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The Legend of Closed Gyms



It's been said that back in the late 80's-early 90's, a group of ten or more men would gather together in the name of basketball.  These men were asked to attend these "Open Gyms" because they:
     1) were reliable
     2) were competitive
     3) would cause no arguments
     4) loved to play
​Because phone calls were placed to specific individuals on an invitation-only basis, a significant fact was brought to the operator's attention:  "Hey, these aren't Open Gyms," and thus the Closed Gyms were born.

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Closed Gyms Timeline

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1990s: Invite-Only Pick Up Games Start Being Run by Kole Knueppel

Kole Knueppel is the godfather of Closed Gyms, although at the time they had no such name.  Kole would secure a gym or park and call his buddies one by one using a rotary phone.

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1998: Kon Knueppel Continues the Tradition

As a participant in these invite-only runs, Kon began to organize pick up games of his own.  He often called his guys over his lunch break ​from the friendly confines of his office at Harold S. Vincent H.S.  In those days he didn't need a contact list, as he called those numbers so much they were all memorized.

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2000: The Term "Closed Gyms" is Coined by Ben Spector

As a long time participant, Ben eventually pointed out the obvious.  Read the "Legend of Closed Gyms" above.

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2004: Chari and Kon Knueppel Start Closed Gym League (CGL) for Men

If Kole is the godfather of the original Closed Gyms, then Klint Knueppel is the godfather of CGL.  
Klint brainstormed what was to become the "anti-rec league".  NBA-length games without rec league-level officials.  CGL uses a draft format to foster league parity.

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2016: Chari and Kon Knueppel Begin Closed Gyms 3-on-3

In the summer of 2016, players from Kindergarten through 8th grade were brought together just to play!
No coaching.  No parents yelling.  Just kids playing basketball.

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2016: Closed Gyms AAU Program Begins

With 5 boys, Program Directors Kon & Chari Knueppel decided to start Closed Gyms AAU as a way to keep their sanity and avoid the madness of typical travel team basketball.

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2024: Chari and Kon Stop Running Closed Gyms AAU Program

With 5 boys entering different stages in their basketball careers (one in college, two in high school, with two to follow soon, Kon & Chari decide to stop running Closed Gyms AAU.

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2025: Andy and Rachel Rebholz Take Over Closed Gyms AAU

Kon and Chari continue to run the men’s league and they allow the Rebholz’s to keep the Closed Gyms AAU name alive.