Redone and re-opened, Rucker Park carries on its legacy [7] In addition to the basketball court, the park has a baseball field, handball courts, children's playground, bathrooms, and a spray shower.[3]. He also killed cats at the Rucker when he wasn't at UCLA winning three NCAA titles. LeBron played for Jay-Z's team S. Carter in 2003 at Rucker Park. Sign In. He had all the right moves on the court, and even though he didn't make all the right ones off it, he played a season in the ABA. As a freshman, Fly pumped in 29.4 ppg his first season and 27.5 in his second season before turning pro. Said to have brought in the greatest crowds ever seen at Rucker Park, Erving earned several nicknames during his time on the court, including "Little Hawk," "The Claw" and "Black Moses." They just want to see a good basketball game., The people in New York City know all the facets of good basketball, added Morrissey. ", "His Eyes Have Seen the Glory of Rucker Park", "Playground Legends: 10 Best NBA Players at Rucker Park", "As Kevin Durant's Legendary Night at Rucker Park Turns 10, Brooklyn Nets Could Use 66 Points in Game 5", "Kevin Durant's 66 Point-Performance at Rucker Park is Still Legendary", "When The Destroyer Joe Hammond ruled street basketball", Court profile of Rucker Park basketball court, Photo gallery: Hopefuls Tryout for Rucker Park Basketball Tournament, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rucker_Park&oldid=1141442658, This page was last edited on 25 February 2023, at 02:43. 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. ACTIVE is the leader in online event registrations from 5k running races and marathons to softball leagues and local events. Pasadena (Pasadena, Calif.) He had to tie his sneakers a little tighter.. Holcombe Rucker Park Highlights : NYC Parks The Drew League leaves Nike for partnership with Adidas That is the Madison Square Garden of street basketball courts in the world.. All rights reserved. Everybody wanted it.. Larry "Bone Collector" Williams I soon realized it could definitely become a career.. Know someone who'd like Harlem news in their inbox? 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. And Rucker started with boys like Bob McCullough. 2005 EBC RUCKER PARK STREETBALL PLAYOFFS: Monday, August 15th 6:00 PM (1) Black Wall Street vs. (4) Certified 7:30 PM (1) Don Diva vs. (4) Full Surface/Ruff Ryders Tuesday, August 16th 4:30 PM BOYS Championship 6:00 PM (2) H3/DBand vs. (3) Pearl Harbor 7:30 PM (2) Terror Squad vs. (3) Rich Soil Monstars Wednesday, August 17th During the Rucker Pro League in 1985, he averaged nearly 35 points per game. There is a reason one of the squads for the Boost Mobile Elite 24 is named in his honor: "The Goat" is arguably the most well known streetball legend of all-time. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". You treat Rucker Park like you treat Central Park, the Empire State Building, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty. Often, Rucker would let grade cards influence who could play in the tournament. players. Holcombe Rucker expanded to after-school programs during the school year and formed the Pro Division in 1950. This past Friday, ONE37pm spoke with ReeCee Hollans, Global Grassroots Basketball Sports Marketing Manager about this groundbreaking deal. Rules, interpretations, mechanics, philosophies and other information may or may not be correct for the current year. Rucker Park Rich in Basketball History | ACTIVE The game began, but afternoon showers postponed it for 4 hours making it the first rain delay in TBT history. players had mostly stopped playing at Rucker Park out of fear of risking their increasingly lucrative contracts. The 2022 grassroots basketball season is inching closer - and the upcoming circuit should finally see some return to normalcy - as all three shoe brands (Nike, adidas, Under Armour) expect to field full schedules during the live-recruiting periods. Greg Marius, a former hip-hop artist, revitalized the atmosphere by starting the Entertainers Basketball Classic in 1982. It is the first time in TBT's nine-year. Adding family members helps ACTIVE find events specific to your family's interests. Have a team in the 14U-8U age groups? What can they expect when they go to a game this summer? In the spirit of Rucker's legacy, this tournament is always preceded by one amongst amateur players, called the "Each One Teach One" tournament. Ricky Rubio Feels Back to Normal After Comeback Game, Stephen Curry on His Return to Play and Regaining His Rhythm, REPORT: Miami Interested in Buying Out Jae Crowder, Drexel Guard Keishana Washington is One of the Coldest Scorers in the CountryAnd Shes Just Getting Started, How the NBA G League is at the Forefront of Basketball Innovation, from Player Development to Testing New Rules, Frank Jackson on His NBA Journey, Proving