5TH ANNUAL EST SUMMER KICKOFF: Info & Registration

5th Annual EST Summer Kickoff

*** THIS EVENT IS CURRENTLY AT CAPACITY. ALL SUBMITTED REGISTRATION NOW ENSURES YOUR SPOT ON THE WAIT LIST! ***

Site: Poole Athletic Center @ The Albany Academies (Albany, NY)
Date: Fri, June 10, 2022
Time: 5:00-9:00 (two separate sessions – 5-7 & 7-9 – athlete’s choice on first-come first-serve basis)
For: Girls in Classes of 2023-2025 (9th-11th grade)
Cost: $75
Registration (done/submitted online): https://jeffmlinar.wufoo.com/forms/q3zv1z60urqvbs/
Payment: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=E257RSGFS7CYU

315 Royalty came through 2021’s Summer Kickoff, held at Accelerate Sports Complex in the Utica area. Jackie Piddock (left) graduates as Section 3’s all-time leading scorer (girl or boy) before heading to Marist; Kaia Henderson (right) finished with well over 2,000 points herself before graduating a semester early to head to Ohio State. Both were EST event participants since middle school.

The overall expansion of EST and its events has been a wonderful thing. Over the last 18 months, instead of specifically the Albany area base, one-day events have taken place in Scranton (times 3), Utica (about to be times 2), and most recently Rochester. However, it feels great to bring one back around to the backyard.

The Summer Kickoff became the first large-scale EST one-day event, and that started right from its inaugural year in 2017. Now, the 5th Annual EST Summer Kickoff returns to its 518 roots for 2022. It’ll be held at the new Poole Athletic Center @ The Albany Academies in Albany, NY on Friday, June 10. This will be a TWO SESSION EVENT, with sessions running from approximately 5-7 & 7-9 PM. Session placement is athlete’s choice, and like registration in general, is taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. Each session will be capped perhaps at 40 & no greater than 50 athletes.

Competition runs the show at the Summer Kickoff, especially with the two-hour session in mind. It will include an extended stretch of 3v3 play to not only allow participants to get into a rhythm & provide a different look, but also to maximize “in-game reps” for all players. 3v3 play also consistently proves to be a particularly valuable evaluation tool. There will also be traditional structured 5v5 run, with rosters geared to be competitive for all participants.

EST events have turned into a prime opportunity to gain exposure & visibility to collegiate programs and other valuable outlets on a prospect’s journey, such as scouting services & basketball-specific media outlets. Events typically see college coaches attend by the dozens, and since the return to play after the pandemic shutdown, for every coach in the gym, there’s been another that subscribes to the ‘virtual option’ of event game film. The Summer Kickoff has historically been the most well-attended by college coaches when in the 518. EST aims to provide meaningful exposure in a competitive environment – in order to “showcase”, you need to be able to “show” someone. They have provided that in a major way, and June 10 will be no different!

Event days are some of my favorite days of the year, and I’m really looking forward to bringing the Summer Kickoff back to the Albany area in 2022. Registration & payment links are at the top of the page, and a registered player list (updated daily, or at least as often as I can get to it) will be posted directly below. Hope to see you at Academy on June 10!

It was great to see the “alum” come through during 2021’s Summer Kickoff in Utica. Bella Stuart (New Hampshire), Haedyn Roberts (Le Moyne), and Belle Kranbuhl (Monmouth), all 2020 high school grads and 3-4 year EST event participants, were among those in the building at Accelerate.

