Traveling Call: NBA Summer Pro League Is Moving to Redondo

In a marriage that proved too perfect to pass up, the NBA Summer Pro League and Redondo High have agreed to bring the premier showcase to the school’s Sea Hawk Pavilion this summer.

The league, which has played its games at Loyola Marymount’s Gersten Pavilion for the past nine years, will run July 24-26 and Aug. 1-16.

Officials of the league and the South Bay Union High School District call the move mutually beneficial: The league will benefit from Redondo’s NBA-size court and 2,400-seat capacity, while the school and the district will receive about $16,000 in rent from the league, according to Deputy Superintendent Ed King.

“If it works out, it will be a wonderful partnership for both sides,” King said.

The only major obstacle to the league’s move to Redondo was the potential disruption because of summer school classes. The two sides came up with the split league schedule as a compromise.

“We’re here to run an educational program,” King said. “But when our school is not in session, we’re more than happy to rent out our facility. . . . It’s a wonderful idea, but I didn’t go out and actively campaign for (the league to move here).”

When it became apparent that the league would not be able to get the dates it wanted at Loyola, it began a search for another suitable arena in the area, said Summer League President and owner Larry Creger, a former assistant with the Lakers.

“We were given a tip that the Sea Hawk Pavilion was a perfect place and it turned out to be true,” said Creger, who mentioned the gym’s parking, locker rooms and access to hotels and Los Angeles International Airport as factors in the league’s choice.

But the biggest enticement was Redondo’s gym floor, which measures up to NBA standards in more ways than one. Its seating capacity makes it second only to Gersten Pavilion’s 4,156 in the South Bay.

“We think we’ll probably sell it out a few times,” Creger said.

Sea Hawk Pavilion has a “floating wooden court, as we say in the NBA,” Creger said. “It’s hard to explain, but it’s built on sort of ski shoes--built in such a way that it gives way, which the NBA likes because it helps prevent things like knee injuries.”

The league, which was created in 1970, is divided into an NBA Division and a Free-Agent Division. Creger said he expects more than 300 players to compete this summer. So far, Creger has received unwritten commitments from the Lakers, Clippers and Boston Celtics to provide teams for the NBA Division.

Past participants in the Summer League have included Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins and Mark Aguirre.

Last year the league featured Byron Scott, Danny Manning and Shawn Kemp, among others. All told, 70 current NBA players participated in last year’s Summer League, according to Creger.

“It’s not a bunch of pickup games,” he said.

Creger said the league hopes to play at least 100 games, including up to five per day. Ticket prices have not been set, but Creger said a ticket would be good for the entire day.

Players in the NBA Division use the league to stay sharp in the off-season. More is at stake in the Free-Agent Division, where NBA draft picks, undrafted college players and Continental Basketball Assn. players try to impress the many NBA scouts and coaches who attend the league games.

As an example of a Summer League success story, Creger cited Henry James, who was the league’s most valuable player last summer and is now a reserve for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“The NBA really supports the Summer League,” Creger said. “They encourage their younger players to participate.”