Milton “UltraReady” Lee (back turned) and Sean “In Fin” Couch demonstrate closing out on a defender. Photo: Alton Ritter.
Baruch College turned into one big turntable early Sunday morning as players from NYC’s Public School Athletic League got into the rhythm of basketball conditioning on the run. Over 90 boys and girls representing 10 P.S.A.L teams came out to work on their conditioning for the upcoming season. With sneakers stuttering against waxy wood, the players got into our world-famous tap rebounding drill that takes players out of the gym, up staircases and back into the gym to catch a basketball on the far side of the court, tap it against the backboard and take off again. Trainer Milton Lee dropped cones like they were hot during the drill, turning the straight run into a defensive sliding, shuffle cutting, stutter-stepping frenzy that had the gym in a rhythm that lovers of straight ball and the street game appreciate. Read More »
As I watched the pre-game warm ups between the Celtics and the Bulls last night I noticed that Ben Gordon’s hamstring was in question. That type of injury is tough for a player like Gordon who relies heavily on his ability to burst and rock step off the chop. It brought back a memory I had a while back…
Times ago, at a place where time met pure ball, I had a chance to talk to Ben Gordon. Ben was a rising pro, recently out of Mount Vernon and headed to UCONN to build his game and rep. He came around my projects – Dyckman Houses – after a workout with Dyckman Coach, Evander Ford. In front of the building where I lived, we got to talking about creating space on the chop and the step back move. Read More »
Coach Ford’s legendary morning workouts became some of the most feared moments on a Saturday morning at Dyckman Park in the early to late ’80s. Since they were open to all, several players and scrubs would come up to test their endurance in the hot sun. It meant 2-hours of conditioning, and if you weren’t in shape you usually vomited or quit. Ford knew a few rappers who spent some of their “24 hours” working on their games to “Death.” A few of his “Dogs” got “Black” in the sun and afterwards hit Sickle Avenue to pick up product, and hunt for the new girl they could turn into the latest trick. All Coach Ford was looking to do was coach and build a pro that would give back to the community, but instead some other things that hurt an entire project occurred. Read More »
