Northampton boys’ basketball coach Coy Stampone always has cherished his team’s involvement in summer leagues, using it as a proving ground for the upcoming winter season.

This summer Stampone has taken the same approach, but the emphasis is more on keeping a busy schedule.

The Konkrete Kids recently competed in Allentown’s Cedar Beach Bash, a tournament that attracted some of the top teams in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. They finished with an overall 3-2 mark, losing to Allen in a consolation game.

“We turned the ball over too many times against Allen,” said Stampone. “But we had a nice run in the tournament. We had a solid game against Glen Mills as we beat them by 25. We might have been a little tired at the end.”

Stampone is optimistic that his team’s busy schedule can help alleviate some team miscues.

“We were inconsistent at times,” he stated. “We have to cut down on our unforced turnovers and things that we can control. We have some guys stepping into bigger roles for us.”

Incoming senior Aidan Elwood continues to have a strong summer as he’s paced the team in scoring and has helped meld some chemistry in the lineup. Fellow seniors Mike Torres and Corey Weisenberger also have been playing well.

“We had those three out there with two sophomores,” said Stampone. “We wanted to put as many guys in different situations. We also wanted to play as many teams outside of the normal teams that we see during the season.

“We’re trying to play very athletic teams and as many games as we can. The more different team we can see, the better team we likely can become.”

As well as getting back to play in the Allentown Summer League, where they have an overall 3-3 record, the Kids will travel to East Stroudsburg University this coming weekend to participate in their “shootout,” a tournament over the weekend. The Kids earlier played in a similar format at Millersville University.

Stampone chose the “shootout” format instead of their usual team camp at Albright University. It is a matter of giving his team several different looks during the summer. Stampone is positive his team can jell and make a push to get back to the district playoffs.

“We chose the shootouts in lieu of the team camp,” said Stampone. “We want to play as many different teams as we can, especially those out of our area. We’re getting a lot of games this summer and it is helping our team.

“Our kids have been working hard and coming together. I think we’ll be OK.”