Himself and Getting to Play for the City He Calls Home, Hannah Hidalgo is Ready to Bring Her Dynamic Game to Notre Dame. Its paved the way for so many people, Williams said. Gilbert admits that refereeing at Rucker when the pros show up is slightly different, so officials may let some of the stars get away with a violation or two. In the late 1960s and early '70s, his playground rivalry with "Tiny" Archibald was legendary. InsideHoops.com - Rucker Park [5], In June 2017, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio dedicated the court to Greg Marius, founder of the Entertainer's Basketball Classic streetball tournament held at the park. It means even more to me because that's where everything began for me.". In the past, it's been stars like Joe Hammond, who scored 74 points in a game at Rucker in the 1970s. Their son came up with the concept of the Drew Crew. Those local players never received mainstream recognition as NBA talents, but they are still talked about in New York today. Rafer "Skip To My Lou" Alston It encouraged me to work even harder.. Rucker Park Legends - New York City Streetball From Bria Janelle hosting and bringing the energy that she does, to the band, to the playersIts almost a little overwhelming. You kind of learn about the players through the course of the game. The more plays you see, the more you have in your memory bank, Mensah said. That led the National Basketball Players Association the union representing the league's players to approach the city, offering to fund $360,000 in renovations that are set to begin this summer. Rucker mentored children, building a program from scratch, always keeping his busy schedule in his pocket. He was shocked that a little 18-year-old kid was giving it to him like that, Wells said. Roberts could not see over the heads of those who stacked the parks sidelines shoulder-to-shoulder. "When I was in 9th grade, I saw the Helicopter, with my own two eyes, pick a quarter off the top of the backboard to win a bet, and I was in complete shock," said former NBA all-star Bernard King. Find Camps & Activities for your Active Kids, Basketball Workouts to Increase Explosiveness. Rucker Park will also have second round games on Sunday and a Round of 16 matchup on Wednesday that will be televised in primetime on ESPN at 8 p.m. There was an error submitting your subscription. 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. Pablo Robertson A star at Boys when a frail 10th-grader named Connie Hawkins toiled on the bench, Jackson went on to success at Virginia Union and with the Harlem Globetrotters. What's even more amazing, though, is that Rucker Park has its own list of legends. Known as the elite high school basketball players' favorite all-star game, the SLAM Summer. Rucker sits in the shadows of the Polo Grounds Towers, a collection of 30-story apartment buildings on the former site of an old baseball stadium. He made his name and became famous, however, at the Rucker. The article is made available for educational use by individuals. Weather can be a factor. You cant rely on a jumper when the wind is blowing 20 miles per hour, noted Morrissey. Not since Shaq entered the league in 1992, did we have a first year player dominate the nightly highlights shows with so many memorable dunks. 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. Everyone is trying to put on a show, Mensah said. RUCKER PARK STREETBALL LEAGUE Schedule - Exposure Basketball Events 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. Success! It would be hard to shoot if you would go to the corner.. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. Commerce (New York, N.Y.) '55 While big contracts have made players less willing to risk injury in the offseason, the mystique of Rucker is even recognized among basketball's current stars, guys who have played for NBA titles, in Olympic gold-medal games and any other big-time atmosphere you can imagine. Photo by Caleb Ferguson for the . Rucker Park 50th anniversary - New York Amsterdam News At a shade under 6-foot-5, Jackson was one of the game's first great leapers. If youre a hooper, your dream was to play at that park, said Corey Williams, who goes by the nickname Homicide and turned impressive performances at the Rucker and other playgrounds into a lengthy international professional career. 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. Having grown up in the city, Mensah is familiar with NYC park ball, where the games can get physical and tempers often flare. Elite 24: Rucker Park legends - ESPN Bartram (Philadelphia, Pa.) '62 His goal was to provide leadership and a leg up for thousands of boys and girls. Copyright Policy For over 50 years the Each One Teach One summer league, also founded by McCullough and Crawford, has called Rucker Park home. 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.