The Twin Cities has long been home to high quality pro-am basketball but the current version of the Twin Cities Pro-Am League has taken things to a new level – creating an environment for fans and players that is truly a summer celebration of Minnesota hoops. The league will kick off its 2025 season on July 7 and culminate with a championship game on August 6 – the pro-am is returning to DeLaSalle High School after several years at Minnehaha Academy.
The First Pro-Am
While there have been a number of prominent summer basketball leagues in the Twin Cities over the years, (Augsburg, Pillsbury, Brothers Keepers, and JCC to name a few), the first true iteration of a pro-am league happened in 1988 with the introduction of the Minnesota NBA Pro-Am League that was held at the Salvation Army in St. Paul.
The league was run by longtime local referee and veteran Minnesota Timberwolves statistician, Bob Schoewe. The premise for the league was to build excitement and enthusiasm for professional basketball in the metro area, following the announcement that Minnesota would be awarded an NBA franchise that would begin play in 1989. The league featured 8 teams primarily made up of former college stars who worked in the Twin Cities area.
A few players of note include:
- Timo Saarelainen – unquestionably the best player in the league who averaged nearly 40 ppg. He was an athletic, 6’6 forward from BYU who was the WAC Player of the Year in 1985 and a 5th round draft choice of the Los Angeles Lakers. He was also a member of the Finnish National Team for 7 years.
- Darryl Mitchell – a former Parade High School All-American and All-Big Ten guard for the Gophers’ 1982 Big Ten Championship team
- Kevin Smith – former Gopher and McDonald’s All-American from Lansing, Michigan
- Keith French – a spectacular dunker who helped lead North Park, Illinois to two NCAA Division 3 titles and was a 9th round draft choice of the Phoenix Suns.
- Steve Lingenfelter and Chris Engler – two big men that were local high school standouts at Bloomington Jefferson and Stillwater, respectively, who went on to outstanding college careers as well as brief stints in the NBA.
While regular season crowds were modest, select games were televised on local Cable TV and the mid-season All-Star Game (with Slam Dunk and 3-Point Contests) was well attended and drew local media coverage.
The Pulley Era
The next version of the pro-am was the Howard Pulley Pro City League which launched in 1989 and ran for more than 20 years. The league was founded by Rene Pulley, one of Minnesota’s basketball icons. It’s fair to say that no one has done more to promote and elevate the game of basketball in Minnesota than Pulley. In addition to the Pro City League, he also founded the Howard Pulley Panthers AAU program which has allowed many of Minnesota’s top high school players to showcase their talents on the national stage as part of Nike’s EYBL program.
The Pulley era of the pro-am spent time at several locations, including the Salvation Army, the former Minneapolis Central High School and the High-Performance Academy in Eagan. In addition, the league hosted its 1997 All-Star Game at the Target Center.
The talent and competition continued to improve as the league featured an increasing number of NBA and overseas professionals. Headliners included local legends like Khalid El-Amin and Troy Bell, former Timberwolves players Chris Carr, Trenton Hassell, Troy Hudson and Ndudi Ebi (editor’s note – perhaps worst draft pick in Wolves history) as well as former Gopher standouts Quincy Lewis, Vincent Grier, Voshon Lenard, Bobby Jackson, Melvin Newbern, Randy Carter, Arriel McDonald and Richard Coffey. Based on NCAA and school rules, Gopher players weren’t always allowed to play in the pro-am league but when they did it certainly led to a spike in attendance and fan interest.
For those interested in a tour down memory lane you can still find some of the Howard Pulley Pro City All-Star games on YouTube.
Enter Jamar Diggs
In 2016, former DeLaSalle and Wofford star Jamar Diggs returned home after playing overseas and was looking for some high- level competition to stay in shape during the summer offseason. While pick-up ball was certainly an option, he concluded that it was time to resurrect the summer pro-am, like the Howard Pulley league he had played in when he was younger. Under his leadership, and with the managerial assistance of JW Person, he launched the Twin Cities Pro-Am League at DelaSalle High School.
The first year established a solid foundation for the league then it got a welcome bump in interest the following year when Gopher coach, Richard Pitino allowed his players to participate – including standouts like Amir Coffey and Jordan Murphy as well as prized recruit and internet sensation, Isaiah Washington of New York City Jelly Fam fame. This led to greater interest and bigger crowds.
The league continued to grow and became a must-see attraction when it moved to Minnehaha Academy several years ago. The talent on display is at a level never seen before in Minnesota.
Rosters filled with:
- NBA veterans like Mike Muscala, David Roddy, Jalen Suggs, Tyus Jones, Tre Jones, Daniel Oturu, Rashad Vaughn, McKinley Wright and Jamison Battle.
- Overseas pros including Zach Lofton, Anthony Tucker, Jordan Taylor, Geno Crandall, Quinton Hooker, Calvin Wishart, Anders Nelson, Taylor Braun, and Booker Coplin.
- Local high school standouts like Jackson McAndrew, Tre Holloman, Daniel Freitag, Jack Robison, Cash Chavis and Jayden Moore.
In addition, there have been regular guest appearances by Timberwolves players like Josh Minott, Nathan Knight, Wendell Moore Jr., Jaden McDaniels, and Luka Garza, who electrified the crowd last year with a league record 59- point performance. Current Wolves guard, Jaylen Clark, has already teased on social media that he and potentially some of his teammates will be making appearances this summer.
While the opportunity to see high level basketball is the main draw, the Twin Cities Pro-Am has done an excellent job of creating a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. There is a DJ hype man, contests, concessions and special promotions, like two years ago when former Hopkins legends, Paige Bueckers and Amaya Battle served as guest coaches. In addition, the players are very approachable and spend considerable time signing autographs or taking photos. And did I mention that admission is FREE!!!!
Minnesota basketball has never been better so I would strongly encourage you to take a trip to the Island this summer and see some great hoops. You can find the schedule at www.twincitiesproam.com and be sure to follow the league on Instagram at @twincitiesproam.
About the Author
As Hoop Habits’ media contributor, Roger Johnson brings decades of basketball expertise to his articles. Having served as a marketing executive at Wells Fargo & Company and a content writer for Ultimate Hoops, Roger’s true passion has always been basketball. With experience as a collegiate player at Moorhead State University, coach, and parent of successful players, Roger offers unique insights into the game. His dedication shows through his Minnesota Timberwolves season tickets, University of Minnesota basketball support, and attendance at over 3,000 basketball games throughout his lifetime.