Summer ball in NYC is all about watching our up-and-coming young guys emerge as players and mature as people. Seeing a kid labeled as a hothead take a teammate to the side after he commits a turnover, lets us know he’s growing. Watching a budding-big man grab an offensive rebound and finish strong with two hands means he’s ready to handle anything. This is the process one of New York’s best young talents had to go through.“When I was younger my uncle had me playing in unlimited leagues,” said Villanova forward Antonio Pena. “Or he’d have me playing against older guys like Jamel Thomas and I would hold my own. There were times when I’d get muscled but I learned not to let anyone bully me.”

Tournaments like Soul in the Hole, Citywide, Dean Street and Kingdome, raised him to be aggressive and grow up early on the blacktop. It didn’t hurt that the lead guard he usually ran with was pretty decent too.

“Playing with a guard like Bassy and in such a guard oriented place like New York, my main thing was just being able to run with them and catch their passes,” said the former Lincoln standout.

As a Brooklyn boy, even though he played all over the city, Pena was more at home in the bigger BK tournaments. But after a year at St. Thomas Moore Prep School in Connecticut, he was dying to show just how much that extra year paid off.

“My uncle knows a lot of guys involved in basketball,” said Tone of his uncle, John Pena. “Someone from Dyckman asked him if I would run out there and once they found out I was Dominican, I had to play.”

In 2006, Pena suited up for Dominican Power and says the love he received was what he remembers most.

“I hadn’t been around that type of high energy crowd since Lincoln. I was going to play with the Dominican National team that summer but someway or another, it just didn’t happen,” he said. “But playing with them was almost just as special because it about was representing for my fam and for their team. Dominican Power’s a big part of the culture up there.”

“DP”s success is no joke, nor is it a fluke. While Hispanic players have been doing their thing for the longest (just ask Bobbito), a team this dominant, comprised mainly of Dominican Players, and killin’ in leagues throughout the city, may just be unprecedented.

“DP can compete with anyone and they’re right there at the top of the list of summer league teams,” Pena said. “We’re definitely proving we do more than play baseball. I was just glad to be apart of them earning that respect.”

Respect.

Just as we cherish our leagues and enjoy watching our youngins’ become the next batch to fuel summer ball fire, organizations across the Metro-area do the same with theirs. One of the most respected leagues in the Northeast outside of the five-boroughs is the Sunny Hill league in Philadelphia.

Pena got his first taste of the “SHL” after his freshmen year at Villanova, when he played in the Hank Gathers College Division. Initially, lack luster crowds and the absence of New York’s playground pageantry left Pena feeling a mean case of homesickness.

“It just didn’t compare,” he said. “I’m used to big crowds and people not just sitting and watching the games but actually being active. You know running on the court and being a part of it.”

After returning for his second game, Pena noticed the crowds numbers grew, giving him the energy he was used to having in summer leagues. Most importantly, the competition was on point. Players like former Temple standout Dionte Christmas, Philly natives Marcus and Markieff Morris from U of Kansas and fellow Wildcats Reggie Redding and Corey Stokes, each added to the talent pool of the league.

Pena represented for NY by bringing home a championship his first year, but rest assured he had to earn it.

“They play a lot like us, they make you earn everything and no one I know from Philly will back down. Instead of making a simple bounce pass, our guards may add a little more flare but they play just like us,” said Pena of Philly’s style.
“There are some guys from Jersey out here too (like Villanova freshman Dominic Cheek, who plays on Pena’s team this summer) and everyone’s real aggressive, real rough, I feel at home.”

SHL is dedicated to mainly development, as they implement a drat system to fill out rosters. This gives Pena a chance to play with guys he’s less accustomed to and not just everyone he grew up playing with and watching back home. Pena’s main focus this summer has been getting stronger, rebounding and shooting mid-range rhythm jumpers. In his last two games Pena has averaged 26.5 points per, so the off-season work he’s putting in is working right now. Still, when it comes to summer basketball, nothings quite like home for Pena.

“The people in New York are just more dedicated to summer ball cuz it’s part of who we are,” he said. “The whole atmosphere there is competitive. The crowds on top of you, the players are pressuring you, it just a great place to play.”