From April until November every year, college basketball players dont have a spotlight to shine in. Once March Madness wraps, its nothing but crickets for the thousands of players from the NAIA to DI. Thats eight months of not being seen. No crowds. No scouts. In an era where being visible to the right program means major NIL deals on the table, the Real Run L.A. College Summer League has become so vital.
The journey began in the late 90s when the Real Runs founder, Deanthony Langston, kicked off the summer league for graduating high school seniors and local L.A. legends who were home from campus, guys like John Williams, Reggie Theus and Stephen Thompson. Over the years, the pro-am became a revolving door for NBA greats, too; Paul Pierce, Baron Davis, Penny Hardaway and Gilbert Arenas mixed in with Cal State Northridges Jason Crowe, UCLAs Toby Bailey and Washington States Dominic Ellison. The competition wasnt just legit, it was must-see.
Between working as the athletic director at Verbum Dei High School, heading up the summer league and running his own AAU program, Langston was ingrained across all three levels of hoops in the L.A. area. But he still saw a need, a league dedicated solely to the college players who called the greater Los Angeles area home. And for the past five years, Langston, local rappers and key leaders across the community have filled that need.
For the next eight weeks, the Real Run L.A. College Summer League is providing a platform for the regions best to continue competing, developing and getting real exposure. And in true West Coast fashion, each of the 10 teams are repped by local hip-hop and R&B artists from BLXST to The Game, Dom Kennedy, Symba, Reason and more.
The league is back on June 22nd with even more resources for players of new and old. Chase Bank and JP Morgan have partnered with the league to offer financial literacy services, while the City of Carsons sponsorship is providing connections off the hardwood.
Were trying to have more than just a basketball league coming in there, free for the community. Were trying to give them something that they can really learn from. If somebody taught us like this, a lot of us would be better off right now, foundationally, Langston says. Theres so many different things that we can do to help it because Southern California basketball is the best in the country. And the only way that you can say that is by how many pros that weve produced and how many are projected out in the future.
The Veterans Park Sports and Complex in Carson, CA, where the games are held, has been churning out both pros and second chances for years. Just ask Jeremy Dent-Smith, the third-year returner whos gone from being a CCAA champion with Cal State Dominguez Hills to suiting up for Stanford next season.
L.A. sometimes is so big that you might not always have the attention of someone else. Its a lot of diamonds in the rough out here, Jeremy says. So just being able to play against them, being able to get good bump and hoop, its kind of amazing to me.
After being overlooked by the major programs on the West Coast, Jeremy began his freshman year at the Division 2 level in Carson, averaging 6.3 points per game. He could have been jealous, could have doubted himself. Instead, he shifted his perspective to be thankful and patient for what you have. And he used the Real Runs as his lab.
The 6-1 point guard proceeded to take home CCAA Player of the Year as a sophomore, win the CCAA championship as a junior and snag back-to-back All-American honors in the process.
When I would come into the runs wanting to play against them dudes who went off to college, went off to the DI [that] I wanted to go to, I think that helped motivate me every time I stepped onto the court because I wanted to beat them or I wanted to show that I was better than them. Just being able to play against that every single weekend, every single Saturday, its something that not too many people in the world get.
With two summers in the league under his belt, the Hawthorne native isnt the only one whos been using the runs to expand their net of possibilities. Newly signed San Francisco guard Meghan McIntyres been suiting up since the Real Run added a womens league in 2023.
Getting to play with other girls that are top-tier talent that you wouldnt normally play with is such a cool experience, she says. Its something that obviously helps in the offseason. Try new things, kind of showcase what youve been working on in the spring and summer to prepare you to go to [the] next step later on in the next year and for other athletes as well.
Operating with freedom in the runs has given her more reps at balancing the scales of a point guards responsibilities. Who needs the rock and when? Whos on a streak? When can you get yours?
Its a hard balance, but its something I love. And Im passionate about my position as a point guard, being able to make the right read, whether it is scoring or making the right pass, Meghan says. So playing in the league allows me to kind of come in and not really think too much. Just get out there and kind of showcase what Ive been working on and gain that confidence so that, when the time comes for the season, its no thinking. Its just happening.
The 5-6 Long Beach native has been making it happen for each team shes been on over the past four seasons, from Golden West Community College and Orange Coast CC to landing at Southern Oregon in 2023. In between seasons, shes been testing her growth in the Real Runs. And in her first year at the NAIA level, Meghan led the Raiders to the conference regular season and tournament championships. In her senior year, they recorded the first undefeated regular season in Cascade Conference history and advanced to the NAIA Final 8. The confidence built into her game from the past two summers has led to her final college chapter taking place at the DI level and back in her home state, hooping with the Dons.
Those stories right there about those kids is the essence of Real Run, Langston says. They were All-League in high school, but they were forgotten by USC, UCLA, Long Beach State, Arizona State, they were forgotten. And their redemption is a motherfu**er coming back right here.
The theme of finding opportunities has been consistent since the college summer league debuted. Los Angeles native Doctor Bradleys been using the past two summers to make a name for himself following a long and winding path across numerous campuses.
After redshirting with Cal State Fullerton and playing a reserved role in his debut campaign, Doctor transferred to Salt Lake Community College for a season before landing at New Mexico State. It wasnt until his junior year at Arkansas-Pine Bluff that his game began to blossom. The 6-8 guard went from dropping 5.3 points a game as a freshman to dropping 19.6 with ease as a junior. His breakout season has landed him at Bethune-Cookman for the 2025-26 campaign.
In between the various stops across the country, Doctors been using the Real Runs to fine-tune his confidence as he arrives at each new program.
I work on my game the whole summer, and then Im going to my new school, it helps me boost my confidence playing well against top talent in the college community, Doctor says. Ive been working on my jumper this whole summer and [now] I get to try it and work out with the best college players, with the L.A. community, and see how I am now.
Doctors not just motivated by his ascension, hes trying to put on for the kids sitting in the stands in Carson. He wants to be an example. He wants them to learn from his story. Just keep going.
I feel like people get motivated in different ways. Like, if you see somebody go through the worst and make it out, then that could motivate somebody more than somebody just telling somebody, You got it. Keep going. But if you actually see a person going through a lot of trauma and a lot of ups and downs and making it out, then that can motivate somebody even more, Doctor says. I feel like even second chances, second chances are different for everybody. The Real Run. The Real Run is a second chance for me because it gives you the opportunity to even get another scholarship. Players make names from there. I cant just always count down and think negatively. I just have to have that faith and keep going.
Every Saturday for the next eight weeks, word of mouth will spread the stories of L.A.s next undiscovered stars. Scholarships and offers are on the horizon. But this space, built for college hoopers to keep their games sharp in the offseason, is about more than getting to the next stop. Its about prolonged success afterward. The connections made in the gym. The knowledge picked up during virtual learning sessions. Deanthony Langston and the Real Runs are still fulfilling the need.
Photos courtesy of Real Run L.A.
