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Summer league is a quick hit

MSU-N head coach Shawn Huse bringing together area talents for weekly hoops sessions

Montana State University-Northern men's basketball coach Shawn Huse is known for his work ethic and his intensity. Huse shares those traits with many basketball coaches and players along the Hi-Line, which is why it's no surprise to see his idea of a summer-long basketball league taking off.

The program, which is open to high school and youth basketball players from throughout the area, takes place every Tuesday in Northern's Armory Gymnasium. The sessions, which are divided by age, generally last a couple hours, part of which is spent on fundamental instruction, while the other part is used for scrimmaging.

"The idea behind it was trying to get as much talent together as we could. We wanted to give players a chance to play with and against each other and we thought, the more that we do that, the better it's going make all of them," Huse said. "We try to give them 20-30 minutes of fundamentals before we start playing and I have had coaches express to me that they really like that. They like that their players are hearing from us, a lot of the same things that they are trying to get across to them. So it's good for (the players) to hear the same thing from other people."

So far, the idea has been a tremendous success. The summer league has already attracted round-ballers from all across the Hi-Line. Of course, there is a heavy Havre presence, but there is also a heavy contingent of players from other local schools like Chinook, North Star, Chester-Joplin-Inverness, Big Sandy, Rocky Boy, Turner, Harlem and even Shelby.

“I think it’s the best thing happening on the Hi-Line,” North Star head coach Waylnn Burgess said. “As a high school coach, there is no way you can duplicate the competitiveness in an open gym like we do at the summer league.”

Current Havre High boys basketball coach Curt Leeds said he really likes the idea and thinks that it's much more beneficial than just a normal night at a school's open gym.

"It gives the kids a chance to develop their skills and also play against a lot of other kids from along the Hi-Line," Leeds said. "They also see a lot of other competition. It's like 8-10 weeks. I think I will have 10 kids here (this summer). Anytime you can come out and play and be in a competitive situation that's a good thing. We have open gyms, but with everything going on, sometimes you are lucky if they can get eight or 10 kids to play. Here you are going to get at least 30."

Huse said the summer league is an alternative to team camps and tournaments, but that it can be a more effective option because of its spread-out schedule and flexibility, which, in the long run, gives more players and coaches a chance to attend.

"You know, there are a million team camps out there," Huse said. "But with all the stuff kids have going on in the summer, like family vacations and playing other sports, it's really hard for players and coaches to get together and field their team every week. Of course, there comes a lot of pressure with winning and losing those tournaments and those are good as well, but this is something different. Really, everybody gets to work on their own individual games and get to work on other aspects of their game, instead of just working on their role for their team."

While the summer league gives players a chance to work on their game against some of the top players from the Hi-Line, the two-month program also gives high schoolers a chance to get on the recruiting radar of coaches like Huse.

"It's great for recruiting," Huse said. "I already know at this point, going into the season, who some of the kids are that I am going to be keeping a close eye on. And I remember last year, having a lot more knowledge about these kids at this time of year, too."

Of course, the summer league isn't free. Players pay $100 to attend, but their dollars are well spent as they are coached not only by Huse, but by a number of other well-respected coaches throughout the area.

"I think this was a really great idea," Leeds, who is a ref at the summer league, said. "It's a really competitive atmosphere and you know you are always going to get quality games here."

The summer league, which runs through late July, takes place every Tuesday inside the Armory. The games, which are generally just a few minutes long, are open to spectators. Usually, each team will play a few games and then, before the night is over, the teams with the top records will battle it out on the main court to cap off the session.

"There is a lot of talent in this area," Huse said. "And really we just wanted to give kids an opportunity to play as much as we could in a competitive environment."

 

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