courtesy of NYPost.com

In a recent interview with the New York Post, Todd Myles, the coach of Paul Robeson HS, referred to the Brooklyn “AA” division in the PSAL as “Tobacco Road.” Myles, a former Paul Robeson Eagle, has been breeding hard-nosed and mentally-tough guards since the school on Albany Avenue was named Alexander Hamilton back in the day. For all of my old heads, do you guys remember Beetle Washington, Andre Ervin, and Jerry “Ice” Reynolds?

The Eagles alumni list of basketball players who have held their own on the hardwood and on the asphalt is extensive with names such as: Danny Walker, Kenyatta Brown, Mike Sherrod, Allen Griffin, Dwayne Archibold, Phil Grant, Shamel Jones, Gary Ervin, Malcolm Grant, Anthony Williams, Jerome Coleman, Kenny Adeleke, and lastly a person the Eagle alumni loved so much in coach Larry Major. Darrel Lucky will be the next Paul Robeson Eagle to take his game to the next level.

Darrel Lucky is all over New York City High School Basketball Web sites such as NYHoops.com. The 5′10” junior guard averages 23 points, 2.6 rebounds and three assists per. Lucky’s quickness and knack for putting the ball through the net is noticeable. He scores in bunches. Ask Abraham Lincoln how he went off for 29 points, giving the Railsplitters their only blemish in the loss column.

His back court mate Jamel Noel does the same thing as well. The 6′2 senior guard averages 19.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists. This back court is nothing to mess with. His coach, Myles, garnered All-Brooklyn and All-City accolades as a player in the PSAL. He also played his collegiate ball at Mississippi State University.

One day I caught up with Mr. Lucky, and we chopped it up a for a little bit. Here’s how it went down:

Randy Millard: How has playing on the cracked and weathered sustained asphalt made your game better?

Darrel Lucky: It has made my game better because playing on the weather sustained asphalt made me tougher.Falling on the tough asphalt is not a easy thing but as a player, I just kept working hard and got back up.

You attend a school where many legends held their own on the playground and even hardwood.What stories have you heard about those legends that made you wonder if their game was like that?

I’ve heard so many stories. Some of the stories were great stories. Since I was growing up hearing these stories and now that I am in the same environment as the legends were in, now I just wonder and think about what are some things I can accomplish so people can be talking about me like they were telling me about that person and what he did back in the day.

Describe a gym in your tough division that reminds you of playing in the parks of BK, the home of Biggie and Jay.

DL: A gym that is a tough to play in has to be Thomas Jefferson without a doubt. It is a “nice” atmosphere to be in. When we play against them, I must admit, I love going to their gym because it proves a lot when you play through the heckling that tough crowd brings.

RM:

Think about all of the times you’ve played in the park with your friends in your neighborhood or in Brooklyn. What is a move move you used by someone else that you’ve done under the whistle?

A move that I’ve done under the whistle that I’ve seen is the between the legs crossover. I love that move! Being that I am a quick, fast guard, it looks so great when I do it. I have actually caught a lot of people with that move.

You can log onto psal.org for more info on the Paul Robeson Eagles .

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