Summer hoops in Eastern Pennsylvania has lost some popularity / interest in recent years, but it is still a good barometer to check out early insights for the upcoming winner scholastic season.
Here’s a few of the biggest stories concerning local hoops that have developed over the last several weeks on the summer league circuits.
BLAKE ON THE MOVE?
For the second straight summer, there are rumors that Liberty might lose its best player – and not because of graduation.
The word is that Blake Hargrove has decided to transfer to an academy that specializes in basketball. If this turns out to happen, the Hurricanes would have lost their best returning player – again. If both he and Dwyane Chess (last year’s transfer) would be with the team, Liberty would clearly be “the team to beat” for the 2024-25 season.
CAN THE ROVERS GET OVER THE HUMP?
The Easton girls team will be strong again during the regular season…however, they have had difficulty in the playoffs which has been frustrating for many Rover fans that they only have one league or district title over the last three years, despite having the best record during that span.
You can’t deny what they’ve done during the regular season and once again look like one of the top two or three girls programs in the area again this summer. But it will be interesting to see if they get over the hump this winter during the playoffs and become that “last team standing,” to which that honor went to Parkland last year.
TOP BOYS TEAM?
Speaking of Parkland, the fact that their boys team graduated 10 players from last season’s squad – including the area’s “player of the year” and a 1st-team all state caliber player that made it to the state championship game – isn’t slowing them down.
They clearly have been the best of the “large schools” teams of the summer and one of the best overall in the area. They also won the “Bash at the Beach” event a few weeks ago and look to be the team to beat heading into the winter campaign.
Who else is playing well on the boys side?
Despite the fact that Hargrove has not been on the team, Liberty is making a strong case as the second best team in the area (they lost to the Trojans in last year’s league and district championships).
Whitehall and Nazareth are two other teams that have been playing well despite losing some big names to graduation. Both have had younger players stepping up nicely and should be among the top teams in the bigger schools categories.
As far as smaller schools, both Executive Education Charter Academy and Lehighton have the best summer league records among the “non 6A schools” to date.
The Indians will join the Colonial League this winter. While talking with local coaches about the impact of scheduling, division alignments and the playoffs structure, there still seems to be some doubt about how everything will change with the additional teams (Jim Thorpe will also join the conference).
But it seems likely that there could be three divisions and the playoffs will be expanded. An official word should come on the new aspects of the league over the next several weeks.
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