From the opportunity it provides to see the nation's best high school recruits to the quality time with college coaches that always materializes, there are lots of reasons that I love summer basketball. It's hot gyms during the day, cold beers at night. And by the time the July recruiting period is done each year I always have a better feel for the elite prospects on their way to college and the men who are stabbing each other in the back to sign them.
Seriously, July is big for me.
Educational, even.
But if you want to know the truth, what I enjoy about summer basketball more than anything is the absurdity of it all, and I'm not even talking about the lack of fundamentals. I honestly don't care that the games are sometimes sloppy because I can spot the next Kevin Durant when I see him, regardless. What I'm talking about is how summer basketball can be just as bizarre and sketchy as its reputation, and I'm reminded of it every July as I observe my surroundings and chat with sources.
How bizarre and sketchy, you ask?
Here are four anecdotes that should give you a glimpse.
Women aren't allowed in the men's room
The July recruiting period is actually an "evaluation"
period -- meaning college coaches at these events are allowed to watch games and speak to each other (or the media), but they cannot talk to prospects, the families of prospects or the men who coach the prospects. The NCAA actually sends representatives to most notable events to try to prevent such things from happening.
It's an impossible job, of course.
But the NCAA at least tries.
For instance, last week at the Nike Peach Jam there were multiple representatives monitoring the facility for illegal contact, and the funniest part was when word started circulating that the person monitoring the lobby of the Riverview Park Activities Center on one particular day was a woman. Naturally, this was all the opening some college coaches needed, because they then knew they could go in the men's bathroom and do whatever they wanted because the NCAA representative wasn't going to barge into the men's room and see anything illegal. She's a woman, after all. She's not allowed in the men's room.
"Have you been in there?"
one coached asked me. "They're doing in-home visits in the men's room."
And that's why I love summer basketball.
Fouling? Really?
Like I noted before, I don't get worked up about the sloppiness of summer games because I'm not there to see a good pick-and-roll as much as I'm there to see Jared Sullinger grab rebounds and Michael Gilchrist slash through the lane. But what does bother me is inexplicable decisions from the men on the sidelines, which brings me to a story from a game I watched last week at the Peach Jam.
It was Boo Williams vs. Team Final.
For those unfamiliar, Boo Williams is the name of a team from Virginia, and the name of the coach of that team. In other words, Boo Williams coaches Boo Williams. It would be like me starting a team and naming it Gary Parrish. Comical, right? Anyway, so Boo Williams was playing Team Final, and Team Final was rolling. The score was 85-62 with more than four minutes remaining, and Boo Williams started ordering the Boo Williams players to foul.
So they fouled.
On every possession.
They'd run down, take a shot, (usually) miss the shot, watch Team Final get the rebound and ... foul. Then Team Final would take its free throws, Boo Williams would get the ball back, run down, take a shot, (usually) miss the shot, watch Team Final get the rebound and ... foul. It was exactly what you might see in a college game when a team is down seven with 44 seconds to play, only difference being that the team was down 23 with four minutes to play. So what we had was four minutes of fouling, and the college coaches there to see prospects actually play basketball were instead treated to a free-throw shooting exhibition that lasted roughly 20 minutes in real time.
Final score: Team Final 101, Boo Williams 74.
"No,"
answered Team Final coach Robert Brown when I asked if he had ever seen anything like it. "They didn't want to give up, and I understand that. But ..."
And that's why I love summer basketball.
Team Final's name is great, too
Boo Williams calling his team Boo Williams is pretty fantastic.
But do you know why Team Final is called Team Final?
Apparently, the team was built around Tyreke Evans, the one-and-done star from Memphis. It was going to be the final summer team Evans ever played for, so it was appropriately named Team Final. Think of Martin Scorsese announcing he's going to make only one more movie and titling it Movie Final. Hilarious.
And that's why I love summer basketball.
The NCAA travels to Mississippi
I started this by mentioning that the NCAA sends representatives to monitor events all over the country, and it's understandable that they would be at the Peach Jam, the King City Classic and some of the other major gatherings.
But Mississippi?
Actually, I'm told the NCAA sent just as many representatives -- including associate director of enforcement LuAnn Humphrey -- as it sent anywhere to a small event in Jackson last week, and the reason is because the event was being run by Omhar Carter, otherwise known as the man in charge of the recruitment of Class of 2011 star LaQuinton Ross. Simply put, Ross appears to be the next elite talent many schools won't touch due to fear of possible NCAA ramifications, following in the footsteps of Renardo Sidney and Lance Stephenson.
"There are already lots of schools no longer recruiting him,"
said one high-major coach. "People are now scared to get involved."
Still, Carter organized a tournament and college coaches flew in to attend it.
When they got there, they paid $50 for admission and $200 for a program.
And that's why I love summer basketball.