REGISTERED PLAYER LIST (updated as time allows)

Elizabeth Aiossa (5’10”, 2023)
Hayley Beebe (5’3″, 2023)
Kathleen Birmingham (5’10”, 2023)
Molly Boek (6’0″, 2023)
Jaidyn Chest (5’4″, 2023)
Natasha Chudy (6’2″, 2023; Lafayette commit)
Natalee Collins (5’11”, 2023)
Briana Dorr (5’7″, 2023)
Caroline Entwistle (5’8″, 2023)
Kassidy Flayter (5’10”, 2023)
Bella Franchi (5’8″, 2023)
Lily Funk (6’0″, 2023)
Isabella Gilmore (5’11”, 2023)
Chloe Hanson (5’11”, 2023)
Sydney Hart (5’9″, 2023)
Bailee Lange (5’6″, 2023)
Kate McDonough (6’2″, 2023)
Leah Middleton (5’11”, 2023)
Delaney More (5’11”, 2023)
Schuylar Nolan (5’5″, 2023)
Ava Pearson (5’5″, 2023)
Megan Perrine (6’1″, 2023)
Maddy Ramsgard (5’5″, 2023)
Meagan Schuermann (5’9″, 2023)
Amari Scott (5’8″, 2023)
Ella Wilson (5’7″, 2023)
Carlie Young (5’9″, 2023)
Logan Allen (5’5″, 2024)
Lillian Bentley (6’0″, 2024)
Katie Boyd (5’6″, 2024)
Natalie Bush (5’7″, 2024)
Ellie Cerf (5’6″, 2024)
Ella Chandler (6’0″, 2024)
Kelli Cieplicki (5’9″, 2024)
Ellie Clearwater (5’6″, 2024)
Grace Cozzens (5’11”, 2024)
Julia Decker (5’6″, 2024)
Sydney Delisle (5’3″, 2024)
Alex Dembinsky (5’8″, 2024)
Sam Dembinsky (5’9″, 2024)
Emily Dingmon (5’9″, 2024)
Desiree DuBois (5’11”, 2024)
Zarriah Eldridge (5’5″, 2024)
Natalie Fox (6’2″, 2024)
Ella Gennoy (5’11”, 2024)
Kaitlyn Hansen (5’10”, 2024)
Taylor Holohan (6’0″, 2024)
Niamh Kelly (5’7″, 2024)
Laci Lasicki (5’3″, 2024)
Elyse MacDonough (5’7″, 2024)
Kendall Mack (5’9″, 2024)
Gabrielle Martin (5’10”, 2024)
Kathleen McRobbie-Taru (5’10”, 2024)
Alex Moses (5’10”, 2024)
Nicole Norton (5’7″, 2024)
Hannah Polumbo (6’0″, 2024)
Alyssa Romano (5’5″, 2024)
Victoria Russo (5’8″, 2024)
Hailey Shalor (5’6″, 2024)
Abby Stuart (5’7″, 2024)
Gabby Stuart (5’6″, 2024)
Natalie Tucker (5’4″, 2024)
Tatiana Tune (5’9″, 2024)
Bella Vincent (5’9″, 2024)
Kayleigh Ahern (5’7″, 2025)
Kayla Beaudoin (5’9″, 2025)
Morgan Brewer (5’9″, 2025)
Shea Canavan (5’6″, 2025)
Brenna Ducatte (5’7″, 2025)
Gwen Ford (5’3″, 2025)
Sarah Gaetano (5’3″, 2025)
Peyton Guay (5’7″, 2025)
Lizzie Hansen (5’1″, 2025)
Emilie Kent (6’0″, 2025)
Emma Litchfield (5’10”, 2025)
Sydney Pleat (5’8″, 2025)
Ashley Redd (5’10”, 2025)
Kaitlyn Robbins (5’10”, 2025)
Ava Sandroni (5’8″, 2025)
Ava Scaturro (5’3″, 2025)
Mackenzie Sherburne (5’5″, 2025)
Emily Thornton (5’10”, 2025)
Ari Verardi (5’7″, 2025)
Grace Villnave (5’9″, 2025)
Lily Wohlleber (5’10”, 2025)

*** All cancellations up to 24 hours from event start time will be honored with either a refund or credit to future event. Due to the amount of work put into event prep, including specific team placement to maximize level of competition & enhance experience for all participants – and the sheer headache that a last-minute backout provides due to having to rework teams – ANY CANCELLATION WITHIN 24 HOURS OF EVENT TIME IS NOT SUBJECT TO REIMBURSEMENT. Also, any no-call/no-show may impact your ability to participate in future EST events! ***