Ridiculous handle, contortionist dunks, trash talk, Blocks that send the rock into the stands and DJs are not the only form of entertainment on the streets of NYC in the summer. Every announcer has his own swag. Some have jokes, others are great at coming up with nicknames. AG gets the kids involved at halftime for dance contests. Joe Pope has the celebrity check in. Tazz has unlimited energy. Some announcers get the crowd involved or joke on the crowd. Craig banned jean shorts from 119th. Announcers play a major role and, in some cases, can be the X-factor that separates the good from the great. So, who is the best of the best announcers? Read More »
Where can you see the likes of Kareem “’Reem wit it, Rock wit it” Reid, Antawn “Anti-Freeze” Dobie, Kenny “Serious Satellite” Satterfield, John “Franchise” Strickland, “The Cab Driver,” “Baby Shaq” and other big names in the summer in NYC? Well, actually, Dyckman, Kingdome, Tri-State, and EBC are some of the tournaments where you will find these guys gettin’ busy. But there’s another, less talked-about, tournament where one can find these elite ballers: Together We Chill. Located in the heart of El Barrio on 119th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue, TWC might be one of the most slept-on tournaments in the city. Read More »
The 4th annual Boost Mobile Elite 24 event, and it was an event indeed, was off the hook! First of all, anytime you put the top twenty-four high school ballers in the country on one court you’re bound to witness some quality hoops. But they weren’t gathered on just any court. They were gathered in the mecca: NYC. The hallowed grounds of Rucker Park, no less; however, due to poor weather conditions the game was actually moved to Gaucho’s Gym in the BX – the court that Stephon Marbury, Ed Pinckney, Sebastian Telfair, Rod Strickland and so many others have played on. Read More »
Kendel “World Premiere” Provet, among NYC’s elite point guards, led the way for the Kingdome Ballers with 21 points on Monday night (8/10/09) for a victory against the Body Snatchers. Also, peep how Vaughn takes his man off the dribble and drills the game winning jumper with 2.2 seconds left. Bananas! Dyckman playoffs are all week this week.
The Watson Classic is celebrating its 10 year anniversary and doin’ it in style. Featuring some of the top ballers in NYC, tough unis, and Joe Pope on the MIC, WC is making a case to be mentioned among the top summer leagues in the mecca. Before my game with the Gym Rats on Sunday, I caught some highlights in the match-up between M.O.E. and Posse. Read More »
The Boys’ Club of New York (BCNY) has a new event called “The Living Proof Speaker Series” and it takes place on Fridays at 7pm at the Elbridge T. Gerry, Jr. Clubhouse (formerly known as Jefferson Park Clubhouse) on 111th street between 1st and 2nd avenues. Speakers from various walks of life visit the Boys’ Club and share their personal stories of how they were able to overcome adversity while growing up to become in their current positions in life. The stories are inspirational and motivate young men in our community, East Harlem and beyond, to live above negative influences. The event is free of charge and open to the public. This Friday, May 8th, fashion industry professionals will be on hand sharing their stories. Feel free to join us! Read More »
I know it’s already March of 2009, but there’s no such thing as a bad time to reminisce about last summer and to talk about what we can look forward to in the Summer of ’09. Besides, we’re halfway between the 2008 Tournament of Champions and the first jumpball of the upcoming summer. With that said I want to share some memories and images of the past summer with you. The streets were sizzlin’ in summer of ‘08. Let’s review some of the highlights… Read More »
Well, it was good while it lasted. No need to build suspense here. The Bounce squad was ousted in the SBL semi-finals on Sunday. I will point out, though, that ¬the crew exemplified streetball at it’s finest all season long and the playoffs were no exception. With only five guys suited up, it was like we showed up in the gym and called out, “We got next!” Bang made a Willis Reed-esque comeback to the team after suffering a concussion that should have sidelined him for the season and some. Bang couldn’t even wear his jersey because the doctors had to shred it up! Now that’s the heart and toughness that flows through the veins of a true streetball product. In fact, that might rank up there above Ron Artest tucking his chipped tooth into his sock and continuing the game (see Bounce Magazine issue #17). Read More »
Straight outta the Lower East Side of Manhattan, streetball flows through Jon's veins. He played in as many as 15 tournaments in one summer before joining the Boys' Club of New York's All-Star team. After leading The Millbrook School to the New England finals, Jon went on to Colgate University where he graduated an English major with an emphasis in creative writing. His form is pure on the court and on the keyboard.
