Greg Strickling has been asked to coach the big boys.

The Sedona Red Rock High School boys varsity basketball coach will be a coach for the NBA-sanctioned Summer Pro League this July in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles Summer Pro League is in its 40th year as the premier summer showcase for basketball’s up and coming undiscovered players.

College players, players in the NBA Developmental League, or players in the international basketball league compete in this showcase to impress NBA general managers and scouts for a chance to get a professional contract.

According to its website, the Summer Pro League has launched the careers of more than 800 NBA players and 1,000 free agent players’ careers, including then-17-year-old Kobe Bryant.

Last season, 18 players from the league secured professional basketball contracts, including one NBA contract. It consisted of 16 pro free-agent teams, three All-Star professional teams from well established basketball leagues and foreign pro teams from Japan and China.

“It was really exciting to be asked to coach,” Strickling said. “It’s definitely an honor to be asked to coach in that type of environment, to coach professional athletes.”

For the full story, please see the Friday, June 28, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.