Summer league basketball

The hoops of summer

Dreams of winter basketball glory take shape on the hardwood in the heat of July and early August

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — To the average fan of high school basketball, the roar of crowds during high school basketball games seems as far away as the frosty bygone days of winter. Now, with torpid heat and crackling thundershowers, sports fans are watching Major League Baseball, the local excitement of men’s and women’s softball or the final enactment of little league All-Star games.

Though we aren’t conscious of it yet, the days grow shorter and we draw imperceptibly closer to the return of high school basketball, that four month wild ride that will catapult the best boys teams in the state to Glens Falls and the best girls teams to Hudson Valley Community College in search of the holy grail of the rock, a state title. For the area’s most ambitious basketball programs, American Athletic Union (AAU) basketball has been going on for weeks but for other area teams, the quest for success in 2005 began in earnest on July 5 as the annual Sullivan County Community College summer league got officially underway.

Using two courts side by side, the summer league features up to six games per night. The finals are held on August 4, just two weeks prior to the official practice start date for the high school fall sports of football, soccer and cross-country. Those who are serious about playing basketball this winter will spend much of their summer honing their basketball skills in the steamy confines of the college gym. Here is a preview of the summer league teams who are playing at Sullivan County Community College during the next five weeks.

Sullivan West ‘A’ team, Liberty and Roscoe look to contend for summer boys’ title

For the Sullivan West Bulldogs, the departure of four of its five starters to graduation signals a new era, rung in with a 69-41 pasting of Hancock in the opener of the summer league on July 5. With returning veteran Derek Hahn in the middle, along with big men Alan Ackermann and Kevin Pinkel, the Bulldogs out-muscled Hancock on the offensive and defensive glass.

Sullivan West made it to the Class B sectional finals two years in a row. Kevin Cappiello, a vital contributor to the Bulldogs’ up-tempo offensive style, was not in attendance during the first week of summer league. He is spending time at basketball camp and will probably return as the summer league season winds down. Also missing was Kevin Brewer. Both played on last year’s varsity team. Paul Pitz, a quick and agile guard, showed some of his moves against a Hancock team that had difficulty getting out of its own way. Other contributors to the Bulldogs’ opening night success included Brett Youmans and point guards Ross Berrnhardt and Kienan Garn. Bernhardt hooked up with Ackermann on two floor length passes that led to easy transition baskets. Garn’s defense looked sharp. Coaches Cliff Kelly and assistant Sean Welch freely subbed in players including Jonah LaGrutta, Garrett Owen and Brian Schmidt in the one-sided opening night win. The Bulldogs easily handled Livingston Manor 62-16 on July 7 to end the first week with a 2-0 record.

Last winter, Liberty finished the season at 6-14 but featured a strong junior varsity, which showed great promise for the future. That future has arrived. With standout varsity veteran Lakari Byrd’s slashing style that allows him to score in flurries, the Indians are deeper with the return of veteran Mac Isseks and Pete Panagakos. Rounding out Liberty’s arsenal are Casey Pazzalia, David Brown and Tyrone White.

Liberty had no trouble running up a big lead on Roscoe on opening night. One key match up featured Byrd against Roscoe player par excellence Dan DeVantier. DeVantier, who just finished playing in AAU and is heading for Five Star Basketball Camp, is considered one of the better shooters in Sullivan County but in the summer league opener, DeVantier was missing a number of Roscoe’s other key contributors and couldn’t do it all by himself.

In the rematch on July 7, Roscoe pulled out a 64-54 win by showing athleticism, poise and good shooting against Liberty. With Byrd fouling out a the beginning of the second half, Roscoe got a great effort from DeVantier, John Clancy, Tyler Schmidt and Lance Brookings. Still missing in action is Troy Kirchner.

Match ups between Liberty, Roscoe and Sullivan West’s ‘A’ team should be the best of the boys’ games. The Liberty-Sullivan West games are scheduled for July 20 and 27. Sullivan West’s ‘B’ team, which lost to Roscoe on July 6, is made up of Junior Varsity players. Noticeably absent from this year’s summer league boys teams are Downsville, summer league champions of 2003 and the Sullivan Bearcats, the 2004 champs made up of players from Monticello and Tri-Valley. A number of teams opted to play in the more competitive Orange County Community College summer league.

Lady Bulldogs take first step against Downsville for summer supremacy

For better or for worse, the Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs don’t have to face their regular season nemesis, the John S. Burke Catholic Eagles in summer league. Coming off an AAU summer that saw the Sullivan Starz (their AAU name) post a 4-11 record against some of the best teams around the state, the Bulldogs entered summer league on July 5 with a huge roster of players. Giving those players minutes will be on the agenda for coach Ron Bernhardt and assistant Kurt Scheibe. Anchoring the 2005 Bulldogs will be returning veterans April Ackermann, Kate Fanning and Sarah Lander. With the graduation of Heather Lander, who served as point guard for the past four years, Bernhardt is apt to fill that position by committee. First and foremost in that rotation is Erin Bernhardt, who spent the last year recovering from knee surgery. Jennifer Pitz, who saw significant minutes during last season, is back along with the team’s tallest player Kayla Bozan, who will see more time in the middle now that Autumn Darder has graduated. Jessica Pitz is another returnee.

A host of newcomers to the varsity scene include Lauren Ellison, Donna Kelly, Patti Knack, Claire Stabbert and Lindsay Murphy. All saw action as the Bulldogs easily handled Livingston Manor 40-23 in the opener.

Manor returns five veterans who are likely to be quite competitive in Class D this year. Paced by Jackie Trotti, Megan Ellison, Rose Curtis, Katie Portz and Heather Sherwood, who is returning from knee problems, the Wildcats also debuted seventh grader Marissa Diescher, who is going to be a player to reckon with in the not-to-distant future. Manor got off to a quick start against Sullivan West but succumbed to the heads-up inside play of Fanning and Ackermann.

In a possible preview of the summer league final, the Bulldogs defeated a depleted Downsville team on July 7 by the score of 39-33 using great defense, creating turnovers and out-rebounding their summer rivals. After beating Downsville (ironically also named the Lady Eagles) in their only regular summer league match up last summer, the Bulldogs faltered and lost the title to Downsville in the 2004 summer final.

In this year’s first meeting of the two teams, the Bulldogs showed their mettle against last year’s Class D state finalists. Downsville won Section 4 and went on to defeat S.S. Seward in the state semifinals before succumbing to perennial champion Pine Valley. As the summer league began, Downsville was missing its standout players Alana and Alexa Henderson. Sullivan West got fine performances from Fanning, Ackermann and Lander and an impressive defensive contribution from Bernhardt. The Bulldogs controlled the tip but Downsville led for the first 5:45 of the game. Sullivan West held a 19-11 lead at half time behind good shooting and stingy defense. Kelly swished a pretty three and Ellison hit a pair of key free throws down the stretch as Sullivan West stymied a Downsville run that brought the Eagles within four with 2:29 remaining.

Earlier in the week, a relatively inexperienced Liberty team under the watchful eye of head coach Tom La Gattuta had trouble with a more agile Ellenville squad led by Katie Stoekeler and Kate Nesbitt. Liberty’s youthful team is led by Lemorne Chang, Tyneisha and Tynessa Washington. The Indians should exceed last winter’s 2-16 record. Fallsburg is competing in summer league, but Tri-Valley and Eldred, both of which played in summer league did not field teams this summer due to insufficient numbers.