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Ongoing economic concerns have led St. Vincent Pallotti High School to curtail summer activities for its athletic teams.

Normally a staple in the Rock League at High Point High each summer, the Pallotti boys' basketball team withdrew from the league this year because of the school's budgetary constraints.

"We just chose to do one summer league because with the economy being so bad, we weren't trying to put that much pressure on the parents," said Pallotti boys' basketball coach Shae Johnson. "Usually the school pays for it, but this year the school could not."

Pallotti Assistant Principal Rick Diggs, who oversees athletics at the school, said financial cutbacks in athletics are just one of the cost-saving measures the school has enacted.

"Most private schools have had to make some decisions on the budget," Diggs said. "One of the decisions we made was that we were no longer going to fund summer leagues for athletic teams, at least temporarily. We did not want to burden the families to pay for this. We've done a number of things trying to keep tuition as low as possible. We've made some adjustments to get by through these tough times."

The Pallotti boys' basketball team is participating in the Annapolis Area Christian Summer League, composed largely of public and private schools from Anne Arundel County. The Panthers were 7-2 in the league, which started its playoffs on Wednesday after The Gazette went to press.

The team has been able to participate in the Annapolis Area Christian league due mainly to its modest team fee of $600. Johnson said participating in the Rock League would have cost the team more than $1,000.

Diggs said the school usually honors athletic teams' requests for summer budgets. But in hopes of not having to eliminate any of its athletic programs, Diggs said the school let coaches and teams know that funds were not going to be available this summer. He said the school hopes to be able to fund summer athletic programs again within the next few years.

Pallotti Athletic Director Steve Walker said no other teams at the school made summer league plans that they were forced to cancel due to the financial crunch.

Some of Pallotti's boys' basketball players said it was unfortunate the team had to withdraw from the Rock League, which is widely regarded as the most competitive summer league in the area.

"It was a big letdown," said rising senior guard Keith Charles. "When I found out we weren't in the Rock League, I was kind of shocked because that was the only summer league I was used to doing since I came here as a freshman. I know playing in that league makes us stronger by playing some of those teams in it."

Johnson said he was going to try to maximize summer practice with the team after it concludes play in the Annapolis Area Christian league. Maryland Independent Athletic Association rules allow for coaches to have three hours of contact per week with their teams during the summer. Johnson said he planned to focus heavily on running drills and simulating game situations.

Rising senior guard Darrien Thomas said the team's leaders, like rising senior forwards Leslie Addy and Eric Washington, along with Charles and himself will have to handle more responsibility.

"We have to try to step up and be leaders ourselves instead of relying on [coach Johnson] all of the time," Thomas said. "The players talk about that sometimes. I think our job this summer will be just helping out with the younger people and working on our game. I think we have a lot of potential although we haven't really shown it yet. I think we just need to practice more."

The Panthers hope the addition of transfer Keron Shields, a rising senior guard who spent last season at Towson Catholic, will help bolster an experienced lineup. Pallotti lost to St. Mary's, 62-60, in the MIAA B Conference title game last season.

"This summer is going to be different," Johnson said. "We will get to spend some time together. We want to work on a lot of drills and a lot of the basic skills work. I think if we get everybody back healthy and have a good summer, I think we could have a good chance at a championship."

E-mail Terron Hampton at thampton@gazette.net.