I’m excited as can be about this upcoming college basketball season, but one player I’m going to miss a lot is Levance Fields.
Fields—who will play in Russia this year, according to Wikipedia—drilled countless clutch shots over his four-year career at Pitt and was a joy to watch any time he stepped inside the lines.
I recently searched him on Youtube and thought I’d post one of the clips I found. How New York is this?
why is the announcer saying, “no no no . . . he shouldnt’ be dancing!” that’s so wack to me. he was displaying a skill, wasn’t like he threw the ball off the dude’s forehead or something disrespectful. that’s why i love the playground. the announcer would be eggin’ him on to be creative, not discouraging him.
i bet if that was a white player they would love it…..i mean the game was over anyway. when pistol and bob cousy and white chocolate used to do that it was loved.
great minds think alike. i was thinking about the pitt panthers and ‘vance today as well, along w/ carl krauser, jerry mcullough, brandin knight, sean miller, vonteego cummings, jason matthews, etc.
they’re one of my favorite programs and keep a steady stream of ny area guards in the rotation. ashton gibbs and jermaine dixon, juan’s baby bro, have some big shoes to step into this year.
this is the least exciting pitt team in years. as ali said, recently there was krauser, knight, levance and i personally liked how ronald ramon played a lot. this year’s team is really gonna struggle without ‘vance, sam young and dejuan blair. weak year for the big east in general though.
Do not overlook Bob’s and Illest’s very important political/social points about the vehement dislike of the creative expressiveness and abilities of those with darker hues.
The court is a release valve for many who feel burdened with the everyday necessity to assimilate. The “L” nor college ball would be the same without the “boogie” of its top performers. To begrudge an individual his shine, as long as its not to the detriment of himself, team and opponent, should be embraced.
After all, b-ball is “entertainment” !
Oh, And I loved “Black Magic”, J McCullough, Sean Miller and before them Billy Knight, Will Varner and Larry Anderson. I go back with Pitt, to the defunct ECAC.
Great post i believe pitt is still going to be a good team in the big east this upcoming season with Dixon,(if he stays healthy) Freshman Donte Taylor and Gibbs but they wont be the no. 1 or 2 team in the Big East like last year. I do agree that the big east will be weak because of the mass exodus of players from last year. im Highly anticipating this college b-ball season can it come any faster…
and another thing i saw that game and i just shook my head when the announcer said that but it didn’t bother me at all. he’s never seen a play ground game in his life probably or he’s too much of a perfectionist…
Bill Rafferty was one of the announcers and he is a jersey guy, former Seton Hall Head; so, I am sure that he was familiar with the playground scene, but elected to do his best “Billy Wacker” impersonation and homage, for the sanctity of his network gig. Still, no excuses. Where is the next Al McGuire? Which begs the question, who are the realest commnetators on the mic, doing college and pro games?
funk- great question. personally, i like bill raftery a lot actually with his “onions” and “a little lingerie on the deck.”
my favorite hands down though is gus johnson, who ali did an interview with in the detroit issue. he has some of the best calls of all time: “the slipper still fits,” ron lewis’ three against xavier a few years back, the game where ucla came from like 17 down to beat gonzaga and adam morrison fell to the ground in tears. gus is always there for the moment. or maybe it’s gus who makes the moment…
as for raftery saying, “no, no, no,” i don’t really have a problem with it. bill has been around the game for decades, particularly in urban areas so he knows what it’s about. any college or nba coach would’ve thought the same thing at this moment. i love watching it, but i guarantee pitt coach jamie dixon didn’t want levance dancing around like that at the end.
Don’t you find it disheartening to only cite one Game MC, like Gus? Apologies to Trevor, Bill Rafferty merits 2 mics – Source rating. Maybe we should start rating the park mc’s in similar fashion.
I guess that’s why we love the playground and guys like Pope, Bobbito, Boobie Smooth, Duke Tango, my man at Barry Farms and others, who give voice, rhyme and reason to the “feet on the ‘crete”.
