The ABL Is Back, And Summer Basketball in NEPA Feels Complete Again
By: Matt Flanagan | SportzWire | June 20, 2026 | Photo courtesy Tony Gruenloh
For a while, people thought last summer was it.
After the 2025 season, it looked like the ABL had reached the finish line. The league, originally created by Thomas Baseski and built over several years into one of Northeast Pennsylvania’s biggest summer basketball staples, was expected to come to an end.
But basketball people usually find a way.
Former co-commissioner Mike Lukasavage stepped in and decided the ABL deserved another chapter. Now leading the league as commissioner, Mike has taken on just about everything that keeps it moving, organizing schedules, tracking stats, running the Instagram page, creating graphics, and making sure the experience stays competitive and fun for everyone involved.
Every summer from late May through early August, the ABL gives local players a place to compete. Teams play two games per week, coordinated through team captains, creating a format that works while still bringing intensity every night. And the talent speaks for itself. Across the league are former standout high school players, college athletes, award winners, and some of the best local basketball players around, all showing up to chase an ABL championship.
But what makes the ABL special isn’t just what happens during the games.
It’s everything around it.
The weekly power rankings. The stats. The debates. The Commish Cup. The famous “Hero Shot” after game winners. The conversations online. The pride teams take in climbing the standings. Over time, it’s become something bigger than a summer league, it’s become part of the basketball culture in Northeast PA.
And maybe the coolest part is seeing the younger generation buy in.
Spend time around the courts and you’ll hear kids talking about players, checking rankings, and following teams throughout the summer. To them, these aren’t just pickup games, these are players they look up to and moments they remember.
That’s probably the best sign that the ABL has become something real.
And now that it’s back, summer basketball in Northeast Pennsylvania feels complete again.
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