Links: Win Free Stuff!
Gunnin’ For That #1 DVD…
Contest! Free stuff!
One week before the season gets going, and I thought we’d enter the weekend with a giveaway.
On next Tuesday, October 21, the DVD for the documentary Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot will be available in stores. If you haven’t heard about the movie, it chronicles 8 players’ day to day lives leading up to the 2006 Elite 24 game at Rucker Park — Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, Jerryd Bayless, Donte Greene, Brandon Jennings, Kyle Singler, Tyreke Evans and Lance Stephenson. And it was directed by Adam Yauch from the Beastie Boys. So yeah, it’s really dope.
And SLAM’s got an exclusive giveaway for you.
If you want to get Gunnin’ on DVD, you can either hit your local media store on Tuesday — or if you’re in NYC you can hit the Virgin Megastore in Union Square, where Adam will be signing DVDs at 6:30 p.m. — or you can write a few sentences below and have the chance to win not only a copy of the double-disc DVD set, but also a limited-edition Gunnin’ BAPE t-shirt.
So what’s the contest? Easy. Since the film is about high school ballers trying to make it big, I’d like for each of you to write about the best high school baller you’ve ever seen play in person. Who was it? What made them so amazing? What do you remember about seeing them play?
You’ve got until Tuesday morning to get your answers in. I’ll pick a couple of winners and announce them on The Links next week.
That’s it. Get to writing.
This story is filed under: Blogs, Contests, High School, The Links
Does that count?
I was in my junior year in high school when i saw him play, I still remember him and Garnett running the court and Kevin throwing the alley to Fields over a 6′10″ defender that i wish i had a poster of!
Anyone that was into sports and lived in the midwest will tell you he was the Lebron that never made it. A horrible car wreck ended what would have been one of the best the game could have ever had.
Shout out to Philly!!!!
PS. Some of the best never even played in school, just on the blacktop!!!!
‘ve ever seen. Last year when I was in my senior year of high school, I got to see Reynardo Sidney play, and I’ve got to say that hands down he was the best I’ve ever seen in front of me. It’s hard for me to say that because I actually hate reynardo sidney. When I was a senior I ran into him in Chipotle.
i knew who he was but I didn’t say anything, then the next thing I know he starts hitting on my girlfriend. I was pretty angry but me realizing that he’s 6′10 275 and I’m 5′9 190 I had no chance. So I just got my girl and we sat as far away as possible. But to get back on topic Sidney is the most versatile high school player I’ve ever seen in person. To me he was like Magic Johnson and Wes Unseld in one body. He could handle with the best, could score, and just gobbled up every rebound. That game epidomized what a great basketball player was, to me. A truly versatile player with no apparent weaknesses
This was during a summer so he was going to be a 11th grader.
Best 11th grader I ever saw….
Pile of Poo > BETCATS
Ater Majok. Played for the American International School in Sydney on a dog @ss team, he’s 6′10 and basically played the point the whole season while also being a centre. He averaged something like 40 ppg his senior season with 20 boards and half a dozen blocks to go.
One game I was at, International was down 15 into the 4th quarter and Ater would just grab a board, dribble all the way down the floor and throw down in some guys face- hard. He did this 4 or 5 times and they were still down 10 with about 4 minutes to go, so Ater starts pulling up for 3’s on almost fast-breaks. Again, again and again. He hit 4 in a row and they ended up winning by 3.
He had something like 58 points that game and 27 in the 4th Quarter alone.
Know what? He never even played on a representative team, he was that far under the radar. Now look at him.
But, in all truthfulness, Jones wins.
Thing with Ater is, he didn’t yell or shout at guys when they were losing. He took the responsibility upon himself to make a difference. He lead by action and thats what separated him from other ’star’ calibre players here. He didnt scream or throw tantrums when things didnt go his way, and he always congratulated the other team and the refs after the games.
Ater always plays with this swagger, not an arrogance, but a quiet confidence that he’s going to do what it takes for them to win- they didnt always and they didnt even make the playoffs that year.
But he earnt the respect of the coaches, players and officials wherever he played and always did so with a big grin Mike Harris style.
The one shining moment that I’ll always remember about Ater was the heart that he palyed with. His team didnt always win, but every game he played at over 100%, coming back afterwards with floor burns from diving for loose balls, scratches all over his neck, arms and back from being constantly hacked and battered by guys. Thanks for reading Lang. Appreciated.
So although it may be an obvious choice, it is a simple fact that LeBron is the best high schooler I have ever seen, and also In June 2008, James donated $20,000 to a committee to elect Barack Obama, so he definately gets my vote.
