Everybody knows about Ricky Rubio’s soap opera of the summer. One of the stars of this snarl is Jordi Villacampa, president of Joventut de Badalona, former team of Ricky. Villacampa was a great player in ‘80s and ‘90s in the same team, and a swingman that scores 27 against USA Team in Toronto 94’ World Championship. Read More »

Photo: Stanley Lumax

Back in the summer of 2004, current SKY Syndicate Tour member Joseph Vecsey and I found ourselves on the same squad during the AND1 MIXTAPE TOUR open run outside Madison Square Garden. I felt good about how I performed and got love from the crowd, including from a couple of younger cats telling me, “Why do you have to try out to get in the building?” I didn’t get selected, and that was perfectly fine cuz it was a mad fun experience regardless.

The one down moment was captured in the photo above! Courtney Castro, currently with the Harlem Wizards, caught a steal, and I just happened to be the only one back on the break. Thankfully, I wasn’t foolish enough to jump with him, but I did kind of feel helpless in trying to defend when I saw him take off just inside the dotted.

It happens!

Just the other day, I was retelling to Ahmad Hooper of the WEST sneaker shop and our own Ballgurl of the only time I truly got woofed on. It was circa ‘84 at the Highbridge 3 on 3 in the Bronx near Woodycrest Avenue. Hooper didn’t warn me about John Morton’s hops. Dude came down the baseline Read More »

Brooklyn College Academy’s Tarik Phillip and one of Manhattan Center’s finest were the N.Y. Knicks’ hardest worker MVP’s during the second session of Jim Couch Reunion Conditioning Clinic front page photo: Alton Ritter. Manhattan Center needs to hit me back with the name of our hard worker!

***Last Sunday’s Rising Freshman Recap if you keep reading and click more below***.

Last Saturday’s 3rd Annual Jim Couch Reunion Games saw some of the best players from the Tri-State area display talent that has many high school, college and streetball/AAU coaches anxious to be a part of. A middle-school star from New Jersey emerged, a budding young streetball legend showed up in the fourth quarter to try to rally his team and a down to the wire Rising Sophomore Game had the crowd on its feet. There was also a strong showing by the daughter of a legendary streetball coach in the Girls High School Uptown Challenge Game and a primo offensive display by John F. Kennedy shooting guard Jeff Short in the High School Challenge Game that was won by Westchester, led by ultra-talented Jabari Hinds. Read More »

I wrote this during Orlando’s run to the NBA Finals and my stance on the shoe’s design and technical specs hasn’t changed much. If you’re interested in copping a pair of the TS Commander LTs, hit up shopadidas.com. (They’ve got the illy team flavors, too!)

When Dwight Howard takes the court to do battle with the Boston Celtics this evening, he’ll be wearing the adidas TS Commander LT, Adi’s ’09-10 evolution of the reliable TS Commander. The LT was designed with the NBA’s finest “Commanders” in mind and will be sported by “Superman” Howard, Timmy D, and Kevin Garnett when the NBA season tips off next Fall.

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I just got the word that the greatest shoe AND 1 has ever released is hitting shelves Nov. 11. The company that was once endorsed by former NBA player Latrell Spreewell (before he went a wall) has been in the trenches of the sneaker game since the AND 1 mixtape tour technically died in 2006 with the split of players either playing for Ball For Life or AND 1 (I hope they didn’t think James Jones and Steve Blake could sell sneakers.) Read More »

Scott Williams on Uptempo vs. Generation (W18) from NRF on Vimeo.

Aron Phillips’ interview with Scott Williams a.k.a. Lower Manhattan Classic’s own Tiger Hood!

The Nike Recess Federation is a league designed for the urban and creative professionals of NYC. It’s really cool because they do it NBA style. You have a full draft, general managers, franchise players, free agency, trades, an All-Star game, and if you make it to the finals,you will get to play in the world’s most famous arena, Madison Square Garden. Read More »

photo: nbaloud.com

Toward the end of the summer, I hit up my man Miles Rawls, the commissioner of DC’s renowned George Goodman League. We talked about the summer highlights from Barry Farms, the seasoned vets and young boys on the come up, the standout performances, etc.

When I asked him if he’d been in touch with Agent Zero, who has come down to the Goodman League on the regular since arriving from Golden State, and is a crowd favorite due to his down to earth demeanor and strong playground love, Miles’ voice jumped an octave. Read More »

Clark “Mr. Backboard” Elie was born into the world on December 20, 1954. Growing up in Manhattan’s Upper West Side neighborhood, he played ball with his friends and wasn’t the best at it. At Brandeis HS, he ran intramurals, not varsity. In the early ’70s, the group of cats he rolled with all got recruited to play college ball outside New York. Left behind, he decided to attend City College. And that’s when the legend started . . .

“We used to tease him,” childhood friend Greg “Elevator Man #2″ Brown reminisced with me. “But when we all went away, that’s when Clark got 20 times better!” Elie wound up taking a couple of CUNY chips at CCNY, but his legendary tear in the parks began when Greg Brown returned home. The two, along with Clark’s little brother Mario, wound up terrorizing every playground in the vicinity. Read More »