One of the profound books I read as a youth was Jim Carroll’s Basketball Diaries. Unfortunately, it was made into a very forgettable movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio who is a phenomenal actor but can’t poise himself as a believable ballplayer to save his socks. In any event, I love the idea of chronicling daily pick-up activity. We always hear about this playground legend and that out of control tournament game, but what about the everyday player searching for a run like you and me?

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Saturday night I spun with legendary DJ Clark Kent in Zurich, Switzerland for the Sneakerness event after-party until 5am. Three hours later we left for the airport, and 12 hours later I was back home in Harlem. I didn’t get much quality shut-eye, but it was nice outside and my blood was asking me if we could play ball. It was Mother’s Day, though, and the right thing to do was go with my girlfriend Keyme to my aunt’s crib in El Barrio to see Mom dukes. Besides, I’d skipped the plane meal, and I knew my stomach would appreciate Titi Nilda’s pastelón y arroz con gandules waiting for me!

We walked crosstown, and en route we passed a bunch of empty courts. That always saddens me to see a healthy rim and backboard be left lonely. On 109th St. and Park, we saw two jubilant shorties attempting to dunk while jumping off the top of an upside down trashcan! Neither of them succeeded, and the ball would fly off above the rim so they weren’t even making a field goal, either. I don’t think it mattered one bit to them.

On 108th and 3rd Ave., there were 10 cats running a full with no one on the side with next. Read More »

I’ve been keeping journal entries of my Brazil trip which start at the bottom of this post. If it’s your first time peeping it, scroll down and work your way up chronologically . . .

Day Ten, December 7, 2008: No More Acai . . .

Kids at the Ile Aiye Samba Center hitting up a cypher complete with beatboxers and off the top of the head MCs.

So it’s over. No more daily trips to get fresh Acai (a native Brazilian fruit) smoothies with bananas and granola. No more waking up to a view of the water outside my window echoing centuries of spirit and warmth. This is a trip I’ll never forget. I said goodbye by hitting up a record shop for one quick hour before heading to the airport. The owner stopped everything he was doing to help me sift through rare Samba 7″s, then he charged me a ridiculously low 50 cents for each one I bought! That’s the vibe that’s been here throughout. One of my highlights, among the plenty that I’ve written about, was meeting this beggar in Pelourinho. He was 11 years old. He had a beautiful smile with spaces between each tooth from which he spoke chopped English, and made us laugh but of course he was on his hustle. Everyone had told me that unfortunately you can’t give kids your change, cuz then others will swarm and make it impossible for you to move on, much less become a target for a vick. We were about to break out though, and the kid then changed his tone. “I’m not asking for change . . . If you can just by me something to eat . . .” Read More »

Uptown Challenge vs. West 4th

Under the blazing mid-day sun, the women kicked off championship Saturday with perhaps the most physical battle of the day. Without standouts Kia Vaughn (Rutgers), Epiphanny Price (Rutgers) and Erica Morrow (Syracuse) because of NCAA regulations, West 4th looked lost at the start of the game. Uptown rode the strong post play of Lilka Cedars (13 points), as she tallied six of her squad’s first eight points. And former Kent State Golden Flash Cherise George (14 points) slashed through the D, getting to the cup almost at will. Read More »

Antawn “Anti-Freeze” Dobie at Nike TOC. (photo. Kyle Henry)

The summer basketball season came to a close Saturday night with the end of the Nike Tournament of Champions. New York City basketball brass and common folks alike all came out to Goat Park (99th and Amsterdam Ave.) to see one team be crowned the champion of the summer. Read More »

Dyckman 2008 champions Bingo’s All-Stars. Photo by BallGurl

Dyckman

B-I-N-G-O spells champions, or at least it did last night, after the world famous crew defeated Take No Prisoners for the Dyckman Tournament title. Read More »

The Icon at the free-throw line. Photo by Trevor Kapp

West 4th

Saturday-

After washouts both Thursday and Friday, it seemed like the quarterfinal playoff game between Uninvited Guest and Money Train at West 4th St. (3rd St., 6th Ave.) would never be played. Fortunately for everyone at the Cage Saturday afternoon, the weather was perfect and the game was too. Read More »

Mike “The Icon” Campbell scoring one of his game-high 28 points at West 4th. Photo. Trevor Kapp

West 4th

It’s been a good summer for former St. John’s Red Storm players. Kyle Cuffe and Eugene “Built Ford Tough” Lawrence have made names for themselves all over the city. Ryan “Special FX” Williams has become a superstar before our very eyes. And Daryll “Showtime” Hill and Ron Artest took home a Pro City title last week. Read More »

Tri-State Classic (145th and Lenox Ave.)

Bingo’s All-Star’s .vs. You Better Pray

Bingo’s All-Stars led by Kareem Reid’s 26 points and seven assist effort cruised to an easy 115-95 win over You Better Pray. Kendell “World Premier” Provett and Lamont “Momo” Jones played hard but couldn’t overcome the all-around game of Ron Artest (19 pts) and Kemba Walker (20 pts). Read More »