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F U T U R E / E P I P H A N N Y / S u p e r H e r o S k i p T o M y L o u / S E R B I A / C H I B B S
ISSUE #21 / SUMMER ’09WWW.BOUNCEMAG.COM
THE PHENOM ISSUE
THE THE PHENOMPHENOM ISSUEISSUE
Kyrie IrvingKyrie Irving
2
!POF!NPSF
DPPLJF"
3
4
5
6
12 GAME PLAN
The Jump Off.
16 POSTING UP Love and Respect for Will
Bynum, Bounce Worldwide.
17 SHOOTAROUND
Featuring “SKIP TO MY LOU”
Teacher’s Corner; Flossary;
Layup Line; Young World.
22 HOW WE DO
Malloy Nesmith’s
“Back to the Future” move.
24 STREET DOGMA
The Death of American Streetball?
26 BEYOND THE
PLAYGROUND
Scott Perry’s rise from St. Cecilia
to the Detroit Pistons.
28 AROUND THE WORLD
Marko Jaric’s Summer
League Jones.
30 LET EM MARINATE
"Phenom" footwear.
FEATURES
34 KYRIE IRVING
The Son of Drederick Rises.
40 EPIPHANNY PRINCE
The Natural goes pro and makes history.
46 KENNY ANDERSON
The NYC one-man fast break speaks.
ISSUE 21 - SUMMER 2009
7
Pick Up Ball Paradise – LA’s Venice Beach Courts
Photo: Kevin Couliau
8
ISSUE 21 - SUMMER 2009
8888
www.bouncemag.comTHE ONLINE HOME OF THE WORLD’S ONLY YEAR-ROUND
PLAYGROUND BASKETBALL PUBLICATION
DAILY BLOGS COVERING:�TOURNAMENTS�
�STREETBALL TOURS�
�PARK LEGENDS�
�NBA STARS’ ASPHALT ROOTS�
�SNEAKER CULTURE�
�FREESTYLE MIXTAPE HIGHLIGHTS�
�POLLS�
SUBSCRIBE AND COP BACK ISSUES AT THE ONLINE STORE
READ THE ENTIRE CURRENT ISSUE ONLINE NOW!
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www.bouncemag.com
Sean “In Fin” CouchEditor in Chief, Online [email protected]
Bobbito “Kool Bob Love” Garcia Editor At [email protected]
Jesse “Fadeaway” WashingtonEditor At [email protected]
Alejandro “Ali” Danois Senior Editor [email protected]
Dan “Poppa In The Park” WeiseDesign Director [email protected]
Charisse “TownBiz” LambertWest Coast [email protected]
Paul “Dr. P” WilkinsonMid-West Editor
Jeremy RipleyAssistant Online [email protected]
Trevor KappAssistant Online [email protected]
Casey LeeOnline Writer at [email protected]
40 CalOnline Writer at [email protected]
BOUNCE IS AVAILABLE
EXCLUSIVELY FOR THE
BALLPLAYER.
You can pick us up in most gyms, camps,
tournaments, and sneaker stores.
If your local spot is not receiving it,
let us know by emailing:
CEO
Josh Gotthelf
Publishers
Jed Berger, Justin Leonard
Contributing Editor
Patrick Cassidy
Operations Manger
Holly Smith
Founders
Sean Couch, Bobbito Garcia, Justin Leonard, Jesse Washington
Team Verbals
Kevin Couliau, Chris DiNunzio Geroy Grant, Kyle Henry, Ren Hsieh, Claude Johnson, Dr. Johnson, Trevor Kapp, Andrew Katz , Funkalot, Jonathan Lopez, Samera Marsh, DJ Rich Medina,Randy Millard, Gerald Narciso, Butch Purcell, Nhamo Shire, Will "Wall $t." Strickland, Joseph Vecsey
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Advertising Inquiries
Letters to the editor
BOUNCE MAGAZINE 291 Broadway #1204NY, NY 10007
9
10© 2009 And1. All Rights Reserved.
11
They call Monta Ellis the Mississippi
Bullet because he does everything fast.
He dropped 72 in a single game as
a teenager. He blew by college to
become a starting guard in
the NBA. Now he puts
gloss on his backyard
moves and lets
them shine with
amazing speed
and a smooth
finish. Back home
in Jackson, people are
quick to praise the
first Baller from
Mississippi with
a signature shoe.
At 23, Monta Ellis
is just getting
started.
MONTA ELLISME8 MID
12
Ph
oto
s: J
oh
n W
ald
er, TJ
, an
d H
Ru
mp
h J
r.
GAMEPLAN
The Jump OfFThe Jump OfFA turntable and a basketball mid-court are remarkably similar. Both are
circular with a point of jump off. The right song starts the party off right
and a dance fl oor explodes with bodies ready to sweat. It’s the same on
the playground, when the ball is put in fl ight for the tip-off by the ref.
My jump off time was spent in Dyckman Park. The DJ’s were my father
and my playground coach Evander Ford. Their rhythm was about pressing,
running, and blowing opponents out, and now, with my fi rst turn on the
Bounce turntable as E-I-C, I’m applying my press.
The “Phenom” Issue is dedicated to players that truly have
created their own individual songs of praise from the mouths of
the bleachers and parks around the world. We set it off with Rafer “Skip To My Lou” Alston’s super-hero-like exploits and how his
style set the world on fi re; we explore the made-in-the-park moves
of Malloy “The Future” Nesmith, the young streetball phenom
that rolled with Shaq and the big dogs of the rap game at the turn of
the century.
All rhythm, all the time is Kyrie Irving, fresh off a MVP performance
at the Nike Global Games as a sixth man, constructed playground tough
by his father, Drederick Irving. College coaches are singing his name
as the best point guard in the country and the father and son duo nod
their heads.
Then, a hard stutter and cut to Epiphanny Prince, the girl who beat
boys with game at eleven-years-old, scored 113 points in a high school
game, and now puts the NCAA on notice that the women’s college game
is changed forever.
We also celebrate one of New York City’s fi nest guards, Kenny “Chibbs” Anderson, who had whole playground, AAU, and high school teams in fear
because of his ability to go one-man-fastbreak.
So to all the party-people ready to get this issue off right, let’s dance to
the writer’s beat!
Sean Couch
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Bounce: From The Playground
13
DIME ISSUE 51 - ON SALE NOW!
14
15
16
Bounce Issue #20
CLASSIC! I REALLY like what you all
are doing. Very authentic. Always On
Point. In the magazine/print business
that usually leads to longevity. Keep
pushin'. Create Wisdom. 100.
Scoop Jackson, Chicago, IL
I AM GLAD to read Bounce, and appre-
ciate your watch on worldwide street-
ball. I'm also trying to be a pioneer in
Hungary, to give and not ask from the
sport. There aren't many sponsors, but
we push hard, and have found some
great talent. We never give up. God
bless and take care.
Kiri, Hungary
I LOVE what you guys do and stand for!
I am a huge fan!!!
Billy “White Jesus” Rieser, Chicago , IL
I LOVE the way the magazine is put
together, the graphics and the lay-out
are great!
Leroy Herbert, Long Island, NY
ALI, great job!
Jamaal Wilkes, Los Angeles, CA
Cover Story: Will Bynum
I HAVE big time respect for Will By-
num. Coming out of Georgia Tech he
didn’t get a fair look and even when he
got into some trouble over in Israel he
kept his head up. He should have been
in the NBA straight out of school. I have
a son who probably won’t be over 6’0”
so Will’s story is big for him.
Eugene Willians, Harlem, NY
BYNUM reminds me of myself. Every-
thing isn’t easy and you have to work
real hard to get it. I also liked the ”How
We Do,” it’s especially good for younger
players to use.
Brawley Chisholm, Ball State Guard, Muncie, Indiana
THE NEW Digital issue on the website
looks good! I enjoyed the Bynum Piece.
Rob Hoffman, Long Island, NY
How We Do
I PERSONALLY liked the article on
Cyndra Couch. It is great to see an ar-
ticle on an up and coming female stu-
dent/athlete who is demonstrating
on how to break her girl down off the
dribble. I always said that the best bas-
ketball to watch is females because
they are so basic and simple when
working on the game. They don’t need
the shake and bake but just some
good old fashion footwork with a good
hard nose rip here and there. They re-
ally know how to play with a chip on
their shoulder. Anyway, all my best
to her and the beginning of her
college career.
Al Morales, Westchester, NY
Players to Watch
I LIKE how you covered the upcoming
players from all the areas around the
country. I like how you're not selling out
like some other magazines that are full
of ads but no content. I’m waiting for
the double edition Bounce.
London Reyes, Westchester, NY
Native American
I CAN’T BELIEVE Bobbito is leaving!!!
Anyway, I enjoyed the Native Ameri-
can Story, It showed another aspect of
minority life and how basketball is
part of it.
Jah-Leah Ellis, Los Angeles, CA
Back Edition Love
AS I READ THE "Life Starts Today" part
in the beginning of issue #18, I fl ipped to
the back like Bob said to check out the
story on Conrad McCrae. It reminded
me a lot of Jax [Atlanta rap artist], may
he rest in peace. ‘Rad passed out play-
ing ball, something I'm sure he loved;
Jax passed on stage. Weird. I've been
taking more time out to appreciate life
lately myself.
