Edgar Sosa and Kemba Walker, a pair of electrifying NYC playground-bred guards, got their baller’s teeth cut while playing for the Gauchos on the AAU circuit.
Gauchos gym is rich basketball real estate (see Strickland, Rod or Marbury, Stephon for more on the program’s OG’s), a bandbox joint with one-side stands in an Ampitheater-type atmosphere.
Sosa and Walker put in countless hours at this very venue during their primary period of youth hoops prosperity, when both emerged as tough-as-nails guards tailor-made for the physical Big East…
Summer of ‘09 is a wrap. Tri-State declared Lil Rah’s Sean Bell All Star’s the champions on a forfeit. Last time a major tournament went out like that was the Terror Squad vs S. Carter EBC forfeit back in ‘03. A straight-to-video account of the drama is available now for those who want to listen to Joe flow about how he always comes correct for the big moment.
Dyckman saw a chip played on 2/3 of a basketball court because of the “no-one-denied-access-to-the-chip-pass.” Dyckman remains “hood-deep,” as the song – “Shook Ones” – gets FunkFlex rotation uptown for those who understand what I’m saying…
St. John’s bound Dwight Hardy won two player of the year awards at Hoops in the Sun and Tri-State respectively, while Italian League star Sundiata Gaines had a strong summer too, winning the MVP at EBC and dominating at Pro-City. Adris “2 Hard 2 Guard” DeLeon closed the summer out at the Nike TOC like a terrorist on a mission, showing that he belongs among the elite scoring guards in summer city ball. Read More »
UConn’s Kemba Walker is having a solid freshman campaign. Photo: tommymac.com.
Now I realize I’m not exactly breaking news when I say UConn point guard Kemba Walker’s future looks bright. I’ve seen the Bronx native play in person a few times now (at last year’s McDonald’s game and at West 4th a couple times this past summer). But I can’t describe how impressed I was seeing “EZ Pass” first-hand at Wednesday’s UConn Marquette game. Read More »
On the dribble and in the park to the bucket, it’s off to school we go…
The dribble-drive is the dominate offensive movement at the top college programs
in the country. So now, who can make a move in less than 2 seconds, get in the lane
and create offense? Some kids stand and dance, that’s AND 1 good, some run and stun, that’s high school to college D-1 better, but the crisco-to-go in 2 seconds or less
is NBA playground best. The 8-0 UCONN Huskies cook like that. They are the number #2 ranked team in America with four guards that have the ability to go at you with speed. Craig Austrie, AJ Price, Jerome Dyson, and Kemba Walker give UCONN the best backcourt depth in America. The dribble-drive style that the program emphasizes is why playground-tested Kemba Walker is looking liking a vet and showing signs of quick NBA readiness. He has the presence of one of my favorite NBA “game-on-the-line finishers” – Ben “Ultra” Gordon. If you watch the highlights of UCONN’s 2004 Semi-Final championship game versus Duke, check the up-tempo playground style of the game and see why Walker is going to thrive in the UCONN system. Read More »
The D&D Invitational Tournament, designed to keep players in prime condition during the Winter and Spring so they can be at their best when they take to the asphalt over the Summer, is back for its 13th season.
The league will feature 16 teams, split into two divisions, with the top four teams in each advancing to the playoffs. Winners will receive awards.
Games will be played on Saturdays and Tuesdays. The Saturday action will feature a tripleheader, starting at 12 p.m., and the Tuesday doubleheader will begin at 7 p.m. IS-158, on 36-45 Oceania Street in Bayside, Queens, will host the event.
In past years, stars such as Kenny Satterfield, Rafer Alston and UConn’s Kemba Walker have suited up.
