I got a call a month ago from Oakland Soldier Coach Lou Ritchie. His 16-and-under team
had just won the Main Event tournament in Vegas. He was out of breath with joy, his
voice hoarse from the moment. It made me think about all the great winning moments that summer grassroots ball provides, and how important it is to have an old-school mentor that believes from pro to biddie, playing summer ball is important.
Drew Gooden and Kyle Wilchers at Main Event in Vegas
After the victory, Lou got back in the gym 2 days later, working out Boston Celtic World Champion and former Oakland Soldier Leon Powe. During my phone convo, he pointed out that “Powe, Kendrick Perkins, and Sam Cassell played a lot of summer tournament ball to prepare for their run.” You would think that more pro players who were weaned on the AAU circuit and summer league community leagues would take advantage of playing in the Nike Pro-City leagues around the nation and other outdoor tournaments. Playing basketball is rhythm, why disrupt it by not playing some games to keep that edge?
The Washington Wizards experienced a resurgence last year and part of the reason was that several players participated in Washington’s outdoor Goodman League. I’m sure GM Ernie Grunfeld supported them, he himself a dedicated Rucker summer league player during his NBA career. Mike Dunleavy Jr. played in the Nike Pro-City last year in New York and had his best NBA season ever in 2007-2008.
As for the Soldier program, GM Mark Olivier and Drew Gooden are building strong and powerful teams in Oakland. This summer, they won the 16-and-under Platinum Bracket at the Main Event in Vegas defeating the NY Metro Hawks and LeBron’s King James AAU team. In the Spring, they won the high profile Spring Showcase hosted by Vision Sports. The organization has lots of length and skill developing in the form of high-jumping 6′8″ Dwayne Polee that Ritchie says, “jumps higher than Billy Walker and has Dominique Wilkins-like hops, 6′9″ Kyle Wilchers, and 6′6″ Dominique Lee. On the 14-and-under level, 6′8″ Brandon Ashley, who wears a size 18 shoe, and Richard Longress Jr., a 6′6″ point guard, are highly regarded. Expect many wins and higher rankings for this solid grassroots basketball program.
August 26th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
i think any real ballplayer worth his or her wait should be fiending to play summerball, if for nothing else but the freedom to enjoy oneself minus the Xs and Os.
August 26th, 2008 at 8:03 pm
Sean Couch says:
Many say they need rest, but alot of times, when a player stops playing for the entire summer, they start off slow. It will be interesting to see if Mike Dunleavy Jr. plays as well for Indiana this upcoming year. He didn’t play on the NYC circuit like last summer. Does anyone know if he played anywhere else?
August 31st, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Tracy Hattingh says:
I enjoyed the feature story about the Oakland Soilders. I’m a huge fan of Kyle WILTJER. I’m looking forward to watching him play this year at Jesuit High School in Beaverton, Oregon. (He’s only a sophomore and this will be his second year as a varsity starter)!
Please note that Kyle’s last name is misspelled. His last name is spelled W-I-L-T-J-E-R.
Thank you.