Señor Kaos, Atlanta, GA
THANK YOU, thank you, thank you for
issue #18! The McNasty article espe-
cially moved me. When I lived on the
Loisada, I hooped at NYU a lot. Conrad
would come down with some HS bud-
dies (a guard named “Tick” who went
to a school in Florida, and an Indian
dude who was the ball boy for Duke in
their glory years). I remember Wendell
Alexis would ball too, but you could just
see how raw ‘Rad was in cementing
shots against the glass. That was also
when I got to play with the Future and
another guard named Panama, who was
pretty nice. Keep up the great work!
Steve Kostyk, Rochester, NY
Editor’s Note:
Bob' still down with the crew, still
eating cucumber's and DJ-ing. He's an
Editor-at-Large now and his plan is to
play more pick-up ball and watch me
from the stands play in championship
40-and-over leagues.
“I love what you guys do and stand for!
I am a huge fan!!!” - Billy “White Jesus” Rieser
POSTINGUP
17
� � � � � SHOOTAROUND PRESENTS � � � � �
“SKIP TO MY LOU” “SKIP TO MY LOU” “SKIP TO MY LOU” “SKIP TO MY LOU”
A BLAZE WITHA BLAZE WITH
HANDLE AT HANDLE AT
RUCKER PARKRUCKER PARK
18
19
INTRO: Sean “In Fin” Couch / INTERVIEW: Andrew “Whitey” Katz / ILLUSTRATION: Michael Kraiger
SHOOTAROUND
While Michael Jordan represents professional basketball excel-
lence, Skip to My Lou's playground genius put players of all
ages into a "make a move" mode unlike anything seen since
the arrival of "Pistol Pete" Maravich to the NBA in the '70s.
His body language while handling the ball was an art form, in
and of itself, on the fi rst AND 1 mix-tape; the skill was super-
hero-like, video-game advanced. His wild imagination gave the
world a template of the expressive full body movements that
many new jack guards embraced.
The "Michael Jordan of Playground Ball" sat down with Bounce
and explained how he became the master of his domain.
BOUNCE: You’ve been called the ‘Michael Jordan of the Playground.’ How does that make you feel?
Skip: I identify with people that played before me on the play-
grounds. So many of them were so good. It’s the city’s game.
That’s our game. That’s where we learn to get our confi dence
from, where we develop a style of play that’s unique. We play
with a lot of fl air and passion in our game.
Who are those guys you looked up to?
Skip: I don’t know if you’ll remember these guys. One of them
passed away – Karlton Hines. I looked up to Dancin’ Doo-
gie and Master Rob. People would always tell me about Earl
‘The Goat’ Manigault, Fly and Joe Hammond. Some of the pro
guys who came through made a big impact on me – Julius,
Earl Monroe. All those guys battled on the playgrounds – they
knew that’s where you gained your confi dence. That’s how you
learned to deal with a lot of things. People don’t understand –
the playground is hard. People talk trash right in your ear. They
say so much to you. If you can deal with that, whatever they
say in these NBA arenas doesn’t compare.
What do you say to the idea that people need to ‘get the playground out of their game’ to succeed in college or pro ball?
Skip: I think that people need to remember what got them this
far.. I always remember that it brought me to where I’m at to-
day. I think it’s simple – you need to add on. Instead of doing a
disservice to players by telling them what they need to remove
from their game, they need to add on. It’s OK for those guys to
keep their God-given talent. But if they’re lacking something,
that’s where coaches need to come in and get them to under-
stand how to put it together and become a complete player.
Coaches who get guys who love to razzle-dazzle, with a lot of
fl ash-and-bang should get them to understand that they need
to blend fundamentals together with that. Instead, sometimes
they try to take their whole game away and just be fundamen-
tal. You can’t suppress God-given talent. Looking back on your career, can you say that one coach or mentor brought the best out in you?
Skip: Jerry Tarkanian allowed me to be a point guard. He didn’t
want me to change my game. He wanted me to go out there, be
a point guard and keep my turnovers down. He wanted me to
work on my game. He never held me back though. Street basketball is alive in New York, but the legacy of the New York point guard seems to be dwindling. Do you agree, and is there any explanation why?
Skip: We’re taking a back seat to a lot of cities and states right
now. But it’ll never die down. You’re talking about a legacy
that’s been here since Bob Cousy. He’s a point guard from
Queens , New York . It’s been going on since then and it’ll keep
going on. I think the kids just need to play more. They’re not
playing as much as they have been in the past. The magic of Skip on the street can only be seen on old video tape – is there a reason we haven’t seen you on the playground recently?
Skip: I just can’t do it anymore. I got kids now. It’s too much of
my time in the summer. Now I coach my team. I’m one of the
best coaches in the circuit!
But you still think that the playground plays an important role?
Skip: Oh yeah. We need it. Some days when I’m in New York
during the summer, I get up and just go to different parks to
see the kids playing. They need it. And I love seeing them play
like they need it.
The official man of power
with blazing handle RAFER “SKIP TO MY LOU” ALSTON
The bulletproof rep of Rafer “Skip to My Lou” Alston has been well-chronicled in the annals of play-
ground basketball. With modern era commercial streetball now in its eleventh year, many feel that it’s
on its ⇒ nal leg. It’s up to us to explore the fantastic movement that Skip point-guarded and developed,
and its domination of America ’s hoops sub-culture.
20
Here are some recent non-commercial joints I’d love to hear pre-game:
Afrozen Orchestra feat. Chancellor Dedianga “Future Afrobeat”
7”, Soultronik Records, 2009
Gizelle Smith and the Mighty Mocambos “Working Woman Part 1”
7", Old Capital Records, 2009
Sharon Jones “I Just Dropped In To See What Condition My Condition Is In”
7”, Daptone Records, 2008
Stefania Rava “Send In The Clowns”
7", Dejavu Records, 2008
Laura Vane & The Vipertones “Man Of Your Word”
7”, Unique Records, 2009
"Mind your bíz’ness"
When the crowd or announcer tells a defender to stop double-teaming so that the offensive player can go one-on-one.
When Skip toyed with him, McNasty’s teammates tried to double but the crowd yelled out, “mind you biz’ness, let Skip do his thing!”
Lay Up Line
The TEACHER’S CORNERFL
OSSA
RYSHOOTAROUND
1981 was the ⇒ rst year I ever
heard music being played during
a lay-up line. I had a game in the
Holcombe Rucker Memorial at
Mt. Morris Park, Harlem, and the
song coming off the portable
record player on the scorer’s
table was the Treacherous
Three’s “The Body Rock” (Enjoy
Records, 1980). I got amped! You
couldn’t hear that on the radio,
only in the park!
If you like the above tunes, peep my compilation with DJ Rich Medina
Connection: Modern Explorations in Afro & Latin Music on CD/LP/Digital
(www.r2records.co.uk/theconnection/)and catch us at our HAPPY FEET party worldwide
(www.bouncemag.com/www.richmedina.com)
- Bobbito Garcia
Legendary playground coach Ron Naclario knows all the ins and outs to Rafer “Skip To My Lou”
Alston's rise to playground icon. Here are his words, recalling a 12, 14 and 18-year-old Skip on
the NYC playgrounds.
YOUNG SKIP age 12
ADOLESCENT SKIP age 14
LATE TEEN SKIP age 18
1988 1990 1994
"He sat his fi rst game and just watched for a bit.
It was his second game where he showed off his
handle and was effective. Skip was like the chicken
in the Rocky movie; no one could catch up with
him on the court. At that age, I thought everyone
had the nervous factor playing at the Rucker but
Rafer was fearless. I didn’t realize how good he
was until I brought older kids up there and they
were scared of the crowd."
"At this point, he started to be able to physically
hang with men, toying with them with the ball
instead of playing tag out there. Rafer started
confronting defenders, putting on the magic act
and wrapping the ball around their legs, waist,
and heads. Guys started getting physical and he
would just embarrass them."
"He became the legend “Skip to my Lou.” Fans
didn’t even know his real name. He was the
featured player everywhere he went. Coaches
didn’t care if he showed up at halftime—they just
wanted him in the park. At six feet, he had the
cockiness to dominate. "
21
JOE JACKSON - 5’11” Point Guard
White Station High School, Memphis, Tennessee, Class of 2010
“I started playing with my friends and older brother in the back-
yard when I was in the fourth grade and started going to the
parks when I got a little older. We would go to Orange Mound
Park and hoop around the neighborhood. I started playing
organized ball in middle school. The Precinct, Mount Moriah, is
an outdoor court in Memphis where everybody goes to play, as
well as Glenview Park and Melrose Park.
At my size, I can make a lot of things happen - score, put it
on the fl oor, create for other players and get to the basket.
I’m very athletic and capable of dunking on people in traffi c.
I have different types of moves that people haven’t seen from a
small guard.
People compare me to Allen Iverson because I can fi ll it up. I’m
working on leading a team and my jump shot because that’s
the meal ticket. I’m also trying to master fl oaters and diffi cult
shots. I’m playing for the Memphis Magic this summer and go-
ing to the Chris Paul and LeBron Nike camps, trying to add that
leadership role to my game.
For college, the top schools I’m considering right now are
Memphis, Marquette, Tennessee, Kentucky, Villanova and a
few others.
In my city, we play hard. There’s a toughness to our game.
Memphis is no joke. We ain’t scared of nothing.”
