New Iberia Senior High girls basketball coach Robert Pinckney and former assistant coach Jeremy Bonin kept seeing former area basketball players around and wondered if they couldn’t do something for them.

The duo came up with a plan. Since they were known for playing basketball, why not start a men’s basketball league to give them a chance to run up and down the court and play a little bit of the game that they loved to play.

“We came up with the idea of a summer league and with the idea that it would start small and become bigger,” said Bonin, who last year was the assistant women’s basketball coach at Baton Rouge Community College. “It was a chance for some local athletes to play and for the fans to see them play again.”

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Pinckney and Bonin started the men’s league this year, which began play this week at New Iberia Senior High.

According to Pinckney there was enough interest in the league that they were able to form nine teams totaling almost 100 players.

“Some of the guys were interested in playing over the summer,” said Pinckney. “And it was a way that I could make money for the girls basketball team by hosting a men’s league.

“There were a lot of guys that wanted something to do. Some wanted to get up and down the court and we decided to provide a service for that.”

Pinckney said the league meets two nights a week on Monday and Thursday and plays four games a night, starting around 6:15 p.m. each night. He also said that many of the players in the league played at NISH and some played at Jeanerette and Franklin and other schools across the area.

“We have guys that played high school basketball in the 80s and 90s playing in the league,” added Bonin.

“Most just want to have some kind of physical activity,” said Pinckney. “It gives them an avenue to play where it’s a structured league with rules and referees and the guys really like it.”

Pinckney said the league uses mostly high school rules with a few changes like 20-minute, running-time halves and six personal fouls before being disqualified. He also said the league runs through the early part of August and there might be a tournament at the end of the league, with seeding based on the final standings.

Bonin said New Iberia Senior High has a long history of helping its alumni.

“NISH has always been big on giving back to its alumni,” said Bonin. “It was a great opportunity to bring guys back into the gym and give the public a chance to see these athletes play again while at the same time, helping out the future of the girls’ basketball program.”