By Lower East Scribe
Castro posing for upcoming show America's Next Sports Star
Four months ago, we featured Courtney Castro as one of New York’s best-kept secrets. Since then, he’s lit up tournaments like Hoops In The Sun, Rodney Park, and the upstart Lower Manhattan Classic. Castro has taken his game to the pro-level and even explored the Hollywood scene. He’s no longer a secret!
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Tags: America's Next Sports Star, courtney castro, Devin Harris, Lawrence Frank, Lower East Scribe, New Jersey Nets, rafer skip to my lou alston, The Brooklyn Report, The Latest
2 Comments » | Posted in Articles, NYC blacktop stars, News, Playground Pro, The Brooklyn Report, The Latest, Video, feature, nba, overseas |
By Randy Millard
I remember growing up playing in various tournaments in my neighborhood of Brownsville, Brooklyn. This one hot summer day, I saw this kid by the name of LeVance Fields. I was coming from the store and my man said, “Lee Lee is killin’, son. He’s only in 7th grade too, son.” I said to myself, “He’s next from the hood to go.” As the years went by, his game only further expanded.
In high school, our teams would face-off in epic battles. The Brownsville Recreation Center 16 and under league was no joke back then. It was him and Eugene Lawrence (St. John’s alum and Brownsville native) in the back court. Just think about Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings and Brandon Jacobs of the New York Football Giants in the same back field. The games were always fun and exciting. Also another memory I have is when he shared the back court with Eugene Lawrence, and the front court was Antonio Pena (Villanova Wildcat), Saiquon Stone (Southern Mississippi University) and Terrence Portis (St Thomas Aquinas College) playing in S.T.A.Y. at The Cage on Mother Gaston and Sutter Ave. Fields came from a “crime-ridden” neighborhood where the game of basketball is a gateway for people to make it out. Every time he stepped on the floor as a Pittsburgh Panther, while donning the nickname “General Lee,” he put Brownsville on his back. Even though he went undrafted in this past year, he is still keeping the hood happy with his success on the court. Read More »
Tags: Brian McKenzie, Brownsville, Eugene Lawrence, Jessie Sapp, Levance Fields, Pitt, Pittsburgh Panthers, The Brooklyn Report
9 Comments » | Posted in Articles, Best of Playground, Community, Interview, The Brooklyn Report |
By Lower East Scribe
John “Mookie” Thomas helped lead N.I.K.E. 1 to a Pro City title this summer. Photo: Kevin Couliau.
The first time I heard John “Mookie” Thomas talk, I knew what he was about.
“Terrence! You were supposed to call me at 9. Now I gotta call you back,” is what he left on my voicemail.
He wasn’t really yelling nor was he really mad. The tone in his voice simply said, ‘Yo, young man. Handle ya B-I !’
With many of Crooklyn’s finest calling Mookie an older brother/uncle figure, I guess it was only right that I got the same treatment. Mookie’s all about responsibility and earning everything given to him, which was never more evident than at the Nike TOC.
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Tags: john mookie thomas, Lower East Scribe, mookie, Mookie Thomas, N.I.K.E. 1, The Brooklyn Report, The Latest
10 Comments » | Posted in Best of Playground, Interview, The Brooklyn Report, The Latest |