July 26, 2006

Moraga, CA - Five Saint Mary's men's basketball players are competing in the San Francisco Pro-Am League, which runs over the summer months at Kezar Pavilion. The S.F. Pro-Am is a summer basketball league that includes Bay Area players from High School, Junior College, College and Professional levels.

Seniors Blake Sholberg and Brett Collins, sophomores Ian O'Leary and Diamon Simpson, and freshman Omar Samhan round out the Gael representation in the S.F. Pro-Am.

The summer is an important time for these student-athletes to stay in shape, hone their skills and have fun playing basketball. The S.F. Pro-Am League is the perfect outlet for these five Gaels.

"The Pro-Am is good experience for our players because they are competing in games with referees; an experience most athletes do not get during the off-season," Assistant Coach Dan Shell said.

Pro-Am teams that have included Gaels have been especially successful. Senior Blake Sholberg and former Gael Jonathan Sanders have played on championship teams for the past two years.

Seniors Collins and Sholberg are two of the current Gaels whose skill and experience have been helped by the Pro-Am Leagues. Former Gael stars E.J. Rowland Frederic Adjiwanou are among the other players whose success was due in part to the Pro-Am Leagues.