While the Wildcats + Pioneers get a lot of recognition for their talents, there’s a longtime local summer basketball league that should be on your radar.
This Sunday, July 21, Super Sunday: Summer League Basketball Showcase is back at Douglass Park from 2 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Hitting the courts will be the teams that make up the Dirt Bowl summer basketball league, which has been dribbling + passing locally for nearly 50 years. Fun fact: UK men’s basketball greats Jack “Goose” Givens, Melvin Turpin, and James Lee grew up playing in this league.
The Dirt Bowl League was even featured in a July 1983 issue of “Sports Illustrated” alongside hoops leagues in California + New York. While the courts have been expanded and are now fully paved and painted, the league gets its name from its humble beginnings when the courts were made from dirt.
Sunday’s family-friendly event will feature multiple basketball games, live entertainment, concessions, and vendors.