Yo why is such a wack player like Danilo Galineri playing for the Knicks and my man LaVance Fields playing in Russia? This is a travesty!!!! LaVance could kill more than half the NBA with his skill & heart. So what he’s 5′10…I bet he could kill Danilo 1-1. Oh yeah, remember the other white dude Pitt had who now plays for Cananda?
Bring on Ronald Ramon!!
Wow funny how a 15 second video and a short post could garner this type of response…much respect due to the writer, because its content soundly resonated with me too…Fields was a warrior and winner on the court, who was never afraid to take the big shot, come up with a big steal or stop and get the ball in teammates hands at the right time and spot…a true floor general and leader…I’ve heard some compare him UConn’s El-Amin from back in the day, but I believe this really more only in physical stature than overall playing ability…I lived in South Orange and Maplewood, NJ as a young new jack following Seton Hall bball…back then Walsh was the gym, Dan Calandrillo was star and Rafferty was coach…love listening to him say “with a kiss”, etc…however Gus Johnson who also does Knicks games get’s so off the charts hyped and excited in a fun way…he keeps it real, you can here his sincere and honest passion for the game he’s calling…obviously a true bball fan, who makes you feel like one of the boys…I agree he is a real pleasure to listen to…watch out for our very own (NYC Lower East Side) Isaiah Epps at Pitt in 2010′…remember you’ve been warned!
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October 12th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
bobbito garcia says:
why is the announcer saying, “no no no . . . he shouldnt’ be dancing!” that’s so wack to me. he was displaying a skill, wasn’t like he threw the ball off the dude’s forehead or something disrespectful. that’s why i love the playground. the announcer would be eggin’ him on to be creative, not discouraging him.
October 12th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
illest says:
i bet if that was a white player they would love it…..i mean the game was over anyway. when pistol and bob cousy and white chocolate used to do that it was loved.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
ali says:
trev,
great minds think alike. i was thinking about the pitt panthers and ‘vance today as well, along w/ carl krauser, jerry mcullough, brandin knight, sean miller, vonteego cummings, jason matthews, etc.
they’re one of my favorite programs and keep a steady stream of ny area guards in the rotation. ashton gibbs and jermaine dixon, juan’s baby bro, have some big shoes to step into this year.
October 12th, 2009 at 4:49 pm
Trevor Kapp says:
this is the least exciting pitt team in years. as ali said, recently there was krauser, knight, levance and i personally liked how ronald ramon played a lot. this year’s team is really gonna struggle without ‘vance, sam young and dejuan blair. weak year for the big east in general though.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
funkalot says:
Fellas,
Do not overlook Bob’s and Illest’s very important political/social points about the vehement dislike of the creative expressiveness and abilities of those with darker hues.
The court is a release valve for many who feel burdened with the everyday necessity to assimilate. The “L” nor college ball would be the same without the “boogie” of its top performers. To begrudge an individual his shine, as long as its not to the detriment of himself, team and opponent, should be embraced.
After all, b-ball is “entertainment” !
Oh, And I loved “Black Magic”, J McCullough, Sean Miller and before them Billy Knight, Will Varner and Larry Anderson. I go back with Pitt, to the defunct ECAC.
Funkin in the future!
October 13th, 2009 at 12:13 am
jaquam aka jaysmoove says:
Trev
Great post i believe pitt is still going to be a good team in the big east this upcoming season with Dixon,(if he stays healthy) Freshman Donte Taylor and Gibbs but they wont be the no. 1 or 2 team in the Big East like last year. I do agree that the big east will be weak because of the mass exodus of players from last year. im Highly anticipating this college b-ball season can it come any faster…
and another thing i saw that game and i just shook my head when the announcer said that but it didn’t bother me at all. he’s never seen a play ground game in his life probably or he’s too much of a perfectionist…
October 13th, 2009 at 7:47 am
Kenny Patt says:
Usually middle aged white guys who didnt have that kind of talent feel that way. The younger generation feel much differently.