YOUNGWORLD
VERBALS: Alejandro “Ali” Danois / VISUALS: Rick Schimmel & Eric Robinson
Joe Jackson / Shoni Schimmel
Phenom! That’s the word most often associated with these young point guards. They’ll become
household names on the next level with their exciting swag and entertaining, scintillating ⇑ oor
games. They took a minute to talk about where they’re from and what they bring to the table.
SHONI SCHIMMEL - 5’10” Point Guard
Franklin High School, Portland, Oregon Class of 2010
The game of basketball is very important to Native Americans,
a very big part of our community. My mom, grandmother and
great-grandmother played ball and they used to talk about be-
ing allowed only two dribbles when they played.
I grew up on the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon and
started playing in tournaments when I was four. I always played
with my older brother and his friends growing up, which gave
me an advantage because guys are a lot stronger. When I was in
middle school, I noticed that I was becoming pretty good.
I play with a lot of fl air and that comes from playing a lot of
one-on-one against my brother and watching the AND 1 mix
tapes when we were younger.
In the sixth grade, I started traveling with my mom’s AAU
team. We’d also play in Indian tournaments, which are
enjoyable because there’s a lot of run-and-gun, up and down
freestyle elements.
In August, I’ll be in Tokyo, Japan with an All Star team of
some of the top players in the country. It’s my fi rst time going
overseas and I’m really excited.
My strengths are passing and shooting. I really enjoy making
a beautiful pass. Right now, I’m working on my defense and
driving to the basket. I also spend a lot of time just working on
my long range shooting.
Stanford, UCLA, Duke, Louisville and Rutgers are some of the
schools that are recruiting me.”
22
HOW
DOWE
South Bronx native Malloy Nesmith took the playground
by storm in the mid-80’s with his quick handles, wild-style
moves and penchant for dancing with the ball and then
jetting on his defender. The ill repertoire earned him the nick-
name "Boogie."
At EBC, Duke Tango anointed him "The Future," saying
“The moves he’s doing here, you’re going to see in the NBA
in the future.”
Nesmith, an original AND 1 mix-tape signee, was the fi rst mod-
ern street player to get a modeling deal with Sean John and
Lugz. His fame as a hood celeb and game-changing player
caught the eye of Shaq, who at the time was working with Ne-
smith's boy's - Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz. After a short intro,
Future got signed to Shaq's Dunk.net portal as its offi cial "Man
of Streetball."
In the summer of '09, the 40-year-old Nesmith is still coming
to the bricks strong in A-list leagues like the Tri-State Classic,
where he dropped 46 and 43 points. At EBC this summer, he
rained 34.
The move on display was spontaneously created when
a kid started riffing and talking trash. “When someone
talks junk, it brings the move out,” said Future. “I don’t
practice my moves.”
Approaching the opponent in the open court, start going behind your
back with your right hand while on your toes.
As you’re going behind your back, you also start a 360-degree spin.
Catch the ball with your left hand as you come out of it, keeping your
head up and straight.
Cross quickly to your right hand and then get to the elbow area of
the foul line.
Stop suddenly in a straddle position with your right foot and right shoulder
pointed to the sideline - your body momentum is going right – and cross
low and quick at your ankles to your left hand and create space.
Now located in the middle of the ⇑ oor, take an extended foul shot and
knock down the jumpshot.
VERBALS: Sean “In-Fin” Couch / VISUALS: John Walder
2
3
4
5
6
Demonstrated at 75 Park in the Bronx, Nesmith is coming “Back-to-the-Future”
A.K.A. the “BACK-TO-THE-FUTURE”
THE BEHIND-THE- BACK-SPIN-TO-THE-DOUBLECROSS-PULL-UP
23
2
3
45
6
1
GOOD MONEY.
24
STREETDOGMA
Joe Vecsey, who grew up on the circuit with AND 1, Ball4Real,
and Ball4Life agreed by saying, “It’s pretty much over here. I
can’t really see anything happening on the domestic tour level.
Maybe an outdoor permanent home for streetball in a major
city could bring it back.”
With the head offi cially chopped off, the body is still active in the
form of the BALL UP Tour that is viewed as a side attraction to
the DUB Magazine Car Show. While many point to the economy
as the thieving stick-up kid, the real culprit is the lack of new star
power that sustains the interest of the general public.
A blip of originality came in 2006 when “Air Up There” did the
720-degree dunk to a half-fi lled Houston arena. AND 1 called
it, “The Second Revolution,” fi guring it would be the jump off
to bigger and better things. But the effort, although spectacu-
lar, wasn’t the bandwagon effect they hoped for. Everything
started going down hill with the break up of the squad in
early 2007.
However, the AND 1 movement is still one of the most
important events in grassroots basketball history and one of
the best word-of-mouth marketing campaigns ever conceived.
I still remember the fi rst time I heard about the “Skip” tape. I
was chillin’ in Atlanta, sitting in a house with Kobe Bryant and
some other ballers. Kobe said, “Yo, have you seen this?”
It was the unedited version, and it had pros shaking their heads
and jumping out of chairs at every Skip move, pass, and bucket.
When the edited version took shape in ’99, the buzz was al-
ready solid, the players in place and the market ripe to experi-
ence Rucker Park set to a dance track.
The compilation was a pure masterpiece of ball handling wiz-
ardry and underground sound. Mix-tape host Set Free and his
business partner “Q” understood the power of music, with
“Q” saying the mix-tape “…captured the energy of the DJ
on video.”
In other words, it had the “place-to-be-party-effect” that ev-
eryone was thirsting for – a mesmerizing must see for a young
music-driven generation that loved the creativity and the diss
mixed like a record.
Youngsters were now glued in their seats in a way never seen
before, yearning to rock the new ball style, but not ground-
ed enough in the fundamentals to really grow and possibly
supercede it.
While the burst of creativity created serious excitement, the
majority of mix-tape disciples developed dead feet and sloppy
ball handling technique.
One cloudy day this spring, I was watching a game of “Outs”
– an elimination game of “21”– in a park uptown and got de-
pressed. Outs is a game to get scrubs off the court. The fi rst
player to seven points eliminates everyone who doesn’t score.
Back in ’85, the game was a Darwinian survival-of-the-fi ttest
affair in my park. We were programmed to not come off the
court. If we needed to dribble through twenty guys to get to
the rim, we did it. Defense came in waves and mostly everyone
played it.
In the game I saw that cloudy day, ten kids stood under the
rim. One guy was playing defense about fi ve feet from the ball-
handler because he didn’t want to get embarrassed. I thought
about saying to the kid “D-Up!” But I just kept it movin’ and
caught the train.
THE DEATH OF AMERICAN STREETBALL?VERBALS: Sean “In-Fin” Couch / COLLAGE : Daniel Weise
2-0-0-9. Tattoo it on your dome a la Steph Starbury and mark it as the death of the
AND 1 national basketball tour. The movement is of⇒ cially cancelled, ten years after
the Skip tape changed the nation’s mentality. Duke Tango, former EBC and AND 1
MC, recently told me that streetball tours are “…pretty much over at the big arenas.
Overseas looks like the next move.”
Written under the inspiration of Common’s song “1-9-9-9” featuring Sadat X.
25
I lamented in my mind - Defense: The after-thought of
a generation.
I got home and thought about Mix-Tape #4 when Hot Sauce
was dribbling in front of the mirror, practicing moves for en-
tertainment purposes. A disclaimer should have fl ashed across
the screen saying that Sauce had, “learned the fundamentals
fi rst by running fulls on the asphalt and at rec centers.”
I remembered my super-tough project games with Shane “Drib-
bling Machine” up in Edenwald Projects in the Bronx in the late
‘80s, and how well-trained he was in the fundamentals.
I thought to myself, “It’s truly over.” But then, the Harlem Glo-
betrotters popped into my mind. The same thing was said about
them in 1991 when they fi led for bankruptcy. Present owner
Manny Jackson led them into the black by identifying their
market – kids who love the circus and the parents that love to
take them. And now in 2009, they have over 250 domestic ap-
pearances, two travel teams, and a worldwide presence.
The Trotters example provides hope that the Streetball touring
phenomenon can experience a resurrection. If tour organiz-
ers use the still interested overseas market to produce some
open runs and spot a Ricky Rubio-type talent that can master
the streetball entertainment style, they can possibly bring him
over to America to mesmerize.
AND 1, the leader of this movement, is planning a European
tour next year. A new group - the S.K.Y. Streetball Syndicate - is
putting together a trip to Bermuda in 2010, while the Street
Basketball Association is touring with a ten-man roster con-
sisting of fi ve NBA-retirees and fi ve Streetball legends in Bel-
gium and Germany.
It remains to be seen if BALL UP can become the mercurial
force that AND 1 once was. Bringing back a movement that now
is part of mainstream American basketball history could be the
next big story in the unfolding business that is Streetball.
THE [AND 1 MOVEMENT] WAS A MESMERIZING
MUST SEE FOR A YOUNG MUSIC-DRIVEN
GENERATION THAT LOVED THE CREATIVITY
AND THE DISS MIXED LIKE A RECORD.
26
SCOTT PERRY VERBALS: Alejandro “Ali” Danois / ILLUSTRATION: Daniel Weise
From the proving ground of St Cecilia’s, Scott Perry
has risen near the top of the Sports Biz.
