Filling the Foothills? hoops void

After being a part of Auburn?s youth basketball scene for over a decade, Charles Jergo sensed that the area was still hungry for hoops. The sneakers squeaking each Saturday at ARD?s Regional Gym in Auburn this summer is a sweet sound to Jergo and hundreds of young basketball enthusiasts. It?s also a blessing to many families who used to drive to Roseville or Sacramento to find youth leagues in the summer months.The high school, middle school and youth programs provide youngsters with an opportunity to play each winter. But basketball opportunities in the area dried up in the spring, summer and fall, until Jergo stepped in.?Basically, there was nowhere in the area for the kids to keep playing to carry over from the ARD leagues and stuff like that,? Jergo said. ?A lot of the kids that aren?t playing baseball or soccer, want to keep playing basketball.?I talked with ARD and they said they would help me out as far as clearing time at the gym for the league. So I said, ?Well, I?ll see what kind of response I get.??Jergo organized the inaugural Foothill Hoops League last spring and it?s been a welcome addition to the Auburn sports scene ever since. After the initial spring season?s success, Jergo continued with a summer session, which wrapped up last Saturday. Now he?s planning to continue the league with a fall session.Over 160 area youth were involved with the league this summer. From those who are looking to work on their game before venturing into freshman programs to those who are just looking to have some fun, the league fills various needs.Bryan Fry helped the Grass Valley Hornets top Del Oro on Saturday in an upper-division game.?It?s a good way for me to practice and get ready for the school league,? said Fry, who will be a freshman at Bear River in the fall. Foothill Hoops League includes teams from Auburn, Lake of the Pines, Grass Valley, Loomis, Colfax and all over in between. Many of the teams have their own coaches, but Jergo and several volunteers step in to help those that don?t. Jergo, who was a standout at Long Beach Poly High in southern California and went on to play at Long Beach State University, coaches three teams himself.Gary Schell coaches a group of kids from Grass Valley and Lake of the Pines who have been together since third grade. The team, known as the Magnolia Rattlers, is made up of players entering eighth grade and they?ll be well prepared to compete for their school teams this winter.?It?s been great to see (Jergo) get this league together,? Schell said. ?It?s been so nice to be this close to Grass Valley and our area and not have to run down to Sacramento. And we?re getting some good competition at the same time.?There?s a lot of kids that just play basketball and maybe don?t play football and it?s been nice for these guys.?While the upper level (for eighth and ninth graders) is quite competitive, the league is open to anyone who wants to participate. The upper division included six squads this summer. The seventh grade division included five teams in the summer session and four teams competed in the fifth and sixth grade division.While the FHL is a great way for youngsters to improve their skills, it?s also designed to keep kids active and involved with their peers.?It?s not primarily for the kids who are going to make the school teams, it?s just out there for kids who want to play basketball and get better,? Jergo explained. ?We?re not targeting a certain type of player, it?s just a matter of getting as many kids out here playing as possible.?For more information about the Foothill Hoops League and the upcoming fall season, contact Jergo at (916) 899-1256.