Marion basketball league grows its athletic community

MARION — After six years in town, the Embargo Summer League has grown from six to 16 teams and draws players from across the South Coast. 

The league held its championship game Sunday, Aug. 9 at Silvershell Beach, finishing up a season of growth and community. 

Dylan Rego, coach of the winning team All Season Services, said he’s seen the league gain many new players in the two years his team has been part of it.

“We love this league, and it's got a lot of potential and growth coming next year,” he said.

Dylan Cantara, of Fairhaven, and Michael Padro, of Marion, founded the league along with Andrew Bellemare, of Rochester, as a way to get players together over the summer and get outside during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cantara and Padro said they’re proud of how much the league has grown since it began in 2021. This year there were nearly 200 players from around 15 towns, including many current and former college athletes. 

“I can't believe it, honestly. We put in a lot of work in the past few years,” Cantara said. 

Much of that work involved building a strong social media presence, which Padro said has increased the league’s visibility.

They’ve also built a strong community among the players. Padro said there’s more players of a wider age range and from more towns, and league members spend time together on and off the court. 

“Every week we come out here, everyone's giving handshakes, everyone knows each other,” he said. “It's been a really good community. People see each other out in these local towns, and we all say what's up.”

He said there have been opportunities to move to several surrounding towns, but “we've always wanted to come back here.”

Jack LeBrun, a Mattapoisett School Committee member, has been part of the league since the beginning. He said he appreciates the opportunity to stay active and play the sport that he loves.

While the league has grown over the years, LeBrun said there’s still a “small town energy” to it.