Summer is turning back into fall, school is getting back into session and it means its time for one of Bounce’s favorite basketball leagues to take shape again.
The Summit Summer League has been one that has found different ways to develop over the years from a single court 30 player league run by Logan Traylor and Jeremy Rauch into a multi-court 40 player showcase at PSM Fieldhouse every Wednesday in the month of August. Now on year 5, the Summit Summer League is officially – if it hasn’t been before – a staple of high school offseason basketball in Northeast Indiana on the boys side.
For those still uninitiated with the league, here are some things that make it special: the teams rotate meaning you won’t have the same teammates or coach every week of the four, a 30 second shot clock is used which gets the pace of the game going, and perhaps the most unique: the Elam Ending. An 18 minute second half is played and at the end of that time, the clock goes off and a target score is set at 7 points higher than the top score at that point (i.e. the leading team has 60 points, then the target is 67) and whoever gets there first wins.
It has made, over the years of the SSL, for some interesting battles down the strech and even some high end comebacks.
So where is there to watch for this season with the crop of players involved?
MR. SUMMIT SUMMER LEAGUE
Jake Stoy of Prairie Heights debuted in the Summit Summer League in 2023 and was one of the – for lack of a better term – lower end guys when the league started (though not when it finished that year). Stoy had yet to play a high school basketball game and that 2023 league was loaded. Never the less, he caught Bounce’s eye back then for who he was as a player with your truly noting “Stoy read the floor well and found ways to facilitate his team every game even though how he could and needed to facilitate the team changed almost game to game.”
Now in 2026, Stoy becomes the first player to ever participate in 4 years of the SSL, spanning their entire career.
This is a special part of this league too, getting to see players development year-to-year like we have seen with Stoy. Others, like 2026 grad Dom Keferl or 2025 grad Wyatt Weaver participated in three years of the league and others are going into a second or third year this August (see below), but Stoy is the first ever four-year guy in the SSL.
Last fall, as his profile continued to rise at Prairie Heights, Stoy was one of the most consistent guards in the SSL, being near the top of the heap in assists and steals, while putting out a few really good scoring games as well as he is quick at attacking the rim and making things happen. It is a cool milestone for the SSL to have their first four year guy and most certainly, Bounce expects Stoy to be among the very best in the league during his curtain call August.
BREAKOUT POTENTIAL
Who will break out this season? Last year, Huntington North’s Andrew McCutcheon made a mark and has been one of the area’s best breakout players this AAU season. High school teammate Brayden Freiburger also put some of the area on notice with his play in the 2025 SSL. Bishop Luers’ Zen Szaferski missed the opening week of the SSL in 2025, but went on to become one of the very best players in the league; now he is one of the fastest rising guys in Northeast Indiana as he heads into his junior season. Also, all three return to possibly be among the league’s very best this August.
In 2024, it was Garrett’s Isaiah King who went from predominantly unknown to SSL star who went on to become an All-State forward that school season. Ryker Quake of East Noble shined through in 2023, and Blackhawk Christian’s Isaac Smith made a breakout impact.
So who can step into the light this year and showcase some real talent that will put the area on notice?
There are plenty of first time SSL guys like Heritage’s Kingston Galentine, Bellmont’s Cameron Summers or Carroll’s Carter Middleton that could be big helps, but those are also guys who have a pretty strong status already in the area. So here are some thoughts from Bounce on guys I will be watching to potentially break out:
Owen Roe of South Adams played in the SSL last year and showed some flashes but with another year of high school ball under his belt, could he really be ready to flex a strong defensive prowess in the SSL against higher competition?
Paxton Mahler of Homestead shoots the ball very well and while Homestead is deep on all levels right now, he is a guy who could be fighting for some recognition for Sparty this season. A good SSL for this sophomore would be huge when you look at how sophomores really broke out in this league last year.
Camden Keyser of Huntington North is part of a heavy Viking contingent this year with five different HN players participating. Keyser is the only SSL first time Viking, but is a strong willed wing who can mix it up around the basket and work well of the perimeter.
FIRST TIME? NO NOT MY FIRST TIME
19 of the 40 players in this year’s SSL are returning players, which is a pretty good crop to have back for the league with guys who are used to and comfortable with the way the league runs.
On top of 19 being back, that includes Jake Stoy (Prairie Heights) in his fourth year and the third year for appearances from Judah Allen (Bishop Luers), Landon Kralis (Warsaw), Tayvon Stidams (Bishop Luers) and Carson Waltke (East Noble). That experience means everything in general, but certainly more when it comes to a league with some different rules and needed adaptability. Stidams actually ended the 2025 Summit Summer League with one of the better performances of the year last August, so seeing where he is week one this year is certainly something on the radar.
13 SSL players this year are back for their second year after debuting last August, while Wyatt Schroll (Manchester) returns after playing in 2024, but not last summer. The amount of returning players increases yearly for the SSL, with five players returning in 2023, 10 in 2024 and 12 in 2025, turning to 19 this year.
Five of the 12 players who averaged double digit scoring in the league last year return (five of the others graduated), including Bishop Dwenger’s George Poiry (3rd–13.1 ppg). Three of the top 5 in assists from 2025 are back led by Stoy who was first in the league last season. The top returning rebounder is Waltke, who was 8th in league rebounds last August, Stoy was second in steals and returner Brody Bolen (Huntington North) was third in blocks.
On the flip of that, the SSL will host nine freshmen players this year, with the league having a history of freshmen getting their feet wet and a little attention before their high school careers officially begin.
WHO CONTROLS THE INTERIOR?
Inside dominance has become something of expectation in the Summit Summer League. Hunter Kline and Dalman Alexander in 2022, Tucker Day in 2023, Isaiah King and Stephen Akase in 2024, Avery MacFarlane and Mason Pearson in 2025…every year there are dominant big men who ply their trade in the SSL.
This year? The bigs aren’t going to be looked at in the same way as this is the most guard and wing heavy SSL that has ever been presented. This makes aggression and effort stand out that much more. Someone with the length like Huntington North’s Brayden Freiburger or a physical want-to like Cameron Summers of Bellmont could make all of the difference.
Controlling the interior, leading the way with their rebound, those are skills that will come down to effort more than size more often this August than they ever have. It will be intersting to see who works hard to set themselves apart. Look for guys with solid size like Warsaw’s Landon Kralis, Heritage’s Collin McAtee and East Noble’s Carson Waltke to be ones who can assert themselves early and often in games if their motor is ticking on a high level.
These opinions represent those of Bounce and Outside the Huddle. No opinions expressed on Outside the Huddle represent those of any of our advertisers. Follow Bounce on Twitter at Bounce_OTH
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