Live From Rucker Park, Harlem U.S.A. -- Elite 24 High School All-Star Game

Well, not really "live," but me and a few buddies headed up to Rucker Park last night and without equivocation it was worth the trip and then some. Heck, when you have Jerry Tarkanian, Baron Davis, Rafer "Skip-To-My-Lou" Alston, Jason Williams (Duke), Walter Friggin' Berry and Dwayne "Pearl" Washington making the trip, you probably can't go wrong. The event was a high-school all star-game featuring some of the best high-school talent in the country. The kids put on a spectacular show, and, as expected, the crowd just may have been even more entertaining.

My MVP? Without question, Brandon Jennings. Point guard by way of Compton, California, who is plying his trade at Oak Hill Academy in Virginia and will eventually be a Wildcat at the University of Arizona. Prior the game, I heard rumblings of a cross between Kenny Anderson and Tiny Archilbald, and the kid did not disappoint. He looked head and shoulders more talented than anyone on the floor, ended the night with about 25 assists, and had the effect on the game that Isiah and Magic did back in the glory days of NBA All-Star Games. Special.

The highlight had to be a stutter step on the break, followed by a little bunny hop, wrap of the ball behind the back while still in the air, and again while still in the air, a flick of the ball up through his legs for an alley-oop to one of his wing men. Brought. The. House. Down. (More After The Jump)

With the whole east coast, west coast, feel conjuring up images of the silly Tupac-Biggie business, the crowd was killing this kid from the get-go, but by the end of the night he had won Harlem's faithful over with his absolutely dazzling play. (You can check out some clips of the kid here and here.)

And although he's apparently got a reputation for being weak on defense, the next best moment of the night, just may have been when a local kid by the name of Kenyatta Walker (Rice H.S., heading to UConn), who has been dubbed "E.Z. Pass" for his insane, but not Jennings-like, ability to shake and distribute, had an entire wing cleared out for him so he could take Jennings one-on-one -- it was the first time the two star points were on the floor together -- and as the pro-NY crowd was whoopin' it up, E.Z. Pass, shaked, baked and shaked a littlemore, finally took it to the hole, and ...... Jennings punched his shit like E.Z. was a little boy. Electric, my friends. Absolutely, positively, electric.

(However, when two knuckleheads were still killing the ultra-confident Jennings, the kid exudes the stuff in spades, after he flipped yet another beautiful between the legs alley-oop, he coyly flashed the knuckleheads a West Side sign, and according to one of my buddies either a Crip or Blood sign too, which had me thinking things might get absolutely, positively, horrific, but fortunately, good sense and cooler heads prevailed. The good sense being shown by one crowd member who yelled "Damn, E.Z. don't let the boy from L.A. embarrass you like that!!!")

Before I get into the top-shelf crowd entertainment, props should also be given to a B.J. Mullens, a big white center headed to OSU, who has incredible coordination and game for a kid his size, and will be an instant All-American and an almost certain lottery pick in The Show. He had a Grant-Hill-like Final Four extension alley-oop which had almost the entire crowd chanting "B.J., B.J.,B.J." -- had to feel especially good for a white kid up at The Rucker. You also had Brooklyn product Lance Stevenson, a dead-ringer for middleweight champion Jermaine Taylor, who stutter-stepped and dropped-water-like-rainbow-jumpers to the tune of what had to be about 40 points. The other cats who look destined for greatness were Jrue Holliday (sick jumper), fan-favorite New Jersey product Dexter "Dex" Strickland (all-purpose silky smooth game) and Tyrik Evans (unstoppable man-childish cat on the guard level.) If you are a college hoops fan, you can come back here in a few years and thank me for giving you the heads up. All of 'em, Nasty. Watch.

On to the crowd, and I can't emphasize enough how refreshing the crowd sights and sounds were when juxtaposed with the incessant yapping of the game's m.c. whose musings were blasted through a sound system that sounded like it was immersed in underwater tunnel -- I mean, have you ever heard these things during one of these televised And-1 games? The sound, just like every one of Ron-G's mix tapes, is absolutely brutal. For the life of me, I can't understand how they can't find a better sound system. Is this some type of keeping it real thing? Anybody?

Anyway, the crowd fun commenced right away with the game starting about an hour late -- after the first come-first serve crowd had been seated in the hard ass bleachers for about 2.5 hours (I'd forgotten how damn uncomfortable those things are), with the m.c. giving a shout out to what had to be every single person in that park except for me and my buddies. Well, with a certain crowd member screaming: "I know we black, but this is ridiculous, start the damn game!!!" I immediately chuckled inside thinking of a line Barack Obama dropped at a small event I recently attended. He showed up late, and hit the podium running... "I know I'm late, am I black enough for you now?"

