For a month and a half starting in June, high school basketball coaches have the opportunity to
prepare their teams for the upcoming season.
This year, eight North State squads, including Yuba City, River Valley and Marysville, are part of
the first Yuba College Summer League, which was started by 49ers assistant coach Nate
Stephens. "For us, it was a need in the area that we just had to fill," Stephens said.
In previous years, the only options for Mid-Valley teams to see competition was to travel to Chico,
Sacramento or the Bay Area for camps and tournaments. It also has an added benefits of giving
Stephens and Yuba College head coach Doug Cornelius an opportunity to see potential
prospects.
"It's a great opportunity for us to get kids to come into our gym and get a look at them right in
front of us," Stephens said.The month-long summer league began on June 4 and ends with a
one-day playoff night on June 30. Joining the three Yuba-Sutter schools are Oroville, Chico,
Rio Linda, Roseville and Rocklin. For the first four weeks, games are played on Wednesdays
at Yuba College where admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children.
On Wednesday, River Valley opened the second week of play with a 50-29 victory over Rio Linda,
Yuba City edged Oroville 50-49 and Marysville fell to Rocklin 51-48. Many high school players
spend their summers playing AAU ball, but June is the month for the entire high school team to
get together with their coaches and prepare for the season.
"This is something people don't see, but this is what's going to make us better during the
season," Marysville coach Stan Easter said. "I can't replicate that anywhere else. Practice is one
thing, they're going against each other, but I need to see how they play together."
The importance of summer basketball camps and tournaments increases for teams that lose a lot
of seniors, such as Yuba City.The Honkers lost four key players to graduation and enter the
summer looking for new faces to step up, the team's leading scorer Angel Hernandez said.
"It's really important to see how they do in game situations and how much they can get better,"
Hernandez said. "That's why they're here, that's why we're putting in work over the summer to
get them better."In previous summers, most of the teams would travel to various camps where
they would spend a few days running drills and playing in shorter tournaments.
While the teams still attend other camps, having a month-long league nearby is an invaluable
resource, River Valley coach Mark Wright said.
"It's very nice to have one here in our own backyard without having to travel," Wright said.
"And the competition is good so we're really happy with the level of play."
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