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2003 Reebok Pro Summer Basketball League is your ticket
By: Jeff Twiss
Do you like basketball? Do you really like basketball? If your answer is a clear and definite, "Yes", then in the middle of the month of July there is an event that every die-hard basketball enthusiast will love. The 2003 Reebok Pro Summer Basketball League will run from July 14-20, and all games will be played at the air-conditioned University of Massachusetts-Boston Clark Athletic Center.
This is professional basketball in the midst of the hot summer. In a time of year where major league baseball and women's professional basketball (WNBA) are in high gear, men's professional basketball takes center stage for one week.
The 2003 Reebok Pro Summer Basketball League will feature many top rookies, talented second-year NBA players and key free agents - all trying to make their respective team and the chance to "make it" to the big-time when the NBA opens training camp in October. Another unique aspect of the 2003 Reebok Pro Summer League is the fact that it's a league of pure basketball. The NBA rules are the same, the same three-referee system is used, and the three-point line is just as it would be for any regular season game, but the basketball is fundamental, hard-nosed and no-nonsense. Hey, these are skilled and highly motivated young men eager to gain a roster position on an NBA team. They must produce and this is the opportunity for them to do so.
Just as the action on the court is simple, basic Basketball 101, so too is the setting. Sellout crowds of 2,500 in the past have enjoyed the team play and individual greatness of each player by watching from the wooden bleachers that flank both sides of the arena. You read correctly, bleachers. There are no luxury suites or skyboxes, no waitress service or computers to order food from at your seats (no food or drink are allowed in the building at all!) and there are no multi-sided, fireworks-producing scoreboards/video screens. What you see, is what you get - a gym rat's heaven.
"The Reebok Pro Summer Basketball League really brings basketball back home to the fans," said Celtics General Manager Chris Wallace. "There aren't too many places where fans of all ages can come and watch professional basketball in a setting that is this up close and personal. And, over the years, our fans have seen some talented players, like, J. R. Bremer (Celtics), Adrian Griffin (current Mavericks and former Celtics player), Desmond Mason (Bucks), Richard Jefferson (Nets) and Kwame Brown (Wizards)."
Newly named Houston Rockets Head Coach Jeff Van Gundy remarked, "I think this is great for the fans. Ticket prices have gone up in the NBA and this is a very affordable and fun way to watch professional basketball in the middle of the summer."
If basketball is truly your game, a steady dose of the sport twelve months out of the year, then the Reebok Pro Summer Basketball League is your ticket from July 14-20, 2003.
