In between the sounds of cars driving down Humphrey Street, the squeaking noise of sneakers along with upbeat music playing from a speaker radiated around Phillips Park on Monday night.
On Monday, Friday and Sunday evenings this summer, groups of boys basketball players have put some off-season work in, thanks to a new league founded by the father and son duo of Paul and Matt Moran.
Paul recently accepted the varsity boys basketball head coaching position at Swampscott High School, where he graduated as one of the most decorated players in program history.
The league is offered to boys entering fourth grade through twelfth grade, split into three age groups.
“I’ve been doing it for a long time,” Paul said, of coaching children before they enter high school. “The time was just right. It was a good time to get back. I get to do it with my son and we’ve got a lot of great guys helping out.”
Paul stood on the court with a whistle at the ready as the teams ran back and forth Monday. He was quick to give credit to players for making a good pass.
“We just want them to come out here and have fun,” said Paul. “Do what I did as a kid: get out on the court and play, get the music going and just have people care. That’s all I want.”
The league allows players to practice during the summer months without having to travel, like an AAU league would require.
“Everything has been so much fun,” said Matt. “We have a lot of kids who just want to come out and play and represent our schools, our town and our community.”
Each week, the coaching staff names an MVP, who receives a voucher for two slices of pizza and a drink from Captain’s Pizza. Captain’s Pizza contributed to half of the tickets, and the Morans provided the others.
The league’s rosters are kept small to give players as much playing time as possible. Regardless of each player’s skill level, substitutions are made frequently so that everyone receives equal playing time. This gives every player the opportunityto showcase their abilities while alsoidentifying areas where they can continueto grow and improve.
“We’ll have our high school kids come down too,” said Matt. “They’ll be coaching the kids and rooting them on. That’s really part of the culture we’re trying to create here.”
Matt said the goal is for the league to expand next year and in years beyond. He noted the potential of adding more teams and players as well as playing at other locations throughout Swampscott.
“We just want our kids to be out playing and representing the Big Blue,” Matt said.
