So...Who Can Play Ball

That was the question that jumped into our minds when we heard about the YMCA league on Wednesdays that featured teams made up of "Summer Coaches". After the rumors of this league became fact, we decided a visit and analysis from TexasHoops.com was needed.

First we must establish, everyone had ringers on the floor. Some of these coaches have not seen the light of day on a bench in the summer yet they were lighting it up for their respective teams. So we are going to focus on some of the more known and actual "Summer Coaches".

Game 1: Texas Select 58 Truth Basketball 51

Darius Coleman The Truth convert (from DJH5) seemed comfortable on the bench until he realized this was his chance to get some coverage. He was rested, relaxed and cool on the bench. But the light bulb went off that no pub is had from the seated position so he got warmed up and ready to go. After getting a quick head shot (see the focused participant right) and proclaiming himself to be 6-3 (actual 6-1, weight not given..common theme), DC took the floor to the roar of 3 fans.

He seems very comfortable on the perimeter. He waited..and waited…and waited for someone to give him the rock. Then when he got his chance, wide open for the arc…..he passed. So we will label DC a pass first two-guard.

DeMarcus James Texas Select rep and Fort Worth OD Wyatt assistant coach was money on the 3 ball all night. His sharp shooting and focus kept the Pro-Skill team in the game. He was too focused for a YMCA game.

Game 2: Dallas Showtyme 60 ProSkills 51

Ervin "Big E" Davis The man is no longer known as Big E. His new nickname is "999 - Not Ranked Due to Injury". The Showtyme founder and main scoring threat separated his shoulder and had to cause havoc from the bench and at halftime. Despite a bad wing, the ever nimble "Big E/999" sank open 3 after open 3…unguarded at halftime. We hear he is a good zone defender who can take up space in the lane also.

LaDarrin Walker Checking in at a suspect 5-10 this strong built Showtyme coach was going for the James Harden fear the beard look. But he earned his ink with some tough play. He drained it from 3, attacked in the open court and handled it with some flash.

Quinton Green Don't see many 5-11 power forwards, except at the local Y. Now this man was pining for some ink. He not only spelled his name 3 times to make sure he got in the story, but he had his last name tattooed on his arm. He didn't mind letting it fly from deep but his calling card is "defensive stopper".

Ron McNealy The Showtyme Black coach appeared to be playing a minor role in this game as he decided to show up late. I guess he wanted to keep it true to summer by sauntering in with his shoes in hand after the game had started. It looked as if he would just run up and down the court for the 25 minutes or so he was on the court until he took over late. With Showtyme holding a small 58-51 lead and time running out, Nealy drove to the bucket hard for a layup and his only 2 points in running up the score 60-51 at the buzzer.

Derrick Shelby Another ProSkills rep who keeps up with the younger guns of summer ball was coming off a 56 point performance earlier in league play. His 18 3's must have been impressive enough as every time he crossed midcourt someone yelled "Don't let him shoot it". He had his fair share of looks and knocked some down..but another double nickel type night was not to be had.

Craig Roberts This man is just looking for a home. The SW Elite founder joined up with ProSkills to get on the court. The 6-0 Houston Kashmere product got to the DFW metroplex by way of ballin at TCU and Texas Wesleyan. Those years may be past him but if left open he would have scored big. He is a true facilitator now. He gets the ball and gets rid of it..quickly. We will call him unselfish.

Matt Klentzman We can call Klentzman the "Billy Hoyle" of the group for Proskills. The college student was in great physical shape compared to others on the court and he made the most of his open opportunities as every one wanted to key on Shelby. He was on fire late in the game draining 25 footers to showoff his ability to get the job done. Maybe next game, Shelby will give the young gun a chance to score in the 50's.

Ryan Kaminski Is a bruiser and had a "Bill Laimbeer" mentality. Kaminski did his best to get put backs, but long shots mean long rebounds. With the Proskills guards taking their liberties from beyond the three point line, Kaminski had to chase the ball all over the court. When he was given the ball in the paint, Kaminski went above the defense to score.

Dallas Mustangs 39 Dallas Showtyme 30

**In defense of Showtyme, this game was back to back for them as they stepped in for Urban.

Tony Johnson Where else do you start but with TJ. The Godfather of Mustang ball. Tony was the self-proclaimed 6th man. He waited for Showtyme to get ever more tired before he unleashed his basketball wrath on the exhausted opponent. He took a silky smooth 18 footer from the corner…but it missed. He ran the floor and was quick on D in his zone. He threw what he deemed a beautiful alley-oop but no one jumped so it didn't work out so well. But he gets his props. The man was supposed to be on the IR on this night but with a chance to get his game on in front of TexasHoops, he laced it up with a bad leg and gray-hair popping from his temples.

Gerald Booker I guess this is just a theme with the HS coaches, much like D James, Booker was just too serious for YMCA ball. The Dallas Hillcrest assistant was intent on winning and making it happen. He pushed the ball up court and found the open man for shots…except for when B-Lew is open.

Brandon Lewis Described by his teammates as a cross between Allen Iverson and Ron Artest. B-Lew was consistently open but no one would give him the ball. He was calling for the ball from the time he walked out onto the court but he was frozen out. He would have been the game MVP if Booker would have passed to him.

DJH 5 69 YMCA Staff 40

The nightcap looked like a mismatch but word circulating through the stands was the Yworkers were undefeated. Well, Stacy and his very young "coaching staff" that looked like college players took care of that.

Stacy Houston may only top the charts at 5-10 (on a good day) but the man plays with passion. He moves without the ball and scores on back cuts to the hole. If his teammates could finish he would have been a double-double man as his passes can only be labeled as "too hot to handle". But most importantly, how many players can play the game while keeping their stats. Post game text reads: "14 points, 7 dimes and 3 stls."

In all, it was a fun night to see the summer coaches going at it on the court with each other and having some good times and laughs. So take this article in the humor it was written in and laugh with each other.

TexasHoops.com will begin game coverage next week as the regular season tips off. Check back daily for game write-ups and player evaluations as we hit gyms across the state over the next few months.

***In order to make this article genuine to the spirit of summer basketball, we attempted to misspell every players name.