The Guru Report: Women’s Summer College Basketball To Return To Area

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

 

As they might say in producing a new TV series, consider it a spinoff but area women’s summer college basketball is returning to Hatboro, Pa., at the Kelly Bolish Gym. 

 

However, as we take you through a timeline to launch in two weeks and continue through a total of seven Thursday nights with pairs of doubleheaders in the pre-playoff regular season schedule, it’s fadeout Philadelphia/Suburban NCAA Women’s Summer Basketball League and fade-in 2021 Renegades Women’s Summer League.

 

The facility is the home of the AAU Renegades, which has a snack bar. 

 

It is located at 2950 Turnpike Drive which gets entered off Davisville Road right near the intersection of Byberry Road and you go all the way down to the Willow Grove Commons Business Park.

 

It is near the 611 Interchange of the Turnpike.

 

By Septa take the Warminster Line to the Willow Grove Station and it is 10-minute rideshare to the facility.

 

The COVID protocols including spectator info will appear when we publish rosters and other start-up information prior to the openers.

 

The Return of Deuce

 

The Guru is pleased to report, David Kessler, commissioner over the former league, will be on the scene to help administrate the new one, which, because of being unsanctioned, will not include undergrad D-1 players, but will allow former players in all divisions and current D-2 and D-3 players who, under NCAA rules, can play as the same entire units as they do at their respective schools with a few adds as necessary to rosters.

 

The Fadeout

 

As you know, the ongoing pandemic a year ago included the former league among its victims of operation.

  Before COVID-19 struck, Kessler was already on a path of de-sanction because Division I interest had ebbed, in part many either had summer jobs or were not local, and for what little there was, it became not worth the administrative cost.

Over the winter as the wait got prolonged in terms of site availability, the Guru suggested to Kessler to survey the masses just to see how much interest existed.

 

Not much returned because at the time the state of regulations for summer activity was still unknown and so things were left aside.

 

The Fade-In

 

Meanwhile as recent loosening and optimism occurred, Holy Family coach Bernadette Laukitis and USciences coach Jackie Hartzell began to explore ways for some competition so their squads among others wouldn’t return in the fall totally out of condition from a long shutdown.

 

Apparently they were able to get 100 players of interest and approached Renegades leader Steve Flynn, who coached in the former league and Meg Baun, whose daughter Katie years ago played for Penn coach Mike McLaughlin when he had Holy Family as a national power out of Northeast Philadelphia.

 

Kessler was then brought into the mix Thursday to apply his long expertise running a league.

 

The Guru was then alerted and actually coverage will be easier because of minimal conflict with the WNBA. He also passed the word to Kate Harman who will oversee women’s and girl’s coverage at the revived City of Basketball Love site.

 

The Guru also has some terrific Temple broadcast/writing talent who might be involved over here among other projects being explored and also alerted Bob Heller who provided intricate detail to the Guru’s roundup in past summer coverage.

 

Getting Organized

 

The former league had 12-13 teams with three doubleheaders on Tuesdays and Thursdays from mid-June to the first week of August roughly including playoffs of one-game quarters, semis, and title in more recent years.

 

The new league, which will tip at 7 p.m., will play Thursdays with two doubleheaders, beginning June 17 and continuing regular season thru July 29 with the three nights of playoffs to be determined.

 

Team names like in the former league will be colors but the school groupings as of now are:

 

D-3 Arcadia

D-2 Chestnut Hill

D-2 Holy Family

D-2 Jefferson

D-2 Kutztown

D-2 USciences

D-2 USciences-Alums

D-3 Ursinus

 

And several players who applied will be drafted into the other teams.

 

Depending on what can still be accommodated, the participation fee is $150 covering shirt, rental time, ref fees, scorekeepers, awards & insurance.

 

You can pay online and fill out the form at ww.renegadesbasketball.com or print it and mail $150 check to Renegades, 858 Street Road, Southampton, Pa. 18966 (office mailing address).

 

Questions: renegadesscheduling@gmail.com or text Meg 215-669-8072.

 

And that’s all for now but your Guru will be happy to relay any questions.