Converse Band of Ballers 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament

Lamont “Momo” Jones

Momo and Artest

The first time I went to a Conrad McRae Youth League game two things stuck out in my memory. The first was seeing an 8th grade Keith Spelman dunk on some poor defender so hard the impact of the ball almost decapitated him. The second was seeing a cocky kid name Lamont Jones a.k.a. “Momo” drop 25 against a team being coached by Dwayne “Tiny” Morton. Let me clarify, the kid didn’t show up until the second half . . . Read More »

Last night at the Tri-State Classic on 145th and Lenox, Shammgod Wells blessed the hometown crowd with a punishing performance: 38 points, 15 assists and highlight after highlight. The crowd was hype to see their native son return and rep the block. “We scored 38 and 15.” Thats how you know you are reppin’, when every victory is not just a personal one, but one for your hood. He not only lit up the scoreboard, but got the W. Always gracious, he showed love to everybody, even stopping to kiss an elder on the cheek. This dude should run for office. God Obama. Read More »

This past year I went to Ghana to visit my family and check out the Cup of African Nations. If you didn’t know, soccer is a huge deal in Africa, and it turned the country of Ghana upside down to host such an event. Check out my photos from my trip at www.stonefacephotography.com

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The Basketball Oasis of the court at La Perla, Puerto Rico.

My love for basketball may not have taken me to “The League” or made me a millionaire, but it definitely continues to enrich my life. Last week basketball took me to Puerto Rico for the first time. After handling my day-job business, I hopped in a cab to Old San Juan looking for any signs of “the court.”

La Perla mural.

Bobbito told me to give his cousin a call while out there, which was the best thing I could have done. There I was in Old San Juan standing right over a Basketball Oasis without knowing it. Jancy’s direction was that I go to La Perla and find the court. That’s it. I felt like Bruce Leroy on his quest for “The Glow.” Read More »

Initially, I was going to use this post as a gripe session about the one on one display put on by two specific players (you know who you are) @ Dyckman on Friday. It took some of the joy out of the game, but then I saw Adris De Leon going at Ron Artest like a big dude with no business trying to defend a 5′10″ guard. We know “Tru Warrior” has one of the best lock-downs in the league, which is what made this so enjoyable to watch. Adris took it beyond just going one on one; he kept his team involved. He played with the joy of a 12-year-old, and the desire to win of a “warrior”.

The game showed the good, bad and ugly of basketball, and you gotta love it all. Shout out to Kenny, Ralph and Isaiah for making a Brooklyn cat’s trip to Dyckman worth it every Friday.

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If you love basketball and you haven’t caught the Conrad McRae Youth League at Dean St. Park (Brooklyn), your summer ain’t complete. Besides the fact that two years ago you would have seen a 8th grader named Lance Stevenson do his thing, and future Thomas Jefferson HS player Keith Spelman go nuts above the rim, this is the true definition of a b-ball community. From the OG’s Ron, Mingo, Sam and Wop that still get there game on, to Anton and Silk that make sure order is maintained, you can’t help but to notice the spirit of family here.

These kids are do things that pre-highschoolers shouldn’t be. Coaches teach the game because they want to see it played right. Combine that with the natural ability of most of the kids (and the heart of Brooklyn in them) and you got some of the best games in NYC.

For the latest schedule check out:

http://www.cbm13.com/index.html

And make it a point to come to Family Day on August 4th!

Check out my interview with Rasaun “Crabby” Young. #9 on Bounce Magazine’s top 20 NYC Ballers. After handlin his business at Hoops in the Sun, he took some time to share his thoughts on the game, and hip hop. Thanks for the interview Crabby.