Colonials Corner

Jeremy Chappell (in gray) works on offense during his Pittsburgh Summer League basketball game July 7th. Photo: Andrew Chiappazzi/Colonials Corner.

Round Five of the Pittsburgh Summer Basketball League sponsored by the Pittsburgh Basketball Club is in the books. Just one more week of round-robin play remains for the playoffs begin and the champion is crowned.

Colonials Corner took in all three games at the GreenTree Sportsplex on Wednesday night, and with a few Pitt Panthers shelved, the players opened up the throttle and upped the intensity – and the acrobatics – from the opening week. All three games, but especially the middle one between UPMC and SPK, had a variety of players playing well above the rim.

All three games featured your Robert Morris Colonials, with the middle game serving as the highlight for a packed gym. Game one featured LAIR against Jeremy Chappell and Khalif Foster’s PGT team and went down to the wire. Game two featured Mezie Nwigwe and Lijah Thompson taking UPMC against Rob Robinson and SPK. Game three had Dallas Green and Russell Johnson’s CRONS squad trying to hold off a Pitt-heavy PBC squad.

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The Pittsburgh Basketball Club’s annual summer league kicked off on Monday at the GreenTree SportsPlex, and Wednesday night featured another round of games. With the University of Pittsburgh, Robert Morris, and Duquesne all well represented at these regular triple-headers, there’s a wide variety of talent to scope out during these games.

For those unfamiliar with the setup, there are six teams in this summer league, all named after sponsors of the league. Every Monday and Wednesday, those teams play a triple-header, with tip-offs around 7:00, 8:00, and 9:00. Two 22-minute halves sandwich a 4-minute halftime, and the clock runs constantly except for substitutions and timeouts.

There is no zone defense, no set plays. This is playground basketball. Call your own screens, call for the ball, set picks and screens to gain favor, and man up. All players, no matter your affiliation, will play, but if the choice is between Gilbert Brown from Pitt and Justin Greer from Westminster, you better believe that the D-I starter is getting the call.

Now, on to last night’s games.

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