Comments on: Interview with CEO of EBC, Greg Marius

By: Fred Brown

Fred Brown — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:09:27 +0000

Hey Bobbito,
What’s up Greg,
This is a good look. Many people don’t know the history of the ebc and often confuse it with the pro rucker. It is very difficult to run a tournament and get the top players to play consistantly. So to have a tournament exist for 28 years and for at least 23/24 years the park is packed where there is no standing room is special.I was one of the players packin the park in the 80s as well as having a team for 20 years. Other people along the way helped with the success of the ebc. (coahes,sponsors,community & the players. There’s enough room and love for many tournaments to be successful and there are some. To get back to that level Greg has to get the 8th ave basketball admirers,the past/present players, coaches and sponsors to want to come back to the park and that’s easier said than done. Good luck Greg!

By: doan

doan — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 06:29:13 +0000

fuuull hudooo

By: d-wizzle

d-wizzle — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 17:14:47 +0000

bx baller: thanks for the kind words lol, im not trying to sound like im writing off ebc, theyve been doin this for so many years and its hard to just count them out, but with the trend thats been happening since basically the 03/04 ebc season when they had that incredible season in 2003 with the whole fat joe/jay-z thing and 04 with ebc america, alot has happened, maybe people havent forgotten about NOT seeing possibly the greatest streetball chip in history take place in 2003 at ebc…i dont know but what i know is that fans are taking notice at other locations, the door has opened up for alot of t’ments now, things are changing and times are changing too and we’re rolling into a new modern era of streetball, HITS has stepped their game up, dyckman stepped their game up, pro city, tri-state, even a few summers ago we were sayin the same about kingdome takin ebc’s spot as #1 and i honestly feel kingdome falls into that ebc category as fallen off as well but their situation was totally different than ebc’s, unless they can get their music back on and games back on at night and bring back what they had in 05/06 then i dont see kingdome making a strong comeback…most of these t’ments are in competition with one another and rightfully so but i doubt theyll admit it, 2008 was a great summer at majority of t’ments, well just see where 2009 takes us

By: Bx Baller

Bx Baller — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:53:42 +0000

I applaud you d-wizzle you seem to know what yu are talking about1 and sounds like fan of the game.it is sad to say that this”peter guy” is on the ebc staff as you can see by what he has written.He is talkinf on about what ebc HASDONE IN THE PAST!,but as jaet sang “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR ME LATELY”

Plain and simple greg went away from what got him there,just simply running a basketball tournament.He went hollywood and that is why his fan base went to kingdome,and 45st! and even 119 st too! People were getting in line and standing for like two hours to watch a game! and get frisked and have the whole police watch every move you make.

As for the top 8 teams give me a break! teams just didn’t want to go there and play no more,even after greg lowered his entry fee to like 5k? Just face it his run is over and know it is time for change like Obama!

Big up hits,mouseykingdome and the best tourney inthe city pro city.

Thank you.

By: Peter Robert Casey

Peter Robert Casey — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:41:14 +0000

The Celtics had a 22 year decline and they’re back on top. Don’t count as out so quickly. We have injected new blood into the business and are focused as ever. We highly respect our peers at Dyckman, HITS, Pro City, Watson, etc. and we actually think it’s great for the game of basketball. We’re ambassadors of the game, much like Bounce itself. It’s great to see so many people on here from all around the world talking about basketball.

By: d-wizzle

d-wizzle — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:19:05 +0000

i can honestly say that we all know the ebc has had a decline over the past 3-4 yrs and in that time frame, other t’ments have stepped up and are looking to carry the torch of being the top elite t’ments in the city, just like ebc has done for many many years, noone can compare to ebc’s track record of celebs and nba stars and crowds it brought, but like our new pres says, “Change” is what we’re experiencing in NYC streetball, theres a change in the mainstream of NYC streetball where youre seeing t’ments being held in places from playgrounds, neighborhoods, parks and beaches. yea who wouldve thought streetball would make its way on a city beach? (incredible idea whomever came up with that!!!)

