I was talking with some friends in the barber shop the other day, among them was John “Mookie” Thomas, and we came to the realization that Brooklyn doesn’t get that much love on the playground level. Brooklyn has been known to have their share of players, but when people think playground basketball Brooklyn is an […]

Mookie taking a free-throw at the Cage. Photo: Trevor Kapp
West 4th
The match-up Sunday at West 4th (3rd St., 6th Ave.) between John �Mookie� Thomas of Diamond and Speedy Williams of United Brooklyn was expected to be one of the better point guard battles of the summer. The game was also being played to decide who […]

Last night at the Tri-State Classic the games were moved indoor to Gauchos Gym (478 Gerard Avenue in the Bronx) due to rain. Before the game began there was a buzz about the pending match up between Raw 129th Street�s God Shammgod and Diamond�s John �Mookie� Thomas. Shammgod is a rough cover for any defender […]

Mookie after leading Diamond to victory. Photo: Kyle Henry
When I arrived at the Cage (West 4th and Avenue of the Americas) yesterday afternoon, the sky was gloomy and rain was threatening the scheduled showdown between Diamond and Footprints. A light drizzle started almost simultaneously with tip-off, but luckily it subsided after about five minutes.
Footprints […]

On the eve of Independence Day, I decided to take in a West 4th game. Playing on Wednesday night were Diamond and Un-Invited Guest. There was tension to start between the two, as the Diamond players taunted Un-Invited Guest about, �blowing them out by 40,� the night before in another tournament. John �Mookie� Thomas helped […]