Long, But Important: The Future of EST, Part II

* This is the second of two blog posts about Empire State Takeover going forward. It will also highlight what it is, what it isn't, what to expect/not expect from myself and EST, explanations for future moves, and preliminary details about the 3rd annual invitational summer leagues. *


I'll start by elaborating a little more on the back end of the first blog post. The planned expansion of EST is underway in the form of a 2nd girls' summer league location based in the Syracuse area. I was originally planning on placing one in the Rochester area, but for numerous reasons, I decided to move it east into Syracuse. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity this brings. As far as upstate New York is considered, Syracuse is a true central location. It's where the Thruway and Interstate 81 meet; the midpoint from Buffalo to Albany and Watertown to Binghamton. The Syracuse area is rich in talent, and I'll hopefully be able to tap into much more of the talent than the previous two years. It's also a more reasonable option for places like Binghamton & Watertown, even a little closer to the Utica area - although many from the eastern reaches of Section III have already & continue to express interest in the 518 league. Rochester and the whole 585 area code is now very much within driving distance, and although it's still a hike from the Buffalo area, it's certainly a more reasonable option. I hope/plan to even tap into northern PA, going down the 81 corridor into the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area.


Like the 518 league, this one will be weekly from late June through early August. I'll continue to do my best to work around the national AAU schedule. Although there aren't as many programs in this region that carry national schedules deep into July as there are in the Capital District, many CNY/Southern Tier/WNY girls play for these programs. I've yet to decide on a relatively concrete day of the week for this league, but it'll be either Tuesday or Thursday. The 518 league will continue to be mainly on Wednesdays. The format of the Syracuse league - invitational, high-level play, conducive to higher levels of college exposure, two games per night - will be status quo with its eastern counterpart. The host site is yet to be determined, and I'll say that until I sign the contract so as not to jinx it - but at the time of typing this post, I'm close to working out a deal with a great local facility that meets all of my hopes.

This league will be starting in under 4 months, so expect me to be going crazy with preparation in upcoming weeks. If there are any questions regarding the leagues - whichever one, or both - please don't hesitate to reach out. If you don't have my contact info, the 'Contact Us' tab on www.empirestatetakeover.org will be the best way.

One more thing that I feel is worth mentioning has made itself more evident over the last few weeks. As EST gets bigger (thankfully - and hopefully it continues to), the misconceptions regarding what I do and what I don't do have been building. Sadly - perhaps a sign of the times - it tends to revolve around social media. So, about that:

I tweet from the games I'm attending about whoever is catching my eye, perhaps with quick evaluations or statistics. There may be some game details thrown in. It doesn't matter whether they've participated in anything I've ran or not; it may even be my first time watching them. I hope to be a resource to people who could use it - whether it be coaches, local media, or the general public. However, with the stat rundowns on Twitter or this blog, I only include people that have participated in events that I've ran. That means two things:

- If you don't see anything about you and you're singing out 'where is the love?' like the Black Eyed Peas, if you haven't played in the 2015 or 2016 EST summer invitational leagues or the 2015-2016 Upstate Elite Showcases, there's your answer. I do not have a scouting service at this time; I run leagues and events. Showing love when deserved to EST participants.

- If you see my stat updates on the blog or Twitter about someone in rundown form, they played in one or multiple EST events. I've been lucky to have many of the region's top players involved in the leagues. These are the players that you line up with and against on a week-to-week basis in EST. The only exception is an occasional shoutout to people I've had on my team in various events I've been asked to put a team together and 'coach' in, including the Syracuse Nets fall league and NY Havoc's fall tournament. These facts don't change - all have at least worn an EST jersey in leagues, events, or tournaments!

Time for me to get off my soapbox. It's sectional final weekend, and I have another 1,000 miles to put on my already loaded car over the next few days. For any questions about EST - the Albany or Syracuse leagues, or any other events & offerings - please do not hesitate to reach out. Hopefully these next two years will be even more successful than the first two!