Summer basketball tips off 43rd season with growing numbers

Summer basketball tips off 43rd season with growing numbers

HVRHS’s Henry Berry dunks in practice.

Simon Markow

TORRINGTON — When Bill Notaro could not find anywhere for his kid to play summer basketball in 1982, he ended up founding what is known today as the Torrington Summer Basketball League.

The league began its 43rd season in June at Vogel-Wetmore School in Torrington, one of the league’s three venues alongside Forman School in Litchfield and the famous Torrington Armory. Girls and boys from 5th grade through high school compete in highly competitive and entertaining games until August, when a champion for each division is crowned.

The league now has 51 teams — eight more than last year — but still about 20 shy of pre-pandemic levels.

Notaro has rekindled participation, and the league is becoming increasingly competitive. “Last year was probably the strongest the league had been in a while,” said Notaro. “There were so many battles and close games. It was really good.”

The Armory, the league’s longest standing home, boasts a shiny new floor this year. True to tradition, there’s still no air conditioning. When the temperature rises, games are hot and sweaty; players emerge glistening like a glazed donut, and not because Dunkin’ is a league sponsor.

Despite the sweltering heat, kids return each year because it gives them the chance to sharpen their skills for the fall season.

“The high school coaches like the feeder system, they like their younger kids playing,” Notaro explained. “And most of the summer leagues don’t deal with 5th and 6th grades boys and girls and the 7th and 8th grade boys and girls”

Both the Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s boys and girls teams will be returning for another season, looking to improve their performance after finishing in the lower half of the standings last summer.

Games are running nightly at the Armory, Forman or Vogel, with some nights featuring simultaneous action at all three venues. Schedules are available at www.quickscores.com/torringtonct.

Latest News

Blues and bloodlines: The Devon Allman Project at Infinity Hall Norfolk

Devon Allman

Venla Shalin

On Friday, Aug. 15, The Devon Allman Project will play Infinity Hall in Norfolk. As the son of the legendary musician Gregg Allman, Devon carries on the family tradition while stepping out on his own.

“We’re honored to keep the tradition alive,” said Allman. “But I don’t play my records and try to compare them to records from 50 years ago. I try to write songs that mean something to me, and hopefully they’ll resonate with other people.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Peggy Ann McEnroe

AMENIA — Peggy Ann McEnroe, 60, a lifelong area resident, passed away surrounded by her family on Aug. 4, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie, New York.Peggy Ann was the owner and operator of Peggy’s Sweet & Savory café in Amenia, New York (formerly known as Back in the Kitchen).

Peggy had a passion for food and travel and her creativity and generosity knew no bounds. Born on Dec. 10, 1964, in Sharon, Connecticut, she was the daughter of the late William Thomas McEnroe and Caroline Ann McEnroe.She was a graduate of Our Lady of Lourdes High School and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from SUNY Purchase.

Keep ReadingShow less
Evelyn Ann Moody Lamberti

WASSAIC — Evelyn Ann Moody Lamberti, 87, passed away July 13, 2025, in Barre, Vermont.

Born on Dec. 13, 1937, in Hartford, Connecticut to Hazen and Helen Moody, she spent her early years in Wassaic, New York and graduated from the first graduating class of Webutuck Central High School in 1955. She attended New Paltz College and then worked for the Dutchess County Supervisors Office in Poughkeepsie, New York.She married David Lamberti on Oct. 10, 1959, in Wassaic and moved to Vermont.

Keep ReadingShow less
Caroline (Lynn) P. Chase

SOUTHFIELD, Mass — Lynn Chase of Southfield, Massachusetts, passed away on July 30, 2025, at Berkshire Medical Center after a courageous seven-month battle with an aggressive cancer. Despite the challenges, Lynn continued to inspire those around her with her strength and determination.

How do you begin to talk about the extraordinary life of Lynn Chase?

Keep ReadingShow less