Probably the greatest high school player of all-time (sorry, LeBron), Abdul-Jabbar, then known as Lew Alcindor, led Power on a 71-game winning streak. The Texas native didn't play high school ball growing up in SoCal, but he was always practicing his craft. Charles Evan Hughes (New York, N.Y.) '64 Rucker Park is something that just about everybody knows, and people understand the history and the heritage of playing basketball outside. "Rucker Park, to me, is pretty much like Madison Square Garden to NBA players," Williams said. It had to be moved because the court was slippery from the humidity, increasing the risk of injury. Sitemap Few streetball players have the style and substance of Kirkland. We give you the best playground basketball courts in America. What's even more amazing, though, is that Rucker Park has its own list of legends. His wife Chaniel is the commissioner. Sometimes when youre outside theres an issue of security, Morrissey noted. Boys (Brooklyn, N.Y.) '58 Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. Thegirlsgame will tip off at 5 p.m. and the boys game will tip off at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2022. No matter, Monroe developed into one of the game's greatest guards under the tutelage of Clarence "Big House" Gaines at Winston-Salem State and at Philly's famed Baker League. All-Star Baron Davis made sure to get some shots up on the court the evening before he played at Rucker Park, Gittens said. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar All rights reserved. I thought by officiating I could stay close to the game and keep in shape. He then moved on to Alabama State, and even though his Div. [18][19], Rucker Park in 2008, with Frederick Douglass Boulevard at left, Last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:43, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, "Holcombe Rucker Playground Highlights - Greg Marius Court: NYC Parks", "A Street Basketball Mecca Gets a Face-Lift", "How The Basketball Tournament Landed Harlem's Famed Rucker Park As Its First Outdoor Venue", "Empty Garden: Why did New York stop growing basketball stars? Which non-quarterback group will define each top-25 team's season? But only true basketball heads know he ran with the J.W. So if the players can improve by using this blueprint, why not referees? The rail-thin, 5-foot-10 point guard had a 63-point outburst in 1986, a mark that was finally surpassed by Steve "The Saga Continues" Burtt Jr. in 2007 with a 68-point performance. In 2000 he came back to the NBA to play with the Orlando Magic but died after collapsing during the first day of practice with the Magic. All in the family: how three generations of Jaquezes have ruled West Coast basketball, Alonso says Aston 'living a dream,' eyes podium, Top moments from Brady, Manning, Jordan and other athletes hosting 'Saturday Night Live'. Please see your Privacy Rights for how your information is used. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Holcombe Rucker expanded to after-school programs during the school year and formed the Pro Division in 1950. You have to let them know why you made a certain call. Street ball, a basketball Sticker. custom baskets donated by Spalding. Holcombe Rucker expanded to after-school programs during the school year and formed the Pro Division in 1950. Well give all the young men and women a weekend to remember, full of energy,competitionand fun. The work will a new court surface, high-quality backboards and hoops, new bleachers, benches and park gates, and a new scoreboard that will be easier for community members to program. The history of some men isn't evident until . All of his experience brought Gilbert, now 50, back to where he first learned the game, the parks of New York City. Here I am now refereeing with an NBA official, Morrissey said. Their son came up with the concept of the Drew Crew. Hammond never really got into the high school game; he was already deep into the street game. legends like Wilt Chamberlain, Lew Alcindor (later known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and Julius Erving, who went by the nickname the Claw at the park long before he was known as Dr. J. ONE37pm: Okay ReeCee we have a task for you. Franklin K. Lane (Brooklyn, N.Y.) '76 James "Fly" Williams James "Pookie" Wilson The one thing everybody on this list has in common is that they regularly thrived on the most famous outdoor court in the world. Dino, our founder, is a real family man. The park was established in 1956 next to PS 156; the school closed in 1981. NBA icons of yesteryear frequently played at Rucker, names like Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. From $1.63. Since 1980, Rucker Park Streetball League has been the basketball Mecca of NYC's Harlem community. VENUE MARIUS COURT AT HOLCOMBE RUCKER PARK W. 155 St., 8 Ave. To Harlem River Drive, Neighborhood Plgd trademarks of Slam Media Inc. All rights reserved. Rucker Park definitely represents history. The 1960 ESPNHS Mr. Basketball USA would have been a cinch All-American at the University of Iowa, but a gambling scandal cost the Hawk eight years of his prime. Most know him as Dr. J, ABA and NBA ambassador of the 1970s and '80s. June Schedule 14 & under and Woman's Men's Men's 4:15PM 6:00 PM 7:30 PM June 20 Monday N/A Men's Game Men's Game . Overbrook (Philadelphia, Pa.) '55 From June 30-July 2, Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem, New York will play host to a 16-team, invitation-only 17U bracket. If you get the chance, check out some of the videos on the internet. Its odd how I got started, said the 40-year-old Mensah. Earl "The Pearl" Monroe St. Raymond's (Bronx, N.Y.) '94 Its all the relationships that will hopefully come back and support the brands thats out there and the tournaments thats out there, and that will help bring back the mystique of what it was and what it is. It would be hard to shoot if you would go to the corner.. insights, ACTIVE Works is the race management Officiating summer park-league games, like those held at legendary Holcombe Rucker Park in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, gives referees invaluable experiences, according to veteran official Terry Gilbert, director of the Pro-Am Referee Training and Development Program. I was nervous. Rucker does a good job with security, but theres always that element when youre officiating a game.. ONE37pm: What else do you want people to know about this partnership? The game began, but afternoon showers postponed it for 4 hours making it the first rain delay in TBT history. