope-Solebury.
“We always have had competitive seasons,” noted Fergus. “We have some great programs here. There are a number of teams who go deep in districts and states.”
As for his own team, Fergus knows they need to keep the pedal down. They had a 27-3 season last year that ended in a state Class 2A quarterfinal game.
“We are playing well in our summer league,” he stressed. “We are very competitive, and learning our roles for this season. Like most teams we are often not at full strength, but when we are we are pretty strong. The competition really helps us.
“We have won 30 straight regular season league games and have averaged 21 wins a year the last six years. So our work is cut out for us, but we are really looking forward to next season.”
Central Bucks West head boys coach Adam Sherman already has been able to get a grasp on the upcoming season with the Bucks’ play in Dock’s league.
Sherman has been impressed with incoming seniors Bowen Gugger, Matt Engle, Julian Phillips, Sam Jankowski and Jackson Wisniowski. Incoming senior Dan Gallagher, junior Roman Kulesa and sophomores Max Millilo and Connor Chuo all have benefited from summer play. The Bucks finished 4-18 last season.
“Our team has been playing well,” he said. We have seen some great development in our players. We are seeing our players expanding their skill sets, and we are excited to see what the future holds for this group.”
Pennridge head coach Dean Behrens, whose team also plays in the Dock league, has understood the importance of summer play. The Rams finished last season with an overall 15-9 record, advancing to the first round of district play with a veteran team.
“We are very inexperienced,” said Behrens of his current squad. “We have had open gyms and weightlifting sessions. The boys have been working during the summer to get better. Playing in this league has helped.”
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