BEYOND
PLAYGROUNDTHE
Scott Perry is living the dream. As the Detroit Pistons’ Vice President
of Basketball Operations, he’s an integral part of the organization’s
recent run of excellence, serving as General Manager Joe Dumars’
right hand man. Before ever showing an early hint of athletic promise,
Perry was already af⇒ liated with a revered Motown sports institution
– his own father.
Lowell Perry, a former pro football player, went on to become
- among his many accomplishments - the NFL’s fi rst black assis-
tant coach and CBS Television’s fi rst African-American football
analyst. But Scott’s standing as one of the NBA’s most respect-
ed business executives was not a byproduct of inheritance. He
scrapped, clawed and battled in the legendary St. Cecilia’s gym
as one of the city’s top young players. During and after his stellar
college career at Oregon and Wayne State, he returned to shine
in Ceciliaville’s ultra-competitive college and pro-am league.
After 12 years as a D-I assistant and head coach, Perry started
working as a pro scout in 2000. Now, he’s a hiccup away from
becoming an NBA General Manager. He sat in his Auburn Hills,
Michigan offi ce to explain how a little kid from Detroit grew up to
make power moves on the business side of the game.
When did you start playing at the legendary St. Cecilia’s gym?
SP: I went to their summer camp before ninth grade. When I was
in high school, I played with and against the top guys in the Detroit
area like Roy Tarpley, Sam Vincent and “The Judge”, Antoine Jou-
bert. But I grew up watching guys like George Gervin and Dave Bing
in that gym when I was a kid.
What are your favorite memories of playing at The Saint?
SP: I never scored 50 or anything like that, but I had some good
games. I won fi ve championships playing with guys like Greg Kelser,
Carlos Briggs and BJ Armstrong in there, three in the college divi-
sion and two in the pro-am.
What lessons did you learn that still resonate today?
SP: You better come prepared to play, unless you want to get hurt
or embarrassed. You had to learn how to stick your nose in there to
fi ght and compete. If you didn’t, you couldn’t play at St. Cecilia’s.
After getting your degree, you were working in a bank and coaching high school at night. How did you make the jump to college coaching?
SP: Ricky Byrdsong got hired as the coach at the University of De-
troit and some people told him that I was a young guy that he should
consider for his staff. I was hired at the age of 24 and was one of the
youngest full time assistant D-I coaches in the country. I knew that
if I wanted to reach my goal of working on the business side of pro
sports, I needed to get in at some level.
You worked your way up to assistant coaching gigs at Cal and Mich-
igan before becoming the head coach at Eastern Kentucky. How did
you make the transition to an NBA front offi ce?
SP: While in the college ranks, I always had my eye on working in the
NBA. I’d known Joe Dumars a little bit from around town when I was
at Michigan. We ran into each other after he got the G.M. job with
the Pistons and he told me he was going to be making some changes
in the scouting department. He said he’d been around the pros for
so long that he needed somebody who had a handle on the college
game. I was fortunate and blessed that he hired me as a scout.
27
How did you go from there to becoming the Vice President of Bas-
ketball Operations, basically the #2 man right below the G.M.?
SP: After my fi rst year, I was promoted to Director of College Scout-
ing. Then I was promoted to Director of Player Personnel, where I
became involved in the free agency process as well. In 2007, I went
to the Seattle Supersonics as the Assistant G.M. I spent a season
there and came back when I was offered this position.
What made you so successful?
SP: Being fresh out of the college game, I tried to recruit guys in
high school like Kevin Garnett, Tracy McGrady, Lamar Odom and
Chauncey Billups. I also recruited and coached pro guys in college
like Maurice Taylor and Tractor Trailor at Michigan. I sat in some of
their homes or coached against them or saw them in AAU tourna-
ments. I had a good handle on personnel which helped me bring
something to the table.
How rewarding was it to be a part of the management team that
brought the trophy back to Detroit?
SP: I grew up in Detroit, went to a lot of Pistons games as a kid,
watched and then played against those guys in the summer at St.
Cecilia’s. That was my team. To have a small part in helping to re-
build the organization has been very rewarding.
What do you look for in scouting a college kid or free agent?
SP: He has to have talent and toughness. He’s a team guy who’s
driven by winning. You look for a guy who feels like he has some-
thing to prove and plays with a chip on his shoulder. Chauncey
Billups is a prime example. We were his fi fth team and he became
Mr. Big Shot here. Rip Hamilton and Ben Wallace were similar. As a
scout, you have to be in tune and keenly aware of the culture and en-
vironment you have in your organization. Most people see a talented
player and say, “Hey, that guy can play!” But that doesn’t mean that
he can play here.
Detro
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28
AROUND
WORLDTHE
So it seems like he would be content to just lay low, right? But
that’s not the case.
The Memphis Grizzly was grinding all summer at the Nike Pro
City tournament in NYC, helping lead the Dyckman team to a
6-1 fi rst place regular season fi nish.
Editor’s Note: Marko is the fi rst NBA Player from Europe to play a full
season of Summer League Ball in New York.
Last Summer, Marko was not ready for the comp and got em-
barrassed. Jaric is the only player to win back-to-back Italian
League titles with two different teams, but all that means noth-
ing to Pro-City veterans who bring that “I’ll-bust-your-behind-
attitude” each night.
However, in ’09, he’s been NBA-Smooth, posting a 20-plus
scoring average with superior point guard skills.
Marko took a few minutes to talk about his summer and why
he’d rather play against some of NYC’s best, as opposed to
working out by himself.
BOUNCE: How many years have you played at Pro City?
MJ: This is my second year. Before, I lived in Los Angeles. But
I moved to New York and I love it here. It’s closer to Europe
so I go back and forth. I enjoy playing with a lot of good play-
ers here. In the mornings, I work hard on my conditioning. Ev-
erything I do in the morning, I put into games up here to try
to improve.
Do you play in any other tournaments in the city or just Pro-City?
MJ: Just here.
Last summer, you got booed by the Pro-City fans. This summer, you’ve looked more comfortable. Do you think that’s accurate?
MJ: Last year I played one, two games. I had no idea what I was
coming to. This year I came to play.
How does the competition here compare to the competition in an NBA game?
MJ: It’s a lot more based on offense than defense here. Sec-
ond of all, there’s much more isolation. You’re playing more
one-on-one and there aren’t really tall guys here. It’s more of
a guard's league.
Is there anyone you’ve matched up with at Pro City who could play in the NBA?
MJ: Defi nitely. There’s not a big difference between NBA players
or the guys who play overseas. It’s a small difference. You have
5,000 guys who can run a 10-second sprint that’s 100 meters
but only two can run it in 9.99. The difference isn’t very big.
There are a lot of talented guys at Pro City. These are guys
who sometimes you say, “How is he not in the NBA?” So I
You know the song “Good Life” by Kanye West? Well, that’s how
it’s been for Marko Jaric over the past few years. In 2002, the
6’7” point guard led Yugoslavia to a ⇒ rst-place ⇒ nish in the World
Championship games in Indianapolis, shooting 52% from down-
town throughout the tournament. Four years later, he contributed
to the L.A. Clippers ⇒ rst playoff appearance since ’97, where they
defeated Denver in the ⇒ rst round. Oh, and this past February,
the guy married Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima.
A Serbian Goes Playground
MARKO JARIC’S SUMMER IN THE CITYVERBALS: Trevor Kapp / VISUALS: Erin Edwards
29
just try to give advice to the guys and tell them, “Hey, there’s
not a big difference between you and NBA players. You need
to work on the little things that maybe can help you make a
step forward.”
Why do you play during the summer instead of working out individually?
MJ: I just love basketball. I work every morning with my trainer
but during the evening, I just love this. Honestly, I can’t wait to
play. That’s why I play basketball, for the love of the game.
Do you think playing in Pro City makes you tougher or is it more just something you do for fun?
MJ: I do it for a combination of both. I’m from Europe and I left
my country when I was 17. I went to Greece and played in their
league. Then I played in the Italian league. Then I came to the
NBA—totally different world. Here, this is New York playground.
This is something else and I just want to adapt to this. I like that
and I have fun.
Do you ever play in tournaments back in Serbia?
MJ: No, I never play there. There are no tournaments there.
What are you trying to work on this summer?
MJ: I wanna focus on my ball handling. I’m a 6’7” point guard
and I want to have a handle like I’m six feet.
How do you fi nd that balance between working on your game and trying to win games here?
MJ: I know that if I play better as an individual, the team’s gon-
na win. I was never a player who was gonna score 35 points.
I’ve always just loved to win.
2009
ISSUE!
SUMMERPHENOM
Marko got the nickname "Polo" at Pro-City and played all 7 regular season games.
30
LET'EMMARINATE
SEAN ASKED ME TO SHOWCASE FUTURE AND PAST “PHENOMS!” HERE WE GO . . .
P H E N O M O N I C E / PRO-KED ROYAL FLASH
F I R S T P H E N O M / SUPER PRO-KED
VERBALS AND VISUALS: BOBBITO GARCIA
T H I S M O D E L W A S T H E F I R S T B R A N D N A M E J O I N T S I E V E R O W N E D ( A N D T R A N S I T I O N E D
M E O U T O F W E A R I N G S K I P P I E S ) B A C K I N 1 9 7 5 .
I C O P P E D T H E S E D E A D S T O C K R O Y A L F L A S H E S ( O R I G I N A L L Y R E L E A S E D I N 1 9 7 9 ) C I R C A 1 9 9 0 T H E N F E A T U R E D T H E M I N M Y B O O K .
I T I N S P I R E D P R O - K E D S T O R E - R E L E A S E T H E M O D E L . ( N E X T P A G E , P L E A S E . . . )
31
F A L L R E L E A S E P H E N O M / PRO-KED BOBBITO ROYAL FLASH T H E 3 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y R O Y A L F L A S H , D E S I G N E D I N C O L L A B O R A T I O N W I T H M E , D R O P P I N G O C T O B E R , A N D
F O R E V E R T H E V E R Y B E S T B A L L K I C K S F O R F U N C T I O N A N D F R E S H N E S S T H A T P R O - K E D S E V E R P U T O U T ! W O R D U P !
32F U R T H E R F U T U R E P H E N O M / UNDER ARMOUR B-BALL PROTOTYPE
F U T U R E P H E N O M / CONVERSE WADE UNDENIABLE C O N V E R S E M A D E T H E S E 1 O F 1 I . D . P R O M O S F O R M E , A N D N O W T H A T W A D E I S W I T H
B R A N D J O R D A N , I ’ M N O T S U R E T H E U N D E N I A B L E I S S T I L L C O M I N G O U T— I H O P E S O !
U A S L I D M E T H E S E P U E R T O R I C O B U T T E R S T O T E S T W E A R , H O W E V E R T H E B R A N D M A Y
N O T L A U N C H T H E I R B - B A L L F O O T W E A R L I N E U N T I L 2 0 1 1 ! ! !
33F O R G O T T E N P H E N O M / PUMA CELL ORIGIN
F O R E V E R P H E N O M / CONVERSE WEAPON
SNEAKER COMPANIES: CONTACT [email protected] FOR REVIEW CONSIDERATION
C O N V E R S E L E T M E I . D . T H E I C O N I C W E A P O N A N D S O I P U T T H E N I C K N A M E “ J U A N S T O C K T O N ” T H A T I E A R N E D
A T T H E H A M - F I S H T O U R N A M E N T I N L . E . S . W H E R E I ’ V E P L A Y E D 1 7 C O N S E C U T I V E S E A S O N S S I N C E 1 9 9 3 .
R E L E A S E D I N ‘9 8 , T H I S V I N C E C A R T E R S I G N A T U R E B L E W O U T O F S T O R E S . T H E Y W E R E T H E L A S T B - B A L L
P E R F O R M A N C E S H O E S P U M A W O U L D M A K E T H A T M A T T E R E D . I K E P T T H I S P A I R O N I C E S I N C E .
34
THETHEBLUEBLUEPRINTPRINTCONSTRUCTING KYRIE IRVING
A son follows the plan of a father and rises to Stardom
VERBALS: Sean "In Fin" Couch
Height 6'2"
weight: 175lb MY FATHER'S NICKNAME IS
"ICE"GAME RATING:
"JUST BLAZE 2010"
2009
ISSUE!
SUMMERPHENOM
Ph
oto
: David
e De P
as
35
Irving on the attack that day was a sequence of pure skill. He
went for 60 points with all the new jacks who didn’t know the
deal suddenly asking who they were playing against. What they
didn’t understand was that playground royalty was in front
of them.
Drederick was an offi cial eight-year-old “garbage can baller”
– a pre-requisite for NYC project-bred pre-teen players who
get squeezed off the main courts of the playground. As a
10-year-old, he and Rod Strickland, a schoolmate since the sec-
ond grade, became members of the fi rst Gaucho biddie team;
they grew up to become a fearsome playground and AAU unit,
collecting chips.
As a 16-year-old junior, Drederick transferred to the Bronx’s
Stevenson HS searching for better competition. The move
earned him a 4-year ride ride to Boston University in 1984 and
a frame of reference for his son when the same circumstance
would arise 26 years later.
At BU he was an immediate factor, earning All-Rookie honors
his fi rst year and leading the team in scoring his sophomore
and junior years. During his senior year, Irving thrust Boston
U into the national spotlight when they went to the NCAA
tournament for the second time in 29 years. The three-year
All-NEC Conference shooting guard left the school as the all-
time leading scorer with 1,931 points, receiving a try-out with
the Boston Celtics.
Thinking he was done after getting cut, Drederick accepted
a job on Wall Street, but after a call from his agent, he went
out and showcased his talent at the Seattle Pro-Am league
and signed with the Australian Pro League’s Bulleen Boomers.
He averaged 38 points over a two-year period and instead of
extending his overseas career, the calculating Irving instead
opted for a Wall Street big money career, wanting to be closer
to family.
Things were going well – the birth of his daughter Asia and a
year later his son Kyrie was born – but tragedy struck in 1996
when his wife Elizabeth suddenly passed away. Irving, suddenly
the single father, had the solution - his love for the playground
game. It became the way to raise his kids and give his son Kyrie,
the blueprint to becoming an exceptional player.
“When Kyrie was a kid we did a lot a traveling with the Gau-
chos, Team Odom, and Newark Rams,” Drederick said. “He’s
been around tournaments with mics. He’s been around the
playground environment. He traveled to my games since a kid
and watched me play. If your going to compete at the highest
level you have to compete there at an early age.”
Kyrie got a chance to watch his father become his personal live
training tape. Father Irving crushed comp, and his nickname
game grew. At the Gun Hill Tournament he was called “First
Step,” at Rucker “The Go-to Guy,” and another given on the
street was “The Professional.”
It’s that last nickname that has been spoken about quietly
about his son, Kyrie, a rising senior from North Jersey that has
been compared to NBA-assist legend Rod Strickland. It started
at an early age.
DD REDERICK IRVING, A 6’4” GUARD FROM THE BRONX’S
MITCHELL HOUSING PROJECTS, KNOWS HOW A MIC CAN
MAKE OR BREAK YOU. THE GAME ANNOUNCERS IN THE
PARK DIDN’T HAVE A NICKNAME FOR THE BOSTON UNIVERSITY ALL-
AMERICAN WHEN HE RETURNED TO RUCKER IN 1997 READY TO CHAL-
LENGE THE YOUNGER STARS OF THE ERA. THE MAN WHO GOT THE
NICKNAME, “ICE,” FROM HIS GAUCHO BIDDIE COACH AT 11-YEARS-OLD,
STEPPED ON THE COURT THAT DAY READY, WITH THE MEMORY IN HIS
HEART OF HIS WIFE ELIZABETH, WHO PASSED AWAY A YEAR EARLIER,
AND HIS SUDDENLY MOTHERLESS CHILDREN, FOUR-YEAR-OLD KYRIE
AND FIVE-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER ASIA, ON THE SIDELINE.
article
36
“My son dribbled a basketball at 13-months in rhythm, hit his
fi rst regulation shot as a four-year-old, and made a left-handed
lay up at six,” Irving said proudly. “I made an agreement with
my son to coach him from 5th to 8th grade to teach him the
important fundamentals – team defense, weak side help, and
cutting. No one was going to do that better than me.”
Kyrie started playing with local community league teams and
developed a following at the Zoo Crew tournament in Newark.
Soon, the park buzzed when they knew he was going to ap-
pear. When 9th grade rolled around, his father steered him to
the academically strong Montclair-Kimberly Academy where
he scored 1,000 points in two years, leading his school to their
fi rst ever Prep B title.
But, like his father years ago, he too wanted more competi-
tion and after checking all the top programs in the area, the
family decided on Kevin Boyle’s St. Patrick’s program. In his
fi rst year, Kyrie made fi rst-team All-State, second-team ESPN
All-American averaging 17pts, 5 boards, 4 assists, and 2 steals
a game, leading his team to a State Championship with St. Pats
ending up ranked #3 in the country.
His rep as a phenom is blazing hot coming off a MVP perfor-
mance at the Nike Global Games, where he averaged 21 points,
4 rebounds, and 2 steals a game, and a selection to the Elite 24
game at Rucker Park. Kyrie's confi dence in his ability has been
validated by his selection to the Deron Williams and LeBron
James Skills Academy’s this summer. His father’s statement
that Coach K told him, 'Kyrie is playing like the number one
guard in the country right now,' is the hotness that feeds the
hype machine of projected talent and recruitment battles.
Still, the younger Irving remains grounded, immersed in his
father’s plan of building him into a player that has game that
speaks for itself. With his skills growing every day, the blueprint
designed by his father has galvanized into a strong basketball
foundation that has a dad dreaming of bigger and better things
for his loyal son.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR DAD?
As I got older my relationship with my dad has turned from
father and son to best friend and brotherly. I tell him every-
thing, whether it’s girls or ball, I could have got caught up in
negative stuff. My father protected me. My relationship with
him is on par with my sister Asia.
SO WHAT IS IT LIKE HAVING A PLAYGROUND
LEGEND FOR A FATHER?
It’s something to live up to. His name is out there on the east
coast. Every time I go out, I’m a New Yorker and I’m Drederick
Irving’s son. I wanna take it to another level.
photo
Ph
oto
: Kelly K
line
Kyrie, MVP of 2009 Nike Summer Global Games, has defender twisted.
