Darrell Griffith helped put Dirt Bowl on map. Here are 10 best this summer at Shawnee Park

Before Jeril Taylor and Chris Coffey graced Cornell Bradley Court to play in the Dirt Bowl, there was Darrell Griffith and Butch Beard. Dallas Thornton, Ron King and Gerald Gray — other Louisville legends — suited up, too, in the nation's second-oldest summer basketball tournament.

For the uninitiated, the Dirt Bowl originated in June 1969 when college students-turned-Algonquin Park supervisors Ben Watkins and Janice Miller organized pickup games in the aftermath of the 1968 riots. They later switched the format to a summer basketball tournament, and games are played Saturdays and Sundays. The Dirt Bowl name honors the dirt surrounding Algonquin Park, where the tournament started. In 1970, the Dirt Bowl moved to Shawnee Park.

More than 20 teams are competing this summer with the hopes of reaching Super Sunday on Aug. 4, when a champion will be crowned.

Here are the 10 best players (in no particular order) gracing Shawnee Park this summer:

Markelo Sullivan

Markelo Sullivan, a Fairdale and Union College product, recently finished his college career as an all-conference pick. The Louisville native, who scored 33 points against GOC (3-2) in the Dirt Bowl to earn Player of the Week honors, plays for the Trael Blazers (4-1).

Sam Powell

Sam Powell is an Oldham County product who played for Freed-Hardeman, an NAIA championship program. He plays for the Bluegrass Kings (3-2).

Jermaine Jackson

Jermaine Jackson scored 1,786 points at Iroquois High School and more than 1,600 at Florida Tech. He is playing for We Them 1s (4-1).

LaMontray Harris

PRP alum LaMontray Harris is playing professionally in Europe. Harris, who scored 1,084 points for Morehead State, is playing for East End (4-1).

Charles Foster

Charles Foster was part of Trinity's 2012 state championship team, the first in Shamrocks history to win a state title. He played for Vincennes, making consecutive NJCAA Final Four appearances, East Carolina and Kentucky Wesleyan. He is playing for Parkhill (4-1) in the Dirt Bowl.

Terrell Howard

Terrell Howard, a Western alum, also played for Jefferson Community College and Central Georgia Tech. He plays for the Trael Blazers (4-1).

Raekwon Evans

Raekwon Evans, a Valley High School product, left Midway as the all-time leading scorer in program history. He plays professionally in Portugal and is playing in the Dirt Bowl with Down to Win (2-3).

Reggie Breeden

Reggie Breeden, a Moore product, played collegiately at Kentucky State and is playing with Newburg (2-3).

Jeril Taylor

Taylor, a PRP product, is playing for East End (4-1) after a successful career at Rend Lake College, where he won an NJCAA championship. He went on to play at Southern Indiana, where he was an All-American and Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year.

Chris Coffey

Coffey, a Georgetown College alum, plays for Down to Win (2-3). He earned a national championship and NAIA Player of the Year honors with Georgetown in 2019. Coffey also has played in The Basketball Tournament with Team Arkansas and has played in the NBA Summer League with the Golden State Warriors.

Reach sports reporter Brooks Warren at bwarren@gannett.com and follow him on X at @Broookksss.