By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer
VERONICA YANKOWSKI West Long Branch’s Geoff Daly pulls up for a shot during a game at Walloo Park in Middletown on Friday.
When John McDermott was trying to come up with a name for his newly formed basketball league in Middletown last fall, he wanted something that would be a good representation of the type of league he envisioned.
In what is essentially an organized summer recreational league, McDermott sought the type of appropriately casual title that would best describe the type of play his league demands.
As a result, he came up with Mac’s Fun Ball, which accomplishes exactly what he had in mind.
McDermott’s league is about having fun playing basketball in its most natural form. Although the league includes several of the top high school-age players from throughout the area, McDermott chose to deviate from the established rules in high school play in order to establish an up-tempo, "let the players play" type of environment.
"I just wanted to make the game fast-paced, and to stress the importance of playing solid defense," he said. "There’s no zone defenses allowed; we only shoot foul shots at the end of the first and second halves, and the coaches only get three 30-second time-outs. That helps to keep the game moving, and keeps the coaches out of the game."
McDermott added that because there are no zone defenses, the kids have to work hard on the defensive end.
"Playing man-to-man all the time can be tough, but it will help them learn to move their feet, and build stamina," he said.
The games are played on Friday and Saturday nights, with three games featured each night, starting at 6 p.m. at Walloo Park in the Port Monmouth section on Middletown.
They include two 20-minute running halves, with the clock stopping at the seven- and 14-minute marks for substitutions.
The clock only stops on whistles in the last two minutes of each half.
Each team is made up of 12 players, although McDermott said it is rare that l2 players can attend on any given night.
"During the summer, a lot of the kids are on vacation, or they work, so they can’t always be there," he said.
"We usually have between eight and 10 guys on each team, and we haven’t had a forfeit yet."
That works out perfectly for the kids because it guarantees they will all receive ample playing time at each game.
"There’s no sitting the bench in this league," McDermott said.
"That’s how you lose kids."
In addition, there is no stalling allowed at the end of the game, so as to protect a lead.
Although the rules of the game are a bit different from the norm, the type of behavior allowed is comparable to that of high school play.
"There’s no cursing, and no disrespecting each other," McDermott said. "Although we let them play, we demand they behave properly."
And the crew responsible for enforcing those demands includes some of the top high school referees in the state.
"I bring in some really accomplished refs to work the games," said McDermott, who is a high school referee himself. "Guys like Jim Moran, John Werner, Richie O’Connor and Ron Gagliardi — these guys are all great refs, who take the game seriously, while letting the kids play, for the most part. They help make the league as successful as it is as much as anything else."
McDermott also gives credit to the league’s coaching staff, which includes a handful of local residents who eat, sleep and breathe basketball. The group includes John Korellus, who played at the University of Massachusetts, and Bob Varno, a former Brookdale Community College stand-out, as well as John Krilla, Tim Mulhern, Kevin Kirk, Leon Rosner and John McGowan.
"The coaches have fun with these kids and just love to watch them play," McDermott said.
McDermott also credits his daughter, Lori, and his niece, Samantha Miller, who serve as the league’s official scorekeepers, and according to McDermott, are the "most important pieces of the puzzle."
Lori McDermott is a familiar name to local basketball fans, as she is the all-time leading scorer in Brookdale’s history and currently stars at Felician College.
Though the league is still relatively young, it has already earned a reputation among local players as a great way to hone your skills during the off-season.
"This summer we have 72 kids playing, although in the fall league, which is really our best league, we had 96 last year," McDermott said.
"A lot of kids are just now hearing about this league and can’t wait to sign up for the fall league. That should be a big league and will include a lot of the best kids in the area."
McDermott is expecting the upcoming fall season to be the biggest yet, and has already said that many top high school players from throughout the area are looking forward to participating in September.
But before he worries about the fall season, he has one week left in the summer campaign to concentrate on.
Last weekend was the last week of the summer’s regular season, while the playoffs will be held this coming weekend.
The Knicks, Bulls and Bucks all finished at 6-4, followed by the Suns (5-4), Kings (3-7) and Nets (3-6).
On Friday night, the Suns topped the Kings 70-66 behind 15 points from Rumson’s Jason Miller, while Middletown’s Cody Chalmers and Andrew Novak scored 29 and 15 points, respectively.
The Kings topped the Bucks 64-61, with Middletown’s Tom McDermott leading all scorers with 25 points, and the Nets upset the Bulls 78-73, behind Billy Fehlhabers’ 25 points.
On Saturday, the Knicks beat the Suns 64-59, behind 13 points from Dom Fones; the Bulls topped the Kings 92-62, with Jim Randallo and Jon Sorrentino scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively; and the Bucks beat the Nets 64-46, behind the solid play of James Ruetter and Brett O’Brien.
This weekend’s play-offs will start Friday with the Bucks and Nets squaring off.
The winner will play the Bulls on Saturday, followed by the Suns vs. the Kings, playing for the right to face the Knicks.
The championship game will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday.
In addition, McDermott will be holding sign-ups for the fall league Friday and Saturday from 5-6 p.m. at Walloo Park, and also on Aug. 9 and 10.
The cost to join the league is $65 per player ($50 for returning players), and there is no residency or age requirements. The fall league will start play on Sept. 14.
"Anybody can come and play, and I think that’s what makes it so successful," McDermott said.
"If a seventh- or eighth-grader comes out and can keep up, he’s more than welcome to join the league, and we’ll get him in there.
"It really is some quality exposure for a lot of kids who don’t have any other options in the off-season," he added.
"A lot of these summer camps are just too expensive for some kids to attend, and this league is another option. And it really is a lot of fun."