I’m a CHSAA alum (no not Colorado I would vote for Chauncy if I saw him play at GW or my little brother Sean Ogirri from Denver East 2004) but NYC is where this vote is headed St.Raymonds class of 90). The late 80’s was a tremendous era in high school hoops. Everyone talks about Kenny Anderson who when he graduated was the all time points leader in NY until a Long Island Product Kenny White (Richmond first 15 seed to beat a 2 in Syracuse with Senior Kenny White leading the way 1993 or 94 tourney)broke Kenny’s record in 1990. Conrad McCray and his 40 plus point games. Roderick Rhodes, Bobby Hurley, Jerry Walker, Brian Reece and Adrain Autry of Tolentine, Jamal Mashburn (Hayes 90), how about Jamal Falkner (CTK) the 89 champs with the best backcourt I’ve ever seen in Khalid Reeves (Arizona) and Derrick Phelps (UNC). However the best player has to embody the total package. Not that some of these players who went on to play in the NBA did not posses these traits. But the heart of a champion, a fearless leader, the mystique of being the Captain and leading by example. My vote of the greatest high school basketball player I’ve ever seen was Malik Sealy of Tolentine HS (St.John’s and of the Twolves and Clippers of the NBA). During that mythical 1988 USA Today National Championship season I was able to watch many of the teams in New York City that season. 2 games during that year would solidify my selection of Malik. Quaterfinals of the Bronx Manhattan Championships at Mt.St.Michael. A young chubby 6′8 sophomore with a flat top Jamal Mashburn and his Hayes team against the mighty wildcats of Tolentine. Jamal hit a few baskets and some words where said after a and1. Malik took mash to school in the paint and a blowout ensued. When the dust had settled Sealy had 29 in a balanced team effort and Mash went for 41. In the final 8 Mash’s Hayes team were bounced by a 67 point 17 3 pointer performance by Kenny White of Msgr Farrell. But in the Championship game. The most hyped, toughest ticket to Rose Hill Gymnasium since
before I was born in 1971. Kenny Anderson and his Stanners of Molloy against the #1 team in the country the Tolentine Wildcats. The Tolentine team was loaded but they were going against the #1 player in the country since 8th grade in Junior Kenny Anderson. The electricity was in the air and you could cut the tension with a knife. The JV title game had just ended and Rose Hill which I believe is the oldest hoops facility in the country. The game went back and forth a few dunks by Tolentine and Molloy’s Rob Werdan who had a 5 inch height advantage over Malik hit a few bunnies. But a key block mid way through the third quarter got the Wildcats on a run that Molloy and Kenny A couldn’t withstand and Tolentine who had 7 Division 1 players on that team Malik, Jerome Holmes (Xavier), Sophmores Brian Reece (Unc) and Adrian “Red” Autry(Cuse) were also on this team. I can say that in watching games all over the country. This has to be the biggest High School game I ever witnessed by the best High School Baller I’ve ever seen. RIP Malik…. Miguel “OfftheMeter” Rodriguez
plus there both manchilds… look for them in pro basketball one day
Since we were born, basketball has always ubiquitously been our hobby and passion. We had played our first pickup game at the old schoolyard across the street and from then on, we were hooked on both watching and playing ball. As long as we had a hollow-frame (anything from real hoops, baskets, crates, buckets, toys, garbage cans) and some sort of spherical object, we were out day and night playing ball. I remember one time during winter break, it was below freezing temperatures. During that day, we walked 3 miles to the nearest park just so we could find a decent court to play on. We spent about three glacial hours by ourselves in that park, until we finally decided to leave. When we returned, my cheeks had developed a layer of frost, my hands were frozen stiff, and I could barely move my numb little fingers. To us though, just being able to play was worth the sacrifice.
Back in the 90’s, the Knicks were huge in our city. Therefore, having seen great shooters like Allen Houston and Reggie Miller (our rival Pacers played us a fair bit), we literally studied the jumpshot like an art-form.
When I first saw my brother Victor play basketball, it wasn’t just sports. It was poetry in motion. His jumper was saucy smooth; I must have heard the swishing sound of the nylon more times than Bill Cosby’s dropped babies. His handles were so adept that his fingers became nimbler than a piano player’s (funny thing is, we did learn to play the piano). His hands were so quick that he could swipe the badge off a crooked cop’s uniform… and not end up like Rodney King.
My brother Victor is one of the most versatile guards that I have ever seen play in a high school game. He could pull up and wet a jumper in the face of the best defenders, or he could bait the defenders one way, switch over and bank the ball from literally anywhere on the court. One of his favorite players growing up, and even now is Allen Iverson, which definitely helped shape some of the style that he played with.
He was virtually unstoppable. If you played my brother tight, he would break your ankles with a killer crossover. If you gave him space, he would drain the step back J like it was water. Another aspect of the game my brother possessed was court vision. He could spot an open man from a mile away and hit him with the niftiest of passes. His assists were well placed and rarely did I ever see him commit a turnover.
One of the things that Victor did, which drove the other schools’ defenses nuts was how he penetrated their interior. With his killer crossovers, wrap-arounds, and quick hop steps, he would split whatever defense they threw at him like a samurai sword through butter. It was like a walk in the park for him to drive to the cup and finger roll the pill for an easy deuce.
When I was in the bleachers, watching him scramble the opposing defense like eggs, I was blown away at how eloquent he was on the court. He was so confident with the ball, so gracefully cool that the leather sphere seemed almost an accessory to him, brighter than any jewellery you can find. It was like jazz, so carefree and natural, that seeing him play basketball reminded me of the late Miles Davis, in particular one of my favourite songs entitled “So What”. You have your basic theme, with Paul Chambers plucking away at his bass with Jimmy Cobb on the kit. However, throughout the piece are amazing scattered solos by Davis himself, as well as the late great John Coltrane on alto sax. Likewise, with my brother, his basic theme on the court was putting the ball in the basket. However, he was so versatile and exciting to watch, that each separate point he put on that scoreboard was in itself a beautiful, creative solo, more significant to me than any horns could produce. I use this analogy of musical legends because to me, my brother was THAT great and even more influential to me.
My brother Victor was and still is a great role model and influence to me. He has taught me everything I know about this beautiful game we call basketball. Not only was he motivating me with hoops, he was and still is inspiring me academically and musically. Keep in mind that we are two of the biggest hip hop heads you’ll ever meet, and that while we played basketball almost every day of the week during his high school years, he maintained an overall average of over 95% in school.
Others will probably tell you how they saw an NBA player like Jamal Mashburn during his high school years, or how they caught a glimpse Sebastian Telfair, back when he was a real prodigy. However, if I said the same thing, I would be first of all a liar, and second, a repetitive motor. Instead, I saw someone play who is more influential to me, more special to me, and certainly more important to me than any of those guys. If I do happen to win, it will have been in dedication to my brother Victor, who perpetually inspires me on and off the court, while continuing to do incredible things with his life.