LITITZ, Pa. — Summertime basketball leagues are one of the most popular attractions in sports.
Lancaster native Johnny Besecker knows all about the passion for hoops around the area and took matters into his own hands creating the Besecker Basketball American League that runs entirely out of his backyard.
"We started the league with six teams and 60 guys and then the next year 80 guys and now we're at 130 guys and ten teams," said Besecker. "It kind of blew up. We all just want to play basketball at an organized level.”
The league is all about the players with live broadcasts, PIAA referees, food for after the game and downright competitive game action. From those who just want to hoop to big-time college studs the steady growth has been a sight to see.
“We have stats, kept highlights, Instagram pages, everything," said Besecker. "I really think it keeps the players involved so I think it's all great stuff to just keep the player involved and enveloped within the community."
Johnny isn't the only one, the whole Beseker family pitches in to make the weekly Sunday games go smoothly, including his mom, dad and sister.
Plenty of local talent keeps the games very competitive.
The Backyard basketball league even went viral on TikTok with hundreds of thousands of views.
“I was helping my mom move some family members and every 10 minutes was another 5,000 likes and another 10,000 views," said Besecker "It was pretty surreal and we went from 700 followers to 31 thousand on IG which is pretty amazing”."
The league also keeps college players sharp with limited options for competitive play during the offseason.
“A bunch of college hoopers are out here so it’s really competitive," said York College forward Kai Cipalla. "You always try to play your best and work on whatever you can. It's fun to play them outside of the MAC so everybody just keeps everybody sharp."
This year's season just concluded, but next season is expected to be the biggest the league has seen yet.
"Every Sunday it is an excuse to see all of my best friends and host them," said Besecker. "I just want everybody to feel like they are a special player in the league like you would if you were in college or the professional leagues."