Well, with the game about to finally fucking start, the m.c. asked everyone to rise, and I woulda bet my last bottom dollar that this had nothing to do with the National Anthem. But lo and behold, it did, some young sister trotted out, she was a tad bit on the hefty side and did not have the type of voice needed for that venue. And what do we get from some dude sitting right behind us: "Yo, that girl eat too much pork. That pork'll fuck your voice up!!!" At least she didn't get booed...which I guess is a nice segue for the 7'2" Sudanese kid (who apparently has only lived in the States for a year and a half), and most definitely did not have the skill set or coordination to play in this type of game, well, he got in, looked like Frankenstein on Crack out there, clanged two horrific looking attempts and was summarily and roundly booed by the crowd with that same guy behind me yelling out: "Give that kid a soccer ball or a javelin or somethin' and get him the fuck outta here!!!" Poor kid definitely heard (as just about everything is audible in the tight confines of the park), started sagging his head and looked like someone had stolen his puppy. Touching.

But hey, the Sudanese kid shouldn't feel too bad. There was a kid from Georgia out there who apparently had some friends and family make the trip -- they cheered wildly during his intro. Well, it quickly became apparent that the kid was thoroughly out-classed -- he embarrassed himself the first few times he touched the ball, seemed scared of it over the next few minutes -- and then when one of the local kids gave him what could've been seen as a sympathy feed, we hear from the crowd: "Good lord, don't let these country boys do nothing in this mutha fucka, this the east coast nigga!!!" I can still hear his voice right now. Hilarious.

And still, it got even worse. Remember I mentioned fan-favorite Dexter "Dex" Strickland. Well, Dex had some kid isolated, and this kid's skin really didn't look much better than James Edward Olmos'. Let's just say Proactiv may come calling. So, anyway, Dex starts in to his shakin' and a bakin', and while setting dude up we hear: "C'mon Dex, shake some of them bumps off that brutha's face!!!" Well, Dex crossed him over and smoothly took it to the hole for two which was immediately followed by: "Nice, that shoulda popped two or three pimples!!!" I almost felt like a bad person for cracking up. Almost.

And then, the crowd highlight of the night. First half comes to an end. The sponsor for this event was BoostMobile -- who actually had a traveling barber shop trailer at the park which is a very nice money making idea. Well, halftime is about to start and some dude yells out:

"For the BoostMobile halftime show, Jason Williams will be performing motorcycle tricks!!! Roll out the barrells!!!"

-- Jackie Chiles, Live From Harlem U.S.A.

Comments

[Bobby P]

All I wanna know is if those fuckers have quit banging on them drums.

Nice read.

[Aaron]

quality. Got me cracking up this morning.

[Dave]

I read an article about that 7'2" Sudanese kid. He can grab the rim while standing. And he as something like a 36" vertical. He may be a stiff now, but he's a lottery pick waiting to happen.

[jackie]

"I read an article about that 7'2" Sudanese kid. He can grab the rim while standing. And he as something like a 36" vertical. He may be a stiff now, but he's a lottery pick waiting to happen."

His arms looked about 6 feet long each. Seriously.

I'm sure with some seasoning he will improve dramatically, and, in his defense, this run-gun-delight-type-special was obviously gonna make him look as bad as can be.

[Assman]

A traveling barber shop trailer might be the blackest thing ever. Like, you can't tell me you went to en event that had a barber shop trailer and that there weren't a few hundred black people there.

Warms my heart, Jackie. Sounds like it was a nice time.

Too bad the crowd had some trouble conjugating verbs though.

[jackie]

"A traveling barber shop trailer might be the blackest thing ever. Like, you can't tell me you went to en event that had a barber shop trailer and that there weren't a few hundred black people there."

Just for you Assman...The BoostMobile Barber Shop.

[Mitchell Blatt, Juiced Sports Blog.com]

Of course it's Boost Mobile. Where you at? I'm at the hoop waiting for an alley oop. Oh I know where you at! You don't know where I at!

[Assman]

Speechless, Chiles. Thank you.

Of course it's Boost Mobile. Where you at? I'm at the hoop waiting for an alley oop. Oh I know where you at! You don't know where I at!

TheBigLead Blog Interview

Is this what they call a "blog-marketing" attempt?

[jackie]

"Speechless, Chiles. Thank you."

This lawyering stuff doesn't work out, I might just be bringing some competition Boost Mobile's way. Hey, I spent a summer riding in an ice cream truck with one of my buddies, so it's not like I don't have a little relevant experience.

"TheBigLead Blog Interview

Is this what they call a "blog-marketing" attempt?"

You're not taking notes?

[sancarloskid]

Poor Jason Williams...

[rush2112]

Great read, thanks for the heads up on the up- and-comers.

[steffanwolf]

That was excellent! Ya got me fired up for hoops Jackie.

whats with the white kid bs.
stop stereo typing jackass.

[Goveacelo]

Was lookin' for this... I might even
have to throw down a bookmark.

Nickster
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Apple Iphone Mobile Phone

[Pierre Wright]

Will this be on epsn or anything, where can I watch it?