The summer season will undergo a dramatic change in 2015, when the All Star Girls Report debuts the ASGR Summer League. The ASGR Summer League will provide the answer to questions about which travel teas are the best, or how the top two post players or point guards would match up. The League will feature 32-teams in each age group, for 17U, 16U and 15U. The best of the best will compete throughout the summer, with the League crowning its champions at the Summer Basketball Playoff in Charlotte at the end of July.
“We are definitely excited about the prospect of summer league play,” said South Carolina 76ers coach Roger Wiley. “Travel ball is always challenging, and it constantly presents new talent. However, it can get pretty routine because of the way it has been structured in the past.
“The format of league play will now give us a different goal to shoot for and allow teams to distinguish themselves in a measurable way. Even the anticipation and build up of how the different divisions will be set up is something to look forward to and debate. That’s exciting stuff when you love travel ball.”
Each team in the ASGR Summer League will play three regular season games. These games will be scheduled on the days leading up to the traditional major ASGR events, including the tournaments in Raleigh, Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas. The Summer League games will be separate from these main tournaments. Each League team will play in the Summer Basketball Playoff, with the regular season contests used for seeding purposes.
“It’s a very exciting thing for the girls. The travel season has turned into a long season. We start preparing in March, and then we play all the way through July, so that’s a long way for the girls. Now the girls know that all of this is leading up to Charlotte, where we will have a chance to play for the national championship. That’s an exciting goal to have at the end of the year.”
The League events will provide a rare opportunity to compare the top players at each level. Analysts such as Bret McCormick of the All Star Girls Report will have a chance to watch prospects facing premium competition.
“The opportunity for the kids to play against the best is just a great experience for them. That is a real positive for the Summer League,” said Matt Thally of the So Cal Select. “The other big positive is that you have that championship at the end. We were in the Nike Nationals the past two years, and we always told our kids that it was huge that they had a chance to win a national championship banner. That’s something very special.”
The All Star Girls Report was launched by White in 1995, and it has been providing the nation’s most accurate player ratings for the past 20 years. White’s Top Ten All American Camp has produced 175 McDonald’s All-Americans since 2001, and he spent 15 years serving as a grassroots consultant for major brands such as adidas, Reebok and FILA. White, who currently serves on the McDonald’s All-American Selection Committee, successfully launched the Michael T. White Signature Shoe and Clothing Line in 2008.
The fact that the event is being run by the experienced ASGR staff has been a major selling point with the travel programs.
“There’s no question that having the All Star Girls Report staff running the league is huge,” Smith said. “That’s a no brainer. They have an incredible amount of experience, and there is no doubt that they are going to do things properly.”
For more information about ASGR, you can visit www.ASGR.info, or you can follow us at www.Twitter.com/ASGR1995. For information on league opportunities and the uniform purchase program, you can contact Mike White at (818) 298-3488.