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 »
(Monday, August 17th) There was standing room only, and the park was filled to capacity for the Entertainers Basketball Classic (EBC) 2009 Men’s Unlimited Championship. Jadakiss was in attendance to watch his crew, Team 914, with half of Westchester County!
Packed crowdPhoto: Casey Lee
Coaches also were found everyone–Rah (Sean Bell All-Stars), Dee (Team Cam’ron), and even [Queens] Cardozo HS own Ron Naclerio–to peep Team 914 and Prime Time battle for first place and bragging rights.
Ron Naclerio (left) talking with James Ryan (right)Photo: Casey Lee
The first half was filled with defensive intensity. Both teams went back and forth as the score was tied up at halftime, leaving a question mark as to who would dominate the second half. Read More »
(Monday, August 10th) They call him the “Don Corleone of Streetball.” In a match-up of veteran coaches, Bingo and his All-Stars battled James Ryan’s Prime Time in the first game of the playoffs for the Entertainer’s Basketball Classic for the summer of 2009. The score was neck and neck with each team exchanging leads throughout the first half. By halftime, the numbers did not lie: 44 even. Antawn “Anti-Freeze” Dobie and Yatta Gaines were going at each other in a duel. Both could not be stopped! Anti-Freeze relentlessly drove the lane and Yatta was Read More »
Miguel “Miles High” Millien hit a teammate with a no look dish for an and one. He altered X-Men shots all night and even drilled multiple 15-footers. The 6-9 high-rising forward is showing he’s more than just a catch and dunk stud, and his all-around play Tuesday at Pro City is the main why Prime Time’s playoff hopes are still alive.
Millien shot 11-for-19, scoring 24 points and grabbing 6 rebounds, as James Ryan’s team defeated the X-Men, 127-121. Read More »
Sundiata Gaines blew past N.I.K.E. 1 defenders all night. Photo: Kevin Couliau.
Sundiata Gaines drilled a three. Then he grabbed a rebound on the other end, pushed it and hit an open teammate for a lay-up. Next, he got to the bucket for an and one. Gaines did almost everything at Pro City Tuesday night, and his 35 point, 8 rebound, 6 assist performance was just another testament to why he should be playing in a different pro league come the end of October.
Gaines, whose biggest weakness has always been free-throw shooting, also connected on 16 of his 18 attempts from the line as Prime Time defeated N.I.K.E. 1, 108-103. Read More »
I stood up in the middle of the Dime Magazine Office about two years ago and said “Will Bynum should be in the NBA.” I told anyone who I knew in the scouting game that they should take a look at him. “The Thrill,” who’s featured in the upcoming Bounce Edition 20, was the best player in the Piston’s ragged 2009 playoff run. However, Bynum consistently demonstrated the NBA guard skill-set of breaking down defenders, hitting open jumpers, and elevating over bigger players for strong finishes.
There is another Bynum-type talent developing in NYC this summer just waiting for the opportunity to wet his feet in the NBA and make a strong statement. What scout wants to get some dap and advancement? Take my advice and sign the 6-1 Sundiata Gaines. While I hear some of the Euro scouts complaining about his free-throw percentage, about 59% for his college and pro career, I feel he’s worth the risk.
Defending champion PDG Queensbridge staved off a rally to win Tuesday night.
After a missed-shot and turnover-ridden last summer in which he was heckled relentlessly at Pro City, Memphis Grizzlies guard Marko Jaric seemingly would’ve received a warmer welcome at a Duke game wearing Carolina gear than on 68th Street and Lexington. Yet there walked Jaric onto the court at Hunter College Tuesday night, big smile on his face as if he was a singer performing in front of his home-town fans.
While Jaric was far from looking like an NBA star, the former first-round selection appeared more comfortable than he was last year, scoring 18 points to help lead Dyckman past Prime Time, 111-100.
New Jersey Nets forward Yi Jianlian showed great touch around the basket with both hands and paced Dyckman with 30 points. Donnie McGrath poured in 21. Read More »
Sundiata Gaines (right) with his Co-MVP Antawn Dobie after winning the 2009 Fireball championship.
This is a piece that ran on the site last July. But after Yatta’s 51-point explosion at Pro City last night, I figured it’d be appropriate to post it again.
The story’s been captured before. The New York City guard is as a quick as they come, able to take anyone off the bounce, but just doesn’t have a reliable-enough jumper, or gets too animated at times, or doesn’t always bring the intensity he needs to make it to the next level. Erick Barkley, Omar Cook, Kenny Satterfield, the list goes on-and-on. For every success story, there are countless failed attempts, which is of course, a relative term in this city.
Sundiata Gaines isn’t your prototypical NYC guard. Read More »
