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Creative Director
Hip-hop & hoops: Streetball tour stars converge at J-State
By Mark Alexander
malexander@clarionledger.com
And1 streetball players
Some of the players slated to appear in tonight's And1 Mix Tape Tour basketball show at Jackson State:
Phillip Champion, Atlanta. Nickname: Hot Sauce. Is superstitious: "I go onto the court with my shoes untied."
Waliyy Dixon, Linden, N.J. Nickname: Main Event. "I have been playing Rucker Park since I was 14. It's all in me."
Tyrone Evans, Harlem, N.Y. Nickname: Alimoe. "I don't drive. . . . My ultimate ride would be a metro card for the month. Ride the subway wherever I want."
John Harvey, Bronx, N.Y. Nickname: High Octane."In New York, you're born with attitude, especially with streetball and basketball. . . . Attitude is everything."
Anthony Heyward, Brooklyn, N.Y. Nickname: Half-Man Half-Amazing. "People look at me and think I'm weak or too little. I just try and prove them wrong."
Antoine Howard, Chicago. Nickname: Flash. "Michael Jordan was my greatest basketball influence. He made me want to do everything he did."
Aaron Owens, North Philadelphia, Pa. Nickname: AO. "New York is the Mecca (of streetball), but I hold my own."
Shane Woney, Bronx, N.Y. Nickname: The Dribbling Machine. If he could host his own talk show "MC Hammer" would be my first guest."
Musicians slated to perform:
David Banner, Paul Wall and Chamillionaire, Grandaddy Souf, Pastor Troy.
A player with mega-skills nicknamed "Hot Sauce" has the ball at the top of the key.
He sizes up the defender ? who inevitably will be embarrassed ? crosses the ball over slowly two or three times and fakes a pass to his right. As the defender turns, Hot Sauce, still in possession of the ball, goes left and scores.
Next trip down, "A0" bounces the ball off an opposing player's forehead, gets it back and races to the hoop before whipping a no-look pass to Escalade, who at 6-foot-10, 375 pounds, throws the ball between the legs of the guy guarding him, retrieves it and slams it in the goal.
Each time, throngs of onlooking hoop junkies rise to their feet and roar in approval.
Welcome to And1's Mix Tape Tour, an increasingly popular tour featuring a dozen of the best streetball players in the country. Some have called it a modern-day version of the Harlem Globetrotters, where the rules are stretched a bit for entertainment purposes yet the games are much more competitive.
Where ankles are broken, egos are bruised and legends grow on a nightly basis.
Fresh off its last stop in Houston, Texas, the And1 Mix Tape Tour has rolled into Jackson where the show will go on today at Jackson State's Athletic and Assembly Center.
It marks the ninth of 33 scheduled stops for the summer's hottest street ball/hip hop gig, which has already performed in front of large crowds at NBA arenas in Sacramento, Phoenix and Dallas among others.
"(Streetball) is getting bigger and bigger," says And1 player Lonnie Harrell aka Prime Objective. "We've got a great following. I didn't realize how big it was until I started touring with these guys. People know your name, your moves. It's crazy."
Harrell was the third-leading scorer in the NBDL (NBA's developmental league) this past season. But he's rapidly becoming more well-known for his exploits with his fellow And1 teammates.
That's how mainstream playground basketball has become. Those playground legends from hoops hotbeds such as New York, L.A. and Philly ? the ones diehard basketball fans had heard about but never saw like Pee Wee Kirkland and the Goat, the ones who for whatever reason weren't good enough to make it to the NBA ? can now be seen in person and on television.
Several of the The And1 Tour stops are documented on ESPN's "Streetball" and highlighted on the "Block Party." Then there's the And1 mix tapes, compilations of the street's greatest moves.
There's even a video game, EA's NBA Street.
"There's more exposure," Prime Objective said. "People can put a name with a face now.
