Summer league sharpening EDW players’ skills, coach says

For five years, E.D. White has hosted its boys’ summer basketball league.

The idea started when Cardinals head coach Jonathan Keife was tired of traveling to other summer hoops leagues in the state. When the athletic director pitched the idea to host a league of the school’s own, Keife was all for it.

“There are so many schools within the Tri-parish area that we were bound to find some people willing to play,” he said. “Sure enough, I made a couple of phone calls and now we have ourselves a pretty good league.”

Even though there is a score at the end of the game, the league has no winners or losers.

According to Keife, no records or stats are kept. It’s just a chance for the teams to get an early look at their players for the upcoming fall basketball season, he said.

“Some of the coaches might keep records, but most don’t,” Keife said. “It’s mostly about experience more than anything else.”

Terrebonne High basketball coach Byron McPhearson signed his team up for the league for the first time this year. It affords him the opportunity to evaluate players early.

“This is good competition for them,” he said. “It keeps them in shape over the summer instead of sitting around the house not doing anything all day.”

So far, McPhearson said league play has been eye-opening. “I learned that we are real young and inexperienced in some areas. I also learned that our guys play with a lot of heart and a lot of intensity,” he said.

Keife, too, is using the summer league to assess his young talent.

“My guys don’t play a lot of AAU (Amateur Athletic Union), so either they are going to play for us or they are not going to play at all,” he said. “This is very good for us, and you can’t beat the competition with three 5-A schools. To be able to play them eight times during the summer is a tremendous asset for us.”

The 5-A teams Keife is referring to are Terrebonne, H.L. Bourgeois and South Lafourche high schools. Riverside Academy is also in the league. The teams play in a round-robin format.

One of the biggest differences between summer league and regular school play is the rules.

All summer league teams play eight games, each of which is played in two 20-minute halves. The clock never stops until the final two minutes of each half.

Defensive fouls are worth one point; fouls made during a shot are awarded a point and allowed a free throw. The penalty process helps speed up the game, the coach explained.

Keife said the league has produced good results for E.D. White. Two years ago, the Cardinals made a run at the Class 3-A state finals where they finished as runner-up. He credits, in part, summer play.

Last season, H.L. Bourgeois matched the Cardinals success in the 5-A bracket and finished as state runner-up, again suggesting the benefit of year-round competition.

Players elevate their potential and learn to play better at a competitive level, Keife explained.

“We have a philosophy that we are going to try and play everybody during every summer league game,” he said. “We want to be competitive, but when it’s over, it’s more about gaining the experience for the fall.”

Terrebonne’s Stan Coleman dribbles the ball up court during E.D. White summer league action earlier this season. Now in its fifth season, the league is credited with helping several local teams hone players’ skills. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER