By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Darting Basketball Academy wrapped up its fourth 3 on 3 Summer League Monday night with a packed house at Shawnee Heights, culminating with the crowning of Most Valuable Players in five divisions.
DBA 3 on 3 Summer League 12-13-year-old MVP Gaige Navarro (left) and 12-13 girls MVP Claire Puvogel (right) pose for a picture with Kerry Darting after receiving their MVP awards. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
DBA 3 on 3 Summer League 10-11 girls MVP Claire Puvogel (left), 8-9 boys MVP Hudson Blanton (middle) and 10-11 boys MVP Vy Thomas pose for a picture after receiving their MVP awards Monday night at Shawnee Heights. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
Hudson Blanton received the MVP award in the 8-9-year-old boys division, while Vy Thomas was the 10-11 boys winner and Gaige Navarro took home MVP honors in the 12-13 boys division.
Teagan Wheat was the 10-11 girls MVP and Claire Puvogel received the MVP award in the 12-13 division.
Ontarius Emmot and KK Emmot were named the most valuable players in the high school division of the DBA 3 on 3 Summer League. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
The 3 on 3 Summer League for the high school division finished up last week, with the brother-sister combo of Ontarius and KK Emmot earning most valuable player honors.
Kerry Darting said that the 3 on 3 league continues to be one of DBA's most successul programs.
"With limited gym space we sell it out every year and we sold out again this year,'' Darting said. "We had 210 kids for the whole thing.''
The six-week league has a unique format, with players rotating from team to team each game to give athletes an opportunity to team up with players of varying talent levels.
"I think the kids just have a blast coming in here,'' Darting said. "There's not coaches yelling at them, there's not referees. We obviously keep track of MVPs but its just an opportunity for them to come in and relax and have fun and experiment and get better without having to worry about anything.
"They just get to come in and play hard and compete and have fun which is what basketball's all about, sports are all about.''