its incredible how the landscape has changed in the 21st century, and now youre seeing those t’ments who have sprung up since 2000, like hoops in the sun, watson, tri-state etc. are on the come up where as well you have other main-stayers like dyckman and pro city, but my point is that youre seeing a different direction as oppose to what ebc is giving you now a days, and people want to go where its “poppin” and where to see the best games and the best new young talent out there and just to see something different

ebc to me will always be that t’ment that people will always remember, especially the streetball pundits, but as we end 2008 and enter 2009, we’re in a different era, different time frame and are thirsting for something new, ebc i believe had its time and era as the “Mecca”

now with t’ments like dyckman, hoops in the sun, tri-state, pro city etc, ebc shouldn’t feel ashamed or dissapointed if any of these t’ments would take that seat at the top but these above t’ments are basically the future and the next go around of what we can expect to see for the next couple of years and trust me, these venues will be just as packed as ebc was in the 80’s, 90’s and early 00’s.

By: Peter Robert Casey

Peter Robert Casey — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 02:41:02 +0000

@ Bobbito: The pair of Brooks pictured above are actually listed on eBay right now!

No sneaker lines in the immediate future, but certainly on our radar as we broaden the brand.

Wish I was around to the guys from that era get down at the parks.

By: Peter Robert Casey

Peter Robert Casey — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:56:22 +0000

@Bx Baller: Thank you for reading the interview.

I think it’s safe to say that nobody is talking negatively about Greg Marius or the EBC because they understand and respect the fact that for over 28 years, Greg built the world’s most renowned summer tournament that has hosted David Stern, President Bill Clinton, Denzel Washington, Gabrielle Union, Faizon Love, Don Cheadle, Chris Brown, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Leon and Rhianna.

Let’s not forget the numerous NBA stars who sought out a run at the EBC. You know guys like Kobe Bryant, Baron Davis, Steve Francis, Sean Marion, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Allen Iverson, Kevin Garnett and Joe Smith, just to name a few.

A dip in attendance for a park that holds 1,200 spectators versus the bleacher capacity of 150 is like comparing MSG to my high school gym. If we brought our crowd to the smaller-sized hoops tournaments in NYC, the Fire Department would shut the venue down.

Let’s talk about 2009 though, when we bring the century old institution of AAU ball outdoors, host an international challenge with 3 European teams, and pull together the City’s best talent for Battle of Boroughs.

Since the EBC’s celebrity over the years caused a dozen or so new tournaments to spring up and borrow from the fixed supply of talent, we whittled our team participation down to the 8 best teams, with the best sponsors, and the best coverage.

We hope to have you visit the park in ‘09.

By: Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love

Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 01:36:04 +0000

jaquam-

the espn footage in the THE REAL DVD was actually of the 1980 Rucker Pro League Championship, not the EBC which as Greg points out above didn’t move to ‘55th until 1986. People often mistake the two leagues for being the same, however the only thing they share is the hallowed ground they’ve occupied and the love and respect of their respective era’s. if you want to get deeper into the specific history of each, pick up Bounce issue #6 which is still available through our online store which you click at the top menu above.

are those greg’s brooks in teh photo? still on stash? crazy!

greg or prc–is EBC still coming out with their own sneaker line? i saw a sample greg wore 2 summers ago.

shout out to Al. B who has held down the ebc mic for years. great dude, man.

and the mention of tip dog and mike boogie gives me a great feeling inside. those two had handles that were ridiculous. ridiculous. if only this modern youtube/mixtape generation could’ve seen the madness they were pulling off! legal, too! i got plenty stories. lamont and i ran together once, and i got to go up against his brother mike boogie in ray diaz on 100th st. those dudes are legendary entertainers in my book. for real. maybe not

By: Bx Baller

Bx Baller — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 23:29:20 +0000

How come no one has mentioned ‘that his tournament fell off’? and that mosey’s tri state was the top tourney in the city last year! and why you can get a seat anywhere at ebc now? Also did you ask him why is he trying to stop mousey from having the tri state removed from 145 st? Just asking so inquiring minds would like to know!