West Allegheny High School boys' basketball coach Josh Bears pointed right to the essence of the Pittsburgh Basketball Club's summer league.

He thought for a moment, chose his words and then described, exactly, what has been enlightening about this summer's experience.

"These kids all know they are competing for an individual spot and with that comes playing time," Bears said. "But as a coach, something nice that I have seen this summer is that, these guys realize this is their dress rehearsal as a team -- they have forgotten about fighting against one another for a spot on the floor and have come together to fight with one another for the sake of making West Allegheny basketball better."

It is a theme and commonality that resonates through 64 varsity teams competing in the league organized by John Giammarco, a former assistant basketball coach at Sto-Rox. The league is in its 14th year, with game sites this year at North Allegheny, Gateway, Robert Morris, New Castle, Beaver Falls and Ambridge.

No matter the site, the story is the same -- young men competing, for the sake of making their school team better when the real season rolls around.

Whether it is players from North Hills, Canon-McMillan, Beaver Falls, Gateway or any other school competing in the league, what it provides is immeasurable in a world where all too often kids are pulled in so many directions. In all corners of the WPIAL's territory -- and even beyond with some schools from West Virginia competing -- coaches fully understand how vital it is to compete in the summer as a team.

"Kids have so many options right now," said Canon-McMillan coach Rick Bell, moments before his team played West Allegheny recently at Robert Morris. "There is PlayStation, there is hanging around the house and sitting on the couch, there are just some things that, if we don't organize it, kids won't do it.

"Now, you will get those gym rats who will [work] on their own, but for the most part, kids nowadays won't just go play unless it is organized."

And organization is one of the main components in summer leagues where schedules can often be so difficult to pin down because -- or so at least it seems -- people are headed in a million different directions once school lets out for summer break.

Bell saw firsthand the lengths Giammarco goes in an effort to make sure no team gets shortchanged. For example, in other leagues in year's past, maybe a team showed up and no referees were there, or maybe a breakdown in communication led to one team showing up with just three players while the other team had its full complement.

"Take our last game, for instance. The team didn't show up and John [Giammarco] could have easily said, 'Oh well, sorry about your luck,'" Bell said. "But, you know, he was scurrying, making calls and quickly got us another game with Bethel Park. That shows the level of dedication he has to making sure you get what you paid for."

As Giammarco put it, "seven weeks of competition for one kid in the Pittsburgh Basketball Club costs about the same amount as a weekend AAU tournament for that same kid."

But for Ambridge coach Bill Minear, it isn't about the money. Minear is preparing for his second season as the Bridgers' coach, and he is still in the process of constructing the program the way he wants.

"We have already played close to 25 games," Minear said. "But I try not to play more than about 25 because that is a season, it is like an extra season.

"To play 25 gives me, as a coach, a chance to look at guys and see where they are. But -- and I think this is more important -- it gives me a chance to build a rapport with those guys.

"By the end of the summer, these kids know what I am all about, and I think I have a good idea what each one of them is all about -- and not just in terms of their basketball skills."

The summer league also provides a chance for teams to see various levels of competition.

Take for example the aforementioned West Allegheny-Canon-McMillan matchup last week at Robert Morris University's John Jay Center in which West Allegheny pulled out a competitive 61-56 victory.

West Allegheny is a Class AAA school while Canon-McMillan, a Class AAAA school, is considered one of the largest classification's up-and-coming programs.

For Bears' West Allegheny team to get a chance to square off against a squad such as Canon-McMillan -- and be in real-time, full-speed situations -- will undoubtedly pay dividends down the road.

"It is huge to see different levels of competition," Bears said. "But it is even bigger to go out there and see game situations. You can't simulate some things in the gym when the guys on defense kind of already know what the offense is going to do.

"When you step into a league, against another team and their goal is to beat you, that is what helps your team truly get better and build chemistry."

For Bears, building team chemistry becomes expected, as his team plays between 60 and 70 games per summer between this league, other leagues and team camp.

Unquestionably, that takes dedication.

But it also leads to these questions: Is it too much basketball? And, what is the ideal number of games a team should play in a summer?

"There have been a couple of summers where we have played too much," Bears said. "Each coach and each program is different and they have to do what is best for their kids.

"What I have found is that you have to set benchmarks and break it up. Like last week, we had three games with a clear goal.

"You have to make it into mini-seasons, set goals and then, that way, you can look back throughout the summer and see if you hit those goals and build upon that rather than just looking back one time at the summer as one, big body of work."

For Bell and his Big Macs, it is simply a case of hard work and sacrifice leading to success.

"I don't care what it is in life," Bell said. "You can only get out of it what you put into it.

"We tell our kids, 'Look, we are going to provide you opportunities to get better and one of them is this summer league.' Now, if they are not willing to make the sacrifices and commitment, then it is on them and, to be honest, I am going to have a problem with that.

"If they have a baseball game, a family vacation or something like that, that comes first, no question at all. But when you are able, and you can be here, you owe it to yourself as a basketball player and your development as a basketball player to be here."