A 5-foot-7 showman with a wicked handle, Robertson helped Loyola of Chicago win the 1963 NCAA title. You cant rely on a jumper when the wind is blowing 20 miles per hour, noted Morrissey. Archibald went the JUCO route and kept improving his game to the point where he was named one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players in 1996. As an official, if theres a lot of jump shots, it makes life easier, he joked. While there are plenty of other parks and leagues around New York City, as well as across the country, the Rucker Park Summer League, which is held from mid-June until about mid-August, is unique in many aspects. Kareem "Best Kept Secret" Reid Holcombe Rucker, a playground director, established a youth basketball league and summer tournament nearly 70 years ago to keep children away from temptation even as others warned him to. His goal was to provide leadership and a leg up for thousands of boys and girls. Crews worked on the court starting in August, leveling the asphalt and installing black bleachers, a state-of-the-art scoreboard and N.B.A. Were so excited to bring it to the legendary Rucker Park and give these athletes an authentic NYC hoops experience, says Les Green, CEO of SLAM Media Inc. SLAM is all about celebrating the game of basketball as well as the culture surrounding the game. Board members reacted warmly to the project during the May 12 presentation, though some worried that attention to the court would fade after the three-year staff position ends. It was automatic.. The goal of the players union is to restore the park as a community asset and attract N.B.A. 2023 Active Network, LLC and/or its affiliates and licensors. For the first time, the SLAM Summer Classic Vol. Corey "Homicide" Williams ONE37pm: Okay ReeCee we have a task for you. 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. He even had a regular spot on the Globetrotters' 1970s cartoon show. [3] Rucker started a basketball tournament in 1950 in order to help less-fortunate kids stay off the streets and aim for college careers. A History of Rucker Park: The True Mecca of Basketball - Complex Jamar Jones, whose nickname is Papa, was anticipating playing on the renovated court after its reopening Saturday. You are there to make sure the game is being played fair, Mensah said. But did you know Wilt also averaged 47.2 ppg his senior season at Overbrook? Its a staple. Julius Erving and the rappers Fat Joe and ASAP Ferg spoke at the parks reopening after renovations. Many of them., A Street Basketball Mecca Gets a Face-Lift, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/10/sports/basketball/rucker-park-renovation.html. The Bronx native is a one-on-one specialist and can defend players of all sizes. The former N.B.A. Street ball, a basketball Sticker. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. Entertainers Basketball Classic Rucker Park, Harlem This is the granddaddy of them all, with a lineage that dates back to 1950. trademarks of Slam Media Inc. All rights reserved. Rucker started a basketball tournament in 1950 in order to help less-fortunate kids stay off the streets and aim for college careers. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of all the cookies. It had to be moved because the court was slippery from the humidity, increasing the risk of injury. His legacy was in place, though, and it was cemented when the city of New York renamed P.S. NYCHoops - Legendary Rucker Park Reopens - Rivals Its all part of the officiating learning curve. NBA Players Association Officially Begin Renovation of Rucker Park's 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. Back home, however, the lefty point is better known for leading rapper Fat Joe's Terror Squad to three consecutive EBC titles in 2002-04, including the final one in which he led his team past a group featuring Cali standouts Baron Davis and Gilbert Arenas. A windy day likely means more drives to the basket. 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 . Earl "The Goat" Manigault And we have to be grateful to those (NBA) guys for coming here.. Its real success has been building a community. The crowd was on him. 28 pick of the 1993 NBA Draft. Nation; . The climb began on the lower levels before eventually culminating with 10 years in NCAA Division I basketball in several different conferences as well as Spain. Like Earl Manigault before him, Scott finished his high school days at Laurinburg Institute in North Carolina before Dean Smith recruited him as UNC's first African-American scholarship athlete. In the NBA, Archibald was known as "Tiny," the man who ran the point for the 1981 NBA champ Celtics and the only player to lead the league in points and assists in the same season. Its iconic. players learned through the decades that they could not just own the court by reputation