DeLaSalle High School Basketball League Draws State's Top College Players
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Around this time of year, Minnesota's top college basketball players gather at DeLaSalle High School for the summer league that keeps their games sharp. It's a celebrated part of the off season.
Tyus Jones has evolved and is now coaching in the league he played in as a kid.
"It's a lot of fun," he said. "There's a lot of talented basketball players in Minnesota who play professionally, whether it be overseas, or who still come back."
At the heart of it is Jamarr Digss. He took it up last year to give his players a place to stay sharp -- year two is easier than year one.
"You go through something the first time, you go through the bumps and ups and downs, but everybody that was a part of it last year loved it, and they wanted it again," he said.
Many come to see the best Minnesota has to offer.
"Obviously you've got everybody that we used to play Pulley together, and then you've got the young guys," Matt Janning said. "The Gopher guys, the young high school kids -- so it's fun to kind of mix in and keep that good Minnesota basketball spirit alive."
They come to see current Gophers like Jordan Murphy and get a sense of the present and future -- exactly what Diggs wants.
That's why it is fun -- to be in an informal setting and able to see the state of basketball in our state.
"What I enjoy is, I get to see some of these young kids that I may have no connection with at all," Diggs said. "I don't know the top high school kids in Minnesota -- not because I don't want to, it's because I'm not here. I'm out of touch, and when I come back home for the summer, this is a place where I can get these young guys -- not just the players, but the fans as well -- just to bring the whole community together."