"And it's a lot more fun. Playing in the NBDL is more of a business. You're asked to play within a system. Here it's open court, and you can pretty much do whatever. There's lots of creativity involved. Some of the moves these guys do are incredible."
Each player has his own catchy nickname, and most of the players have their own patented moves that also have names attached to them.
Along with Hot Sauce, A0 and Escalade, there's also High Octane, Alimoa aka Black Widow, 50, Flash, Half-Man/Half-Amazing, Headache, Main Event, Shane the Dribbling Machine and Sik Wit It.
The best known streetballer, Rafer Alston aka Skip to My Lou ? whose jaw-dropping moves served as the inspiration for the And1 mix tapes series and Tour ? won't be in town tonight. He recently signed a two-year deal with the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
Each player is under an endorsement contract with And1. The players' salaries are not disclosed. "They are well compensated," says And1 public relations associate Taylor Duffy.
Think you've got game to earn a spot on the Mix Tape team? If so, grab you sneaks and head to the Athletics and Assembly Center. Open Run tryouts will be held today at 4-6:30 p.m. during which the And1 players will handpick up to three ballers to run in the big game at 7:30.
If the And1 players like your game enough, you could be selected to join the tour and possibly land an And1 endorsement at the end of the summer.
The Open Run and the Expo area ? featuring interactive activities and free giveaways ? are free to the general public. Tickets to the main game are $22.50.
Duke Tango of Rucker Park fame serves as MC. Rap artists David Banner, a Provine alum, Paul Wall and Chamillionaire are scheduled to entertain at halftime.
The And1 team will take on a team made up of selected players from across the region, most of whom are trying to land a spot on the team and the aforementioned endorsement deal. They're also there to challenge the And1 player's street creed, and prove they belong.
That's what makes The And1 games much more competitive than those played by the Harlem Globetrotter, who were undefeated against the hapless Washington Generals.
The And1 team has lost twice this season and gone into overtime two other times.
"First and foremost we entertain the crowd, that's what they want to see," Escalade said. "Down the stretch, you know it's going to be buckets, real basketball."
"A lot of people try to compare us with the Globetrotters, but it's really not like that," Prime Objective said. "It's competitive basketball. These guys are so talented, they can pull off their moves no matter who they're playing against."
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By Mark Alexander
malexander@clarionledger.com
And1 streetball players
Some of the players slated to appear in tonight's And1 Mix Tape Tour basketball show at Jackson State:
Phillip Champion, Atlanta. Nickname: Hot Sauce. Is superstitious: "I go onto the court with my shoes untied."
Waliyy Dixon, Linden, N.J. Nickname: Main Event. "I have been playing Rucker Park since I was 14. It's all in me."
Tyrone Evans, Harlem, N.Y. Nickname: Alimoe. "I don't drive. . . . My ultimate ride would be a metro card for the month. Ride the subway wherever I want."
John Harvey, Bronx, N.Y. Nickname: High Octane."In New York, you're born with attitude, especially with streetball and basketball. . . . Attitude is everything."
Anthony Heyward, Brooklyn, N.Y. Nickname: Half-Man Half-Amazing. "People look at me and think I'm weak or too little. I just try and prove them wrong."
Antoine Howard, Chicago. Nickname: Flash. "Michael Jordan was my greatest basketball influence. He made me want to do everything he did."
Aaron Owens, North Philadelphia, Pa. Nickname: AO. "New York is the Mecca (of streetball), but I hold my own."
Shane Woney, Bronx, N.Y. Nickname: The Dribbling Machine. If he could host his own talk show "MC Hammer" would be my first guest."
Musicians slated to perform:
David Banner, Paul Wall and Chamillionaire, Grandaddy Souf, Pastor Troy.
A player with mega-skills nicknamed "Hot Sauce" has the ball at the top of the key.
He sizes up the defender ? who inevitably will be embarrassed ? crosses the ball over slowly two or three times and fakes a pass to his right. As the defender turns, Hot Sauce, still in possession of the ball, goes left and scores.