alone. By the 1980s, N.B.A. Jeffrey "Hannibal" Banks is hard to miss as he strolls onto the court every summer wearing his trademark round, oversized sunglasses and flowing robe. He would pull up to the Rucker and double-park his Rolls Royce then go put in work. Holcombe Rucker died of cancer in 1965 at the age of 38. All-Star Baron Davis made sure to get some shots up on the court the evening before he played at Rucker Park, Gittens said. DeWitt Clinton (Bronx, N.Y.) '61 The park was renamed after him as the Holcombe Rucker Playground in 1974. Since 1980, Rucker Park Streetball League has been the basketball Mecca of NYC's Harlem community. NEW YORK -- The B train takes you to the 155th street stop on the north edge of Harlem. Rucker is more than a hoops heaven--it's also a city-maintained park that has a children's playground, a baseball field, handball courts and other perks. The experience of officiating some of the NBA players increases the excitement level. Everything we send is officiating specific because that's all we do. He has witnessed players like Bryant, Durant and Klay Thompson performing there. 5 dunker of all-time, behind guys named Doc, Dominique, Jordan and Vince Carter. How This Man Became the Voice of Rucker Park For more Harlem news, subscribe to the email newsletter from Harlem Patch. Nate "The Skate" Archibald Admission is free, and each night there is potential to watch professional, college and high school players hone their skills. Williams earned his nickname at his first EBC game and copped MVP honors in 2002. As a child, Michele Roberts occasionally found herself at Holcombe Rucker Park when her older brothers, who were supposed to be babysitting her at home in the South Bronx, would take her to Harlem instead. The Rucker summer league, staged throughout Harlem, was a proving ground for top college and pro stars by the 1960s, and eventually came to call the courts at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard home. What is The Basketball Tournament? Rucker Park served as the first Some of the greatest talents in pro basketball--Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar and Erving were the biggest names--would play alongside incredible streetball talents out of Harlem. You could step on someones foot and break your leg if youre not careful, Mensah noted. The one thing everybody on this list has in common is that they regularly thrived on the most famous outdoor court in the world. He then moved on to Alabama State, and even though his Div. Jay-Z, Fat Joe, and the Greatest Game That Never Was Winners will advance to the quarterfinals at the University of Dayton . Everybody wanted it.. NBA Players At Rucker Park - Sports Illustrated They just want to see a good basketball game., The people in New York City know all the facets of good basketball, added Morrissey. We dont care about your accolades and credibility in the N.B.A. Former President Bill Clinton once stopped by to watch the action. Scott won a NBA title with the Boston Celtics and an Olympic Gold Medal in '68, but some of his most memorable battles took place against playground legends such as Joe Hammond. This annual summer youth league has been instrumental in developing young players, and cultivating academic growth and community building. The basketball players, the kids that are aspiring to be in the N.B.A. Rucker Park via YouTube Located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard in Harlem, N.Y., Holcombe Rucker Park is famous for churning out some of the greatest basketball talents in. The summer of 2011 wasn't expected to be a great one for NBA fans as the league was in a lockout that would force a shortened 66-game season. or All these guys came down there because it was basically mano a mano, he said, with you against somebody, not being told how to run a set, but your best skill against my best skill, and your knowledge against my knowledge, on this even playing field where the crowd can become an opponent too., He added, You was pushed into a different level of playing because you didnt want to fail in front of all of these people, and you want them to see you perform, because it gave you so much more energy and more life, and then your legend grew., Wells recalled the time Carter, who recently retired after a 22-year N.B.A. Along with being home of a more flashy game of streetball, Rucker Park is also charmed by fast-talking MCs who call the action, make fun of bad play, and come up with nicknames for great players that often stick around forever. The Rucker Park weekend schedule is: Anyone around, show up and play. Its stressful. We dont care where you from. 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. Hollans: The environment is going to be something that people can connect with.
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