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Sports

After 22 Years, Summer Slam Keeps Playground Basketball Atmosphere Alive

The rec league remains viable amid a proliferation of the club and private instruction scene.

San Bruno’s Summer Slam youth basketball league launched some 22 years ago, long before the emergence of the high-priced pay-to-play club circuit, private gyms and private instructors.

Today, the recreational league-style seven-week program, which features competitive play and some of the Peninsula's most experienced coaches at a fraction of the cost of the club scene, is still going strong.

The stated goal of the program is to simulate the playing environment that existed just a few decades ago, before the pressure to win and the pressure to be noticed by college coaches changed the landscape in virtually all organized youth sports.

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"I think what we’re trying to provide is the days of the open gym and going to the playground to play basketball," said co-director Chuck Rapp, describing what almost sounds like a bygone era.

"For a variety of reasons, (recreation leagues have) kind of vanished," Rapp added, "and that’s what we’re supplying, a chance for kids to have fun in a low-key environment and play a little ball."

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About 220 kids compete in four divisions, from incoming fourth graders to those entering their last year of high school.

Three of the Summer Slam’s four divisions played their championship games on Sunday at the Veteran’s Memorial Building.

The incoming eighth and ninth graders—considered the Summer Slam’s marquee division—featured an eight-team division (the other three have four teams each).

The "Florida" team won the hotly contested eighth and ninth grade division title over the Ohio State team, 53-48, in a game that went down to the last minute.

The Florida team was led by all-stars Max Randall and Paul Smoot. Jeremiah Testa and Stephon Nettles were all-stars for the Ohio State team.

The Suns defeated the Warriors 63-48 in the incoming 10th grade to senior "high school" division, and the Mavericks defeated the Heat 46-34 in the incoming sixth and seventh grade division.

The Mavericks were led by all-stars Ryan Moriarty, Jason Morabe and Tim Holt.

The Suns had all-stars Matt Dickerson and Ashraf Abuelous.

The Pistons and Jazz teams will play for the fourth and fifth grade division championship on Tuesday at 8 p.m., a game that will be preceded by a 7 p.m. consolation championship between the 76ers and the Celtics.

Summer Slam games are played in two 20-minute halves with a running clock. The teams play one game a week and don’t practice.

The low-pressure environment offers a stark contrast from the demanding club circuit.

"This is a flashback to the old days," Rapp said. "This is really low-key. We just kind of throw the kids together and let them play. We try to keep things low-key."

Enrollment in the program is less than $100 per player for all participants, with San Bruno residents—who make up about a third of the players—getting a discount.

And although kids don’t practice as they would on the club circuit, they get something that the high-priced instruction doesn’t coach.

"The demeanor, the off-the-court stuff as well, that’s what I teach them," said tournament co-director George Adkins, who coached the Florida team that won the eighth and ninth grade division.

"We offer some good coaching and some consistency," Adkins said. "I think the kids gain a lot from this."

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