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. Careers [2] Since 1974, the park has been named after Holcombe Rucker, a local teacher and a playground director for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. As his tournament gained in popularity and the Rucker League transformed into a summer pro-am, Rucker managed his connections to secure hundreds of college scholarships for the teenagers he viewed as students before athletes. Nate "The Skate . Decades ago those names included the likes of basketball Hall of Famers Julius (Dr. J) Erving, Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Earl Monroe and Wilt Chamberlain. Following his death, two protgs - Bob McCullough and Fred Crawford (both drafted by NBA teams) - created the Rucker Pro League, a competition among professionals held in the park each summer. Well start with Drew League. Please try again. A basketball paradise is just a block away. Copyright 2022 Referee Enterprises Inc. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By dusso. Over generations, the asphalt court honed its reputation as a siren calling and name-making mecca for soon-to-be N.B.A. TBT is a single-elimination basketball tournament where 64 teams compete for a $1 million prize. A 5-foot-7 showman with a wicked handle, Robertson helped Loyola of Chicago win the 1963 NCAA title. Greg Marius Court at Holcombe Rucker Park is a basketball court in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard, just east of the former Polo Grounds site. Can you break down what this adidas partnership means to each individual league? DeWitt Clinton (Bronx, N.Y.) '61 Some occasional girls/juniors games start around 4pm. or Rucker Park 50th anniversary. Downtown, the United Nations headquarters had gone dark. After high school, Streety went upstate to play at Broome Community College and was selected to the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 1992. A lot of these (fans) dont have the chance or the means to go to the (Madison Square) Garden (to see top-flight basketball)., The crowd is interesting because you often have fans there who are not biased to one team, like when you do a college game, Mensah said. "It's cold, it's raining, we were sweating . He made an impact at Chaffey Junior College in the late 1990s and spent some time at Globe Institute of Technology in Manhattan, another JUCO. Morrissey said the way he improved from a skills aspect, and gained the respect from players and fans, was officiating games as often as possible. Beginning with this summer's slate of games, the Drew League will leave its longtime partner in Nike for a new multiyear partnership with Adidas. Look for this banner for recommended activities. In 2022, Rucker Park became the first outdoor venue for The Basketball Tournament, a single-elimination winner-take-all tournament with a $1 million prize, acting as one of eight regional venues of the competition.[8]. Stacey Marius, Gregs sister, said that her brother had this vision of bringing his love for hip-hop and basketball and getting them together and having tournaments, but in a place where it was a high-profile tournament that everybody could enjoy.. Some of the guys who come through here to play are amazing Kevin Durant, James Harden, Vince Carter, Kobe (Bryant), said Gilbert, who witnessed Durant in one game hit seven straight 3-pointers, some from just a step inside the half-court line. A McDonald's All-American at Brooklyn Tech, McCrae was the No. That is the Madison Square Garden of street basketball courts in the world.. In recent years, Wells said, some summer tournaments that used to come to the Harlem court have started to go elsewhere. Greg Marius, a former hip-hop artist, revitalized the atmosphere by starting the Entertainers Basketball Classic in 1982. Create your own unique website with customizable templates. Morrissey admits the games can be taxing on officials. He did a lot more than that, however, also serving as a mentor to a young streetball prodigy named Nate "The Skate" Archibald and playing for the Harlem Globetrotters. 4 will take place at the famed Holcombe Rucker Park in Harlem, NY. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". His motto was "Each one, teach one" and the tournament further played into his mission of promoting education. Charlie Scott He's also been putting in work at the Rucker ever since, earning the moniker as the most dangerous player in the EBC. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 28 pick of the 1993 NBA Draft. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. You do the math to figure out how old he was beating guys half his age. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of all the cookies. A prolific scorer, Kirkland had a legit high school and college rep, teaming with future NBA all-star Bob Dandridge at Norfolk State before being drafted by the Bulls in 1969. By Brewtown Andy @brewtownandy Jul 15, 2022, 11:00am CDT / new Gilbert was playing in one of the New York area pro-am leagues when official Tom Washington, who has worked in the NBA for more than 27 years, said something to him following a game that stuck. Partnering with SLAM to put on the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. [3] Rucker started a basketball tournament in 1950 in order to help less-fortunate kids stay off the streets and aim for college careers. Wilson held the EBC single-game scoring record for 21 years. That June, Mayor Bill de Blasio named Rucker Parks basketball court the Greg Marius Court. As an official, if theres a lot of jump shots, it makes life easier, he joked. While not everyone can referee Rucker Park League games, there are summer leagues across the country where officials can gain valuable knowledge and experience. The National Basketball Players Association is donating $360,000 to revitalize Harlem's historic Rucker Park. The Rucker represented a platform for players not only from New York City, but all over the tri-state area and beyond, to flex their blacktop skills. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. Its commonly referred to as Rucker Park or just the Rucker. NYC Weekend Events: What's Going On March 4-5, NYC Rent Drops For 5th Straight Month, Study Finds, NYC Restaurants Ordered Closed Feb. 24 - March 3, 125th Street Could See Another Apartment Tower As Lot Goes Up For Sale. Are you sure you want to delete this family member? Sure, Skip has California connections, helping Ventura College win a state chip in '95 before moving on to Fresno City College and Fresno State, where he played for noted playground recruiter Jerry Tarkanian. Worthen earned preseason All-American acclaim from Street & Smith's at Lane, was named a JUCO All-American in Texas and earned All-American acclaim at Marquette. and/or its affiliates and licensors. He didn't play big-time college ball, but Wilson was a big-time scorer and playmaker at John Jay College in the early 1980s. That summer he also played in the Rucker League, played at the Rucker Park in New York City, and was the second leading scorer, averaging 23 points along with 12 rebounds per game; during the competition he faced professional players like Stephon Marbury, Ray Allen, Zach Randolph and Omar Cook.