KATIE REING
Cabrini’s men’s basketball players had the opportunity to participate in the Puregame Media Men’s Summer League this summer.
The league, founded in 1981 by Jumbo Johnson, provides local talent with the chance to play basketball in an organized environment. Cabrini entered two teams into the league, consisting of 23 players total.
One of the teams was sponsored by United States Liability Insurance. Thomas Nerney, for whom the Dixon Center gymnasium was named, is the president of USLI. The games were played at the Tri-States Sports Arena in Aston, Pa.
“It was good competition,” sophomore Dan Bachman said. “We played against alumni from other colleges, like Penn.”
This was the second year that Cabrini participated in the league. Although, for some incoming freshmen and returning players, this was their first year on the court with the Puregame players.
“This was my first time playing with Puregame,” junior Laval Pickney said. “We didn’t have any practices. We just showed up and played. The coaches decided who would play together, but we got to know the incoming players.”
However, lack of practice may have hurt the players. The Cabrini team playing for the east division, USLI, ended its season with a 0-10 record. The Cavs playing for the west division finished 4-6.
“It was about team chemistry,” Pickney, of the east team, said. “At the end of season we started to get better and compete more as a team, but we couldn’t get over the hump.”
Although the Cabrini teams did not finish at the top of the league’s standings, they displayed drastic improvements as the season progressed and more games were played. Under the pressure of having coaches and scouts from major NCAA colleges and universities courtside to recruit new talent, the Cabrini players were there to condition themselves for the upcoming basketball season and have fun.
“It kept us active over the summer,” Pickney said.
USLI Players
East Division
Record 0-10
Anthony Bennet
Kyle Esterbrook
Charles Epps
David Hall
Bill Leahy
Zdravko Markov
Badir McCleary
Chris McCraken
Laval Pickney
Kris Pittman
Bill Rookstool
Zeb Thomas
Cabrini II Players
West Division
Record 4-6
Jody Boon
Dave Westenberger
Dan Bachman
Saleem Brown
Dan Clemens
Nick Forschi
Tim Maddox
Brandon Millwood
Messiah Reames
Ty Teasley
Brian Wood
