My “One on 1″ interview series will seek out connections the movers and shakers of the footwear and apparel industry have with basketball. Chris Burns, Founder of ARCH Athletics, grew up playing on crates in Memphis and eventually played at a JC in San Diego. His competitive playing days were stunted by a nagging back injury, but he’s turned to coaching and helped place approximately 100 kids into schools on hoops scholarships through his grassroots CCB Network. You can find him at Arch Athletics.

Growing up in Memphis, where did you test your game? What court had the best competition?

I grew up in North Memphis on Fifth and Bickford. We had a nice inside court and an outside court. But we usually played in the projects on this hill on Chelsea by nailing a crate up to a telephone pole. As shorties, we could dunk on that. We also played at this house on a crate hoop. Nevertheless, Bickford was our spot and the battle was always Bickford versus Greenlaw, the rec. center about a mile away. Once my mom was able to get a permanent job, we moved from North Memphis to Whitehaven. It was the first time I saw a Wendy’s and McDonalds, hell it was the first time I saw a grocery store. Read More »