Next trip down, "A0" bounces the ball off an opposing player's forehead, gets it back and races to the hoop before whipping a no-look pass to Escalade, who at 6-foot-10, 375 pounds, throws the ball between the legs of the guy guarding him, retrieves it and slams it in the goal.
Each time, throngs of onlooking hoop junkies rise to their feet and roar in approval.
Welcome to And1's Mix Tape Tour, an increasingly popular tour featuring a dozen of the best streetball players in the country. Some have called it a modern-day version of the Harlem Globetrotters, where the rules are stretched a bit for entertainment purposes yet the games are much more competitive.
Where ankles are broken, egos are bruised and legends grow on a nightly basis.
Fresh off its last stop in Houston, Texas, the And1 Mix Tape Tour has rolled into Jackson where the show will go on today at Jackson State's Athletic and Assembly Center.
It marks the ninth of 33 scheduled stops for the summer's hottest street ball/hip hop gig, which has already performed in front of large crowds at NBA arenas in Sacramento, Phoenix and Dallas among others.
"(Streetball) is getting bigger and bigger," says And1 player Lonnie Harrell aka Prime Objective. "We've got a great following. I didn't realize how big it was until I started touring with these guys. People know your name, your moves. It's crazy."
Harrell was the third-leading scorer in the NBDL (NBA's developmental league) this past season. But he's rapidly becoming more well-known for his exploits with his fellow And1 teammates.
That's how mainstream playground basketball has become. Those playground legends from hoops hotbeds such as New York, L.A. and Philly ? the ones diehard basketball fans had heard about but never saw like Pee Wee Kirkland and the Goat, the ones who for whatever reason weren't good enough to make it to the NBA ? can now be seen in person and on television.
Several of the The And1 Tour stops are documented on ESPN's "Streetball" and highlighted on the "Block Party." Then there's the And1 mix tapes, compilations of the street's greatest moves.
There's even a video game, EA's NBA Street.
"There's more exposure," Prime Objective said. "People can put a name with a face now.
"And it's a lot more fun. Playing in the NBDL is more of a business. You're asked to play within a system. Here it's open court, and you can pretty much do whatever. There's lots of creativity involved. Some of the moves these guys do are incredible."
Each player has his own catchy nickname, and most of the players have their own patented moves that also have names attached to them.
Along with Hot Sauce, A0 and Escalade, there's also High Octane, Alimoa aka Black Widow, 50, Flash, Half-Man/Half-Amazing, Headache, Main Event, Shane the Dribbling Machine and Sik Wit It.
The best known streetballer, Rafer Alston aka Skip to My Lou ? whose jaw-dropping moves served as the inspiration for the And1 mix tapes series and Tour ? won't be in town tonight. He recently signed a two-year deal with the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
Each player is under an endorsement contract with And1. The players' salaries are not disclosed. "They are well compensated," says And1 public relations associate Taylor Duffy.
Think you've got game to earn a spot on the Mix Tape team? If so, grab you sneaks and head to the Athletics and Assembly Center. Open Run tryouts will be held today at 4-6:30 p.m. during which the And1 players will handpick up to three ballers to run in the big game at 7:30.
If the And1 players like your game enough, you could be selected to join the tour and possibly land an And1 endorsement at the end of the summer.
The Open Run and the Expo area ? featuring interactive activities and free giveaways ? are free to the general public. Tickets to the main game are $22.50.
Duke Tango of Rucker Park fame serves as MC. Rap artists David Banner, a Provine alum, Paul Wall and Chamillionaire are scheduled to entertain at halftime.
The And1 team will take on a team made up of selected players from across the region, most of whom are trying to land a spot on the team and the aforementioned endorsement deal. They're also there to challenge the And1 player's street creed, and prove they belong.
That's what makes The And1 games much more competitive than those played by the Harlem Globetrotter, who were undefeated against the hapless Washington Generals.
The And1 team has lost twice this season and gone into overtime two