Outdoor Basketball League Hopes to Start Soon

junior AJ DeRosa was shooting hoops with his friends at . Then he started to wonder: Will there be a summer basketball league for children his age this year?

When he learned through a friend it wasn't happening, he turned to his father, Anthony. And on Wednesday night, the recreation commission granted DeRosa permission to run a short-schedule league for the summer's end at Modick.

The league, which DeRosa said he hopes to begin Monday, will be for 14-15-year-olds in Hopatcong and will be free. It will take place on Monday and Wednesday nights from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with Thursdays reserved for rain dates.

DeRosa said more than 30 kids and a handful of parents supported the idea of a league, which will run through the end of August or early September.

Players will be asked to wear shirts the color of their teams as uniforms.

Interested in signing your child up for the league? Contact Anthony at (973) 607-7665 or Christine at (952) 607-7665.