For basketball junkies this can be a difficult time of year. Baseball rules the airwaves, and opening night for NBA and college hoops is more than three months away. That's why I found myself making my way to the Salvation Army Community Center in St. Paul to check out the Howard Pulley Pro Am Summer League.

When I walked in the door I had to chuckle because I saw every single basketball junkie that I have known since I started playing the game. I met Terry Kunze who played for the Gophers basketball team in the mid 1960's and was also the head coach for the Minnesota Fillies women's pro team in the late 1970's. I saw and chatted with many Timberwolves season ticketholders. Ken Lien, owner and Chair of Mr. Basketball Minnesota, was in the building. Community activist Kwame McDonald and his son Mitch, regulars at all basketball games, were sitting front and center.

The Howard Pulley Pro Am Summer League has been in existence since 1985 and it has grown into one of the premier summer leagues in the country. The basketball is fun to watch, basically street ball with good officials. What is compelling about the league is that it's a great mix of old school players mixed with new school players.

Former Gopher Randy Carter showed that he still had some low post moves. He was being coached by another Gopher alum Quincy Lewis who was unable to play due to injury. The crowd went crazy for incoming Gopher freshmen Rodney Williams with his reverse dunk. They loved the way his teammate 6'8" Royce White shot the ball. Cornell's Ryan Wittman, son of Randy Wittman former Wolves head coach, hit some big 3's to lead his team to victory.

There was a plethora of recognizable players and some names you may have never heard of. Everyone seems to be playing for different reasons, to stay in shape, prove they still have it, or to get noticed. The Howard Pulley Basketball league provides some exciting hoops and a place for all the basketball junkies to gather during the summer.