37
“EVERYTIME I GO OUT, “EVERYTIME I GO OUT, I’M DREDERICK IRVING’S SON… I’M DREDERICK IRVING’S SON…
I WANNA TAKE IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL.”I WANNA TAKE IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL.”
Ph
oto
s cou
rtesy of Th
e Irving
Family
Drederick "Ice" Irving
catches a body at
Boston University.
38
Ph
oto
: Kelly K
line
39
HOW HAS YOUR FATHER INFUENCED YOU?
He’s showed me how to work hard on and off the court, he’s the
best father. He makes sure everything’s set and taken care of.
HAS ANYONE EVER TOLD YOU THAT YOU PLAY
LIKE ROD STRICKLAND?
I heard that a few times. I‘ve heard I’m a combination of my
father and him. When I was little, I watched my father all the
time. When I was ten-years-old my dad started showing me lay
ups that he and Uncle Rod did.
WHAT TOURNAMENTS HAVE YOU PLAYED IN
ON THE PLAYGROUND?
Played in Bronx’s UDC, Nike Swoosh, Gun Hill, and the Zoo
Crew in Newark.
WHAT WAS THAT LIKE?
I love the big lights, putting on a show. Outside, I go hard. When
I was in eighth grade, a lot of people would come and watch
me play.
PLAYGROUND HIGH?
When I was in eighth grade I won Nike Swoosh with a team
called Next Generation. I had three 30+ games. We played
against tough teams like the Metro Hawks and Dyckman.
HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU GOT SELECTED
TO THE ELITE 24 GAME?
One of my goals was to be selected for the Elite 24. It’s defi -
nitely an honor. I’m going to take advantage of it. Around this
time last year, my name wasn’t talked about with the best play-
ers in the cournty, so I’m just enjoying it.
DESCRIBE YOUR GAME IN ONE WORD.
Versatile. I can play the one or two. I can do what the coach
asks me to do. I try to be a leader on the fl oor.
DID YOUR FATHER’S PLAN FOR YOU SEEM SOLID
AT ALL TIMES?
He predicted everything that happened. I used to look at him
like he was crazy. He was saying ‘You have to do certain things
to get what you want. When we work out in the back there are
people working out just as hard as you and you have to get
that extra edge.’
ARE YOU A KILLER, A FACILITATOR OR A GAME CHANGER?
A combination of all of them.
WHEN DO YOU GET INTO THE KILLER MODE?
When we play in that big game, my game goes up to another
level. If I see another great player, I want to go at him. That’s
when my versatilty comes in. I can change a game on both
sides of the ball. I love locking great players up.
WHO’S RECRUTING YOU? AND IN NO PARTICULAR
ORDER TO THINK ANYONE IS IN THE LEAD.
Texas AM, Seton Hall, Kentucky, Duke, Georgia Tech, Virginia,
Villanova, and Florida UCLA.
AAU HIGH?
52 against Icelandic National Team.
TELL ABOUT THIS YEAR ON THE AAU CIRCUIT?
One my goals was to average 30 and at least 5 assist every-
time I touched the fl oor. I’m running with the New Jersey Road-
runners this season. I played at the Pittsburgh Jam fest in the
spring and averaged 35. I fi nished out the summer averaging
25 at the super showcase in Orlando, and 30 at the nationals
in Orlando. I was trying to destroy everybody. I came close to
my goal.
HOW DID YOU RATE AT THE SKILLS CAMPS
AND THE NBA HIGH SCHOOL CAMP?
Overall I did pretty well. The NBA camp and all the ranked
kids were there. It showed me how good other people are.
Harrison Barnes is the number one player in our class . . .
From Iowa! It showed me how many good players are around
the country.
RUCKER PARK ELITE 24, YOU GOT THE BALL,
WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN?
I’m not sure; everything is instinctive. I’m going to try to catch
a few dunks to get the crowd into it and show my athleticism.
People sleep on my ahtleticsm some times, but I like to put
on a show.
“ I FINISHED OUT THE SUMMER AVERAGING “ I FINISHED OUT THE SUMMER AVERAGING
25 AT THE SUPER SHOWCASE IN ORLANDO, 25 AT THE SUPER SHOWCASE IN ORLANDO,
AND 30 AT THE NATIONALS IN ORLANDO. AND 30 AT THE NATIONALS IN ORLANDO.
I WAS TRYING TO DESTROY EVERYBODY.” I WAS TRYING TO DESTROY EVERYBODY.”
END
pull quote
40
THE NATURALBROOKLYN’S EPIPHANNY PRINCE BLAZES A NEW TRAIL
Verbals: Alejandro “Ali” Danois
2009
ISSUE!
SUMMERPHENOM
The old adage, “The pen is mightier than the sword,” is defi nitely true. In other words, it only takes a simple thought - a few words placed in the proper sequence - to create a galvanizing force that destroys, far worse
than any single weapon ever could.
In the case of Epiphanny Prince, one statement, uttered more
than a decade ago, lit a raging internal fi re that continues to
burn strong.
“My cousin told me, ‘A girl could never beat a boy,’” said Prince,
recounting her early one-on-one battles where she came up on
the losing end. “I was determined to prove him wrong.”
Her desire planted the seeds that would blossom into one of
the greatest phenoms, male or female, to ever rise out of New
York ’s concrete crucible. She led her High School team to four-
straight New York City PSAL championships, set the national
high school single-game scoring record, and led Rutgers Uni-
versity to the NCAA women’s fi nal as a freshman. From the
get-go, the Brooklyn native was a natural talent.
“I loved the game,” said Prince. “Everywhere I went, I had a
ball in my hands.” With a slew of male cousins that all played,
young Epiphanny became a fi xture at the P.S. 67 playground
in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Although the game might have been
new to her, competition wasn’t.
“I used to be in a dance group with six other girls from my
neighborhood,” said Epiphanny. “We used to perform at talent
shows, doing hip-hop, R&B and reggae routines. And we used
to win.”
So when her cousin started spewing that diarrhea of the lip
about male superiority on the court, she set out to silence her
fi rst critic.
“When he said that, it just made me want to play more, so I
could get better and show him,” she said.
At the age of 11, she immersed herself in games of 3-on-3 in
Fort Greene Projects and at the Navy Yard Boys and Girls Club.
When she wasn’t playing, she was studying.
“I would watch the guys in the neighborhood at the park and
try to imitate their moves,” said Prince.
Within a few months of taking up the game in earnest, she si-
lenced her trash-talking cousin, defeating him one-on-one.
41
Evan S
un
g P
ho
tog
raphy
Prince's amazing future looks bright.
42
“When she was about 11-years-old, I started hearing about her,”
said Anton Marchand, the Director of the Conrad McRae Youth
Basketball League. “Some of the boys would tell me, ‘Yo! I got
this girl on my team and she’s NICE!!’”
Epiphanny once accompanied a friend to Dean Street Park to
watch one of his games in the Conrad tourney. When March-
and found out that she was the girl he’d been hearing about,
he tossed her a jersey.
“We suited her up and she was every bit of what they said she
was,” said Marchand. “She was the only girl playing with boys
and she went to work! She had poise and really didn’t say a
word. But she knew where to go on the court and how to put
that ball in the basket.”
Marchand, along with other coaches and spectators, marveled
at her creativity and the ease with which she broke down
defenders while attacking the hoop.
“We were like ‘Yo! Did you just see that?’” said Marchand. “She
was using both hands, was very advanced, had no fear of any
boy and a sense of angles that kids just don’t have, let alone
an 11-year-old girl.”
As the only young lady on her elementary school team at P.S.
287, she felt a little awkward when the coach implored her to
be selfi sh. The louder the applause grew when she scored, the
more she tried to appease her teammates with passes that led
to easy lay ups. But her coach was having none of that.
“My coach was telling me not to pass the ball to them,” said
Epiphanny with a slight laugh. “He just wanted me to score.
That’s when I knew I was getting pretty good.”
At Junior High School #113, she headlined both the boys and
girls squad, in addition to running AAU with the Douglas
Panthers program in Manhattan.
“People in Brooklyn had been telling me about her before she
even started playing for the Panthers,” said Robert “Apache”
Paschall, the founder and driving force of the Exodus girls AAU
program. “Her godfather told her that she was going to be a
next-level-type player and that it was time for her to come out
on the road with Exodus to experience a whole different side
of the game.”
Although reticent to leave home, Epiphanny showed no
butterfl ies during her initial foray into the highly competitive
travel circuit. As an eighth-grader playing with high school
upperclassmen, she started on Exodus’ most talented team.
“She could go to the basket in uncanny ways,” said Apache.
“She’d score 30 or 40 a game without ever taking a jump
shot.”
At the end of her fi rst summer with the Exodus program,
before entering her freshman year at Murray Bergtraum HS,
Ph
oto
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A girl could never beat a boy…I was determined to prove [that] wrong.”
Ph
oto
: Dam
ion
Reed
44
Apache sat down with Epiphanny for his standard, end of
season discussion.
“I’ve seen a million guards from NY that can handle the ball
and get to the basket,” he told her. “What’s gonna make you
different is, you have to get a jumper. You gotta be able to hit
the in-between shot and the 3-ball. You’re gonna be a great
player regardless. But that’s what’s gonna make you special.”
“The next year, she came back with a legit jump shot,”
said Apache.
Noticing the proud and pleasantly surprised expression on her
coach’s face as her jimmy’s splashed through the net, Prince
looked him square in the eye and calmly stated, “I listened.