October 13th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Elliot Rosado says:
Lance is the perfect example why you shouldn’t use the term he’s a pro so loosely because he’s better than a lot of P.G.’s in the league right now.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:00 am
funkalot says:
Kenny Patt,
Bill Rafferty was one of the announcers and he is a jersey guy, former Seton Hall Head; so, I am sure that he was familiar with the playground scene, but elected to do his best “Billy Wacker” impersonation and homage, for the sanctity of his network gig. Still, no excuses. Where is the next Al McGuire? Which begs the question, who are the realest commnetators on the mic, doing college and pro games?
October 13th, 2009 at 12:26 pm
Trevor Kapp says:
funk- great question. personally, i like bill raftery a lot actually with his “onions” and “a little lingerie on the deck.”
my favorite hands down though is gus johnson, who ali did an interview with in the detroit issue. he has some of the best calls of all time: “the slipper still fits,” ron lewis’ three against xavier a few years back, the game where ucla came from like 17 down to beat gonzaga and adam morrison fell to the ground in tears. gus is always there for the moment. or maybe it’s gus who makes the moment…
October 13th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Trevor Kapp says:
as for raftery saying, “no, no, no,” i don’t really have a problem with it. bill has been around the game for decades, particularly in urban areas so he knows what it’s about. any college or nba coach would’ve thought the same thing at this moment. i love watching it, but i guarantee pitt coach jamie dixon didn’t want levance dancing around like that at the end.
October 13th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
illest says:
the best gus johnson moment is when spike lee said he liked dick (referring to dan dickau) and gus said pause. priceless.
funkalot….there is no next al mcguire.
October 13th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
ali says:
gus is the man, a cat just like us giving us the flavor we savor. and al mcguire was a once in a lifetime treasure.
October 13th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
funkalot says:
Fellas,
Don’t you find it disheartening to only cite one Game MC, like Gus? Apologies to Trevor, Bill Rafferty merits 2 mics – Source rating. Maybe we should start rating the park mc’s in similar fashion.
I guess that’s why we love the playground and guys like Pope, Bobbito, Boobie Smooth, Duke Tango, my man at Barry Farms and others, who give voice, rhyme and reason to the “feet on the ‘crete”.
October 14th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Casey Lee says:
Players in the Big East seem to come and go. They don’t stick in the NBA or in the media compared to other conferences like the ACC or Conference USA.
Coach Dixon always obtains the best of the best though. Be on the lookout for some hidden talent this year!
October 15th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Money$D says:
Yo why is such a wack player like Danilo Galineri playing for the Knicks and my man LaVance Fields playing in Russia? This is a travesty!!!! LaVance could kill more than half the NBA with his skill & heart. So what he’s 5′10…I bet he could kill Danilo 1-1. Oh yeah, remember the other white dude Pitt had who now plays for Cananda?
Bring on Ronald Ramon!!
October 16th, 2009 at 1:54 am
Seldom Seen says:
Wow funny how a 15 second video and a short post could garner this type of response…much respect due to the writer, because its content soundly resonated with me too…Fields was a warrior and winner on the court, who was never afraid to take the big shot, come up with a big steal or stop and get the ball in teammates hands at the right time and spot…a true floor general and leader…I’ve heard some compare him UConn’s El-Amin from back in the day, but I believe this really more only in physical stature than overall playing ability…I lived in South Orange and Maplewood, NJ as a young new jack following Seton Hall bball…back then Walsh was the gym, Dan Calandrillo was star and Rafferty was coach…love listening to him say “with a kiss”, etc…however Gus Johnson who also does Knicks games get’s so off the charts hyped and excited in a fun way…he keeps it real, you can here his sincere and honest passion for the game he’s calling…obviously a true bball fan, who makes you feel like one of the boys…I agree he is a real pleasure to listen to…watch out for our very own (NYC Lower East Side) Isaiah Epps at Pitt in 2010′…remember you’ve been warned!