I listen to everything you say.”
“That’s when I knew she was different,” said Apache.
That summer, before her sophomore year at Bergtraum, a
powerful Georgia Metros team, led by future UCONN All-Amer-
ican Maya Moore, was slapping around the Exodus team at the
Boo Williams tournament in Virginia.
At the half, Exodus trailed by 25 as Prince took only four shots.
Furious, Apache lit into his players. Knowing that all of the top
women’s college coaches were in the stands, he then turned
his attention to his star point guard.
“And when are YOU gonna play like the Piph we know?”
he asked angrily.
In the second half, Prince put on an exhibition that’s still held in
reverence on the summer circuit.
“She put on a Kenny Anderson display,” said Apache. “Ten min-
utes in, the score was tied. It was a see-saw battle and we lost
a close game, but she had 30 in the second-half and everybody
in that sold out gym was on their feet.”
Her legend leapt out of the summertime annals and into the
national sporting consciousness during her senior year of high
school when she scored 113 points in a single game, shoot-
ing a bizarro 54 out of 60 from the fi eld. Her tally broke the
legendary Cheryl Miller’s previous girls’ record of 105.
The summer before her freshman year at Rutgers, Marchand
gave birth to the Rose Classic, which has since blossomed into
one of the premier female tournaments in the city.
“We started the Rose Classic simply to give her something to
play in around the neighborhood,” said Marchand.
During one Rose Classic game she led only three players on
the court to compete against fi ve.
“She still carried them and was able to split every double
team,” said Marchand. “She made every play, with the same
temperament as always. She was incredible. And her team won
the game.”
As a freshman at Rutgers in ’06-’07, Epiphanny was an integral
part in the Scarlet Knights advancing through the Final Four to
reach the national championship game.
While in Jersey, where her close-knit family could attend all of
her home games, Prince complemented her offensive tools by
absorbing the defensive principles of coach C. Vivian Stringer.
“Coach Stringer told me during the recruiting process that she
would make me a much better defensive player,” said Prince.
“And she did. At fi rst, I was lost when she’d use certain defen-
sive terms. But she was teaching me things about the game that
I didn’t know. And she was teaching me how to be a leader.”
After recently completing her All-American junior season,
where she put up 19.5 points per game, Epiphanny shocked the
sports culture when she announced that she would forego her
fi nal season at Rutgers to turn pro.
Prince is the fi rst woman to voluntarily leave school early
to play overseas.
45
Because the WNBA will not draft a player until they’re 22 or a
college graduate, she’ll have to debut as a professional over-
seas while waiting for her WNBA opportunity next season.
Although she’s not the fi rst female college player to turn pro
with eligibility remaining, she will be the fi rst to voluntarily
leave school early to play overseas. Epiphanny’s path could
open doors for women of similar stature down the road.
As she awaits her six-fi gure European deal, her days are
spent in a Brooklyn high school gym, going through strenu-
ous workouts with a personal trainer. In addition to strength
work with resistance bands, conditioning, defensive footwork,
plyometrics and full court/short burst dribble moves, she’s also
perfecting her use of the glass on pull-up jumpers.
“Even though she’s an advanced scorer, she has to add every
shot to the arsenal because she’s going to be playing against
bigger, stronger and faster players now,” said Marchand.
She’s also taking summer school classes, forging ahead to
complete the degree requirements in her double major of
criminal justice and African-American studies. On weekends,
she plays in the women’s West 4th Street League.
“People see this phenomenal player, but they don’t realize how
smart she is,” said Apache. “Everything she does, she thinks
through. 80% of her camp was initially against it. We weren’t
on some ‘Get Money!!!’ stuff. But she has a carefully thought
out plan, in terms of her career goals and commitment to
obtaining her degree. I’ve seen the evolution from a young girl
to a woman. She’s prepared for the pro game. It’s time. Physically
and mentally, she was ready for this challenge a year ago.”
So go ahead, if you wish, and tell her she can’t. Just don’t be
surprised when “The Natural” shows you she can.Evan
Su
ng
Ph
oto
grap
hy
With the shorties at the Conrad McCrae tournament in Brooklyn
46
Verbals: Alejandro “Ali” Danois
Ph
oto
: Elie S
eckbach, A
P
2009
ISSUE!
SUMMERPHENOM
47
EARLY ON AN AUGUST EVENING IN 1987, AS A BLANKET OF HUMIDITY RESTED COMFORTABLY ATOP THE NYC SKYLINE, THE LEVIEN GYM ON THE CAMPUS OF COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY BECAME THE EPICENTER OF THE AMATEUR BASKET-
BALL UNIVERSE. IT WAS HARLEM WEEK, THE DAILY NEWS GOLDEN HOOPS TOUR-NAMENT WAS SET TO TIP OFF AND THE QUIET STREETS RUNNING THROUGH THE IVY LEAGUE ENCLAVE AT HARLEM’S SOUTHERNMOST END WERE TRANSFORMED.
Sidewalks normally teeming with acne faced ivy-league kids
were overrun with B-boys and B-girls, old timers and hustlers,
ballers and wannabees, legends and little kids, all of whom
came out to see “The Anointed One.”
Inside the gym, Tiny Archibald surveyed the action from a seat
at the scorer’s table. The talent level at the Golden Hoops was
high, with a cast of characters that included Bobby Hurley,
Terry Dehere, Luther Wright and Jerry Walker with the Jer-
sey Road Runners. Arnold “The A-Train” Bernard, Andre Mc-
Cullough, Dave Edwards and Karlton “Dunkin” Hines suited up
for (what was then known as) the Bronx Gauchos. Malik Sealy,
Adrian “Red” Autrey and Brian Reese were down with the Riv-
erside Church Hawks. But Riverside’s and the tournament’s ir-
refutable marquee attraction was the #1 high school baller in
the land, the razor-thin, 6’1” Kenny Anderson.
Some knew him as “Kenny Ice,” the name bequeathed to him as
a kid while tearing up Harlem ’s youth basketball world. Others
knew him as “Kenny The Kid” or “Ken-Do,” NYC’s most revered
and celebrated school boy star since the inimitable Kareem Ab-
dul Jabbar. Already a certifi ed legend on the streets, college
scouts began fl ocking to his games in the sixth grade.
With his image on prominent display in the NY sports sections
since the age of 14, most people simply referred to him as Ken-
ny, no last name necessary. Among those from his Queens neigh-
borhood, he was addressed by his childhood nickname, Chibbs.
Throughout the Golden Hoops, he ran his usual superb fl oor
game, giving out more assists than welfare. The teenage phe-
nom had the full arsenal on display: extraordinary quickness,
night goggle vision, remarkable poise and a mid-range & pull-
up game that some pros would have sold their souls for.
Kenny was the fi rst NYC player since Kareem to be named a
three-time Parade All-American and All-City for four years. He
later embarked on the best season for a freshman guard in the
history of college ball (not even Magic or Isiah’s fi rst year cre-
dentials compare) while leading Georgia Tech, and it’s Lethal
Weapon III offense, to the Final Four. As a sophomore, he aver-
aged 27 before teaming up with Drazen Petrovic and Derrick
Coleman to brighten up the dark, dank and dreary Meadow-
lands with the New Jersey Nets, who selected him #2 overall
in the ’91 NBA draft.
If one snapshot can encapsulate his god-given genius, it would
have to be when he sprinted down the left wing to corral a
loose ball against Duke. Handling at full speed, he screeched
on the breaks just short of Hurley’s good defensive position-
ing, whipped the rock behind his back, through his legs, then
behind his back again before squeezing off a delicious leaner
in the lane.
Today, Chibbs is making good on a promise he made to his
mother, completing his bachelor’s degree requirements. When
not studying, he volunteers at St. Thomas Aquinas High School
in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He’s eyeing a return to the game,
hopefully as a college or pro coach.
He once told Phil Taylor of Sports Illustrated in ’94, “I want to
make sure that when they talk about me on the playgrounds,
they have something good to say.”
Well, the playgrounds are still humming, nearly twenty years
after his departure. Kenny sat down to talk about the days
when the King of Queens ruled over the entire fi ve boroughs.
48
WHERE DID YOU GROW UP IN QUEENS AND WHEN DO YOU REMEMBER FIRST GOING TO THE PARKS?
I grew up in South Jamaica, by I.S. 8. While my mother was
working, my sister Danielle would watch me. She’d always say,
‘C’mon, let’s go to the park.’ She’d be on the benches talking
to her friends and I was fascinated with watching the older
dudes play. I would walk right on the court and almost get run
over a few times. I always wanted the ball. I would cry for it
and was always dribbling it. I moved to Lefrak City when I was
8 or 9 years old and I would go to the parks there and play.
WHAT WAS YOUR INTRO TO ORGANIZED BALL?
I played C.Y.O. off of Queens Boulevard. I was killin’ those kids,
but I never passed the ball to anybody. I was a bad teammate.
I’d score 40, but I really didn’t understand the game.
SO WHEN DID THAT UNDERSTANDING CREEP IN?
When I met my mentor, Vincent Smith, Kenny Smith’s older
brother in 1979. They lived a couple of buildings from me in Le-
frak and became like my second family. He saw me playing in
the parks. I could always beat my man and no one could steal
the ball from me. I had God-given talent, but Vince put every-
thing together for me in terms of how to be a point guard.
HOW?
We did different drills and started incorporating some moves.
What he did for his brother, he did for me. We started working
out at Lost Battalion Hall on Queens Boulevard. I practically
lived there. We’d go after school and stay ‘til 11:00pm. I would
do my homework in a little offi ce before coming out to play.
I started working on my jumper. I added the Jimmy to my
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handles and my mid-range game got tight. That’s when it all
came together. Vince would put me against the older guys. I
got pushed around but they could never take the ball from
me. They made it physical for me and I had to adjust to the
diffi culty in getting my shot off.
WHO WERE THE OLDER GUYS, LIKE KENNY SMITH, THAT YOU LOOKED UP TO AROUND THE CITY?
Kenny Patterson, Boo Harvey, Pearl Washington, Walter Berry.
I used to hear about those guys and I was like, ‘Aw man, I want
to do what they’re doing, but I want to do it better.’
WHEN YOU WERE A LITTLE KID, BEFROE YOU PLAYED WITH THE RIVERSIDE CHURCH AAU PROGRAM, DIDN’T YOU PLAY FOR A CREW IN HARLEM CALLED THE TS BUCKS?
YO!!!! That’s crazy that you know that. You’re right! I played
with them in different tournaments and that’s how I got my
exposure outside of Queens. Those guys helped me a great
deal. Everybody was like, ‘Yo, this kid from Queens is coming
up to Harlem, just killin’ ‘em.’
WHAT WAS IT ABOUT PLAYING IN HARLEM?
We were little kids, but the parks were packed. EVERY PARK!
King Towers, Each One Teach One at Rucker Park, Boys of Yes-
teryear, Colonel Young Park, The Chick All-Stars. The TS Bucks
really exposed me to all that Harlem World stuff. That’s still
one of my favorite basketball memories. If you were nice, you
got a nickname. They used to call me ‘Kenny Ice.’ It was crazy!
AND EVENTUALLY, YOU MADE THE MOVE TO THE RIVERSIDE CHURCH.
The TS Bucks did what they could, but Riverside and the Gau-
chos were more powerful. They were traveling all the time and
kids were getting sweat suits and sneakers. And you didn’t
have to pay when you went out of town. Everybody wanted to
play for those teams to get exposure outside of NYC.
WHEN DID YOU START THINKING THAT YOUR SKILLS COULD TAKE YOU AROUND THE WORLD AND DO BIG
THINGS FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?
When we beat Tolentine in the City Championships during
my freshman year at Archbishop Molloy. I was 14. And I never
started that year or played the fi rst quarter. I’d check in at
the start of the second quarter but I wouldn’t come out after that.
That night changed my whole career. We won and I took over in
overtime. I had like 24 points and won MVP. As a freshman! That’s
when I said, ‘Man, I know I can do this.’ Sports Illustrated put me in
the magazine as the best 9th grader in the country.
YOUR MOM WOULD HEAR FROM PEOPLE THAT YOU WERE REAL GOOD, BUT SHE DIDN’T KNOW THE
EXTENT FOR A WHILE…?
She had a lot of pressure on her trying to pay the rent and
put food on the table. She worked hard, sometimes as a bar-
tender and waitress on the side to keep things together. She
was tired and didn’t have time to come to my games. But she
would hear about what I was doing. I used to tell her all the
time and she’d just laugh and say, ‘Oh boy, whatever!’ One of
the fi rst articles about me was in the Daily News. The title was
Anderson: Another Pearl. One of her friends gave her a copy.
She started coming to some games after that and it made her
real proud.
YOUR NICKNAME IS CHIBBS. HOW DID THAT COME ABOUT?
When I was a week old, my mother started calling me Cheeks,
and eventually, it turned into Chibbs. Everybody around my
way knew me by that name. I was telling people, ‘Yo, look, I’m
in the paper.’ And they’d be like, ‘Man, stop lyin! You ain’t in no
paper.’ I was like, ‘Here, look! This is me. My real name
is Kenneth.’
SO NOBOBDY AROUND YOUR WAY KNEW YOUR REAL NAME?
Nah. I didn’t even know my real name until we went to regis-
ter for kindergarten. My mom was fi lling out forms and they
called me ‘Kenneth.’ I was like, ‘Who’s Kenneth?’ Everybody in
Queens and in Lefrak calls me Chibbs, even today.
THE GOLDEN HOOPS WAS SOME INCREDIBLE BALL. WHAT DO YOU RECALL ABOUT THOSE DAYS?
That was one of the most exciting times in my life because
it was Harlem Week. The gym at Columbia University was
packed. I matched up against Arnold Bernard. It was hot!
There were great tournaments back then for teenagers. And
the Mecca really supported high school basketball and its
young players.
YOUR GAME, EVEN EARLY ON, WAS SLINKY AND SMOOTH. HOW DID IT FEEL WHEN YOU’D CRACK SOME-BODY WITH THE HANDLES?
I really didn’t get excited about dropping dudes until I got to
college. I wasn’t like ‘Ooooh, Ooooh, Aaaah’ on myself like the
crowd was.
This is me; my real name is Kenneth.
““Everybody around my way knew me by that name [Chibbs]. I was telling people, ‘Yo, look, I’m in the paper.’ And they’d be like, ‘Man, stop lyin’! You ain’t in no paper.’ I was like, ‘Here, look!
50
I was rated as the top I d hplayer in the country and everybody was lookin’ at me like, ‘Look at this lil’ guy.’ And even thoughI was only 6’1”, 165pounds, I was feared.”p
“
WHO WERE THE POINT GUARDS YOU WOULD BATTLE AGAINST IN THE PARKS AND TOURNEY’S DURING
THE SUMMERS?
Arnold Bernard with the Gauchos and Danny Tirado were
nice. NY was full of point guards with game, like Jamal Walker
and Andre McCullough, who didn’t get as much attention.
WHO WERE YOUR FAVORITE SUMMERTIME TEAM-MATES, DUDES THAT YOU PLAYED WITH WHO UNDER-STOOD THE GAME ON YOUR LEVEL?
Malik Sealy! That was my man. Then you had Conrad McRae
and Karlton Hines. They all passed away, God rest their souls.
Another favorite was Jamal Mashburn. When I ran with the
Gauchos, it was me, Jamal, Conrad, Karlton and Andre Mc-
Cullough. We killed everybody that summer.
HOW WAS IT HAVING TINY ARCHIBALD AS YOUR COACH WHEN YOU GOT BIZMARK AT THE BOSTON SHOOTOUT?
Man!!! You’re bringing back memories. I was playing for my
idol! I dropped 51 on the Los Angeles team. Then I had 41
against Louisiana. Tiny was mad cool. He put in some isola-
tion plays for me and said, ‘Yo, you can get by these guys
whenever you want. Just go run the team and do your thing.’
That gave me some incredible confi dence.
WHAT ABOUT THE EMPIRE STATE GAMES?
Oooooh! I killed in that too. I think we won three years in a
row. I scored 47 in one championship game.
WHAT DO YOU RECALL FROM THE NIKE ALL-AMERICAN CAMP AT PRINCETON, NJ WHEN YOU TOOK MVP?
Me and Bobby Hurley went at it. That was the best. Allan
Houston and Jimmy Jackson were there too. That was the
fi ercest camp I’d ever been to, the top hundred players in the
land, the best from every city. I was rated as the top player
in the country and everybody was lookin’ at me like, ‘Look
at this lil’ guy.’ And even though I was only 6’1”, 165 pounds,
I was feared. I was a hard-nosed kid, growing up and playing
on the New York streets, getting pushed around on the play-
grounds. I was ready for something like that.
WHO WAS THAT ONE INCREDIBLE TALENT THAT YOU PLAYED WITH THAT, IF THEY’D AVOIDED THE PITFALLS, YOUR’RE CERTAIN WOULD’VE GONE DOWN AS ONE OF THE GREATEST EVER?
Oh, everybody that played with him knows. That’s SweePea!
Lloyd Daniels. I just shake my head and laugh when I think
about his talent. He still made it to the league after every-
thing he’d been through. Imagine if he was solely focused on
the game, never did drugs and never got shot. He was like
Magic, but with an automatic 30-foot jumper. You could not
guard him. It’s unfortunate that he didn’t have the foundation
and everybody wanted to exploit him.
THE DEMONS THAT WREAKED HAVOC ON LLOYD ALSO CAME AFTER YOU TOO. WHAT ALLOWED YOU TO SHAKE THEM OFF LIKE YOU SHOOK HURLEY WITH THE CRAZY DRIBBLE MOVE ON THE FAST BREAK IN COLLEGE?
My network was pretty tight. I had Vincent, Coach Curran and
my friend Pierre Turner, who was a lawyer. We stayed in the
gym and they made me do my schoolwork. Somebody caught
me at the right time. I had the right people with me. And I
listened to them.
SO DID THE NEW YORK PLAYGROUND EXPERIENCE PRE-PARE YOU TO PUT IT ON DUDES AT EVERY LEVEL?
No question at all! Certain environments that you grow up in
prepare you mentally and physically for how you think of your-
self and get after it. Coming up through the playgrounds gave
me a sense of confi dence and self-esteem. There’s an attitude
you get from that and it prepares you to handle anything.
Ph
oto
: Elie S
eckbach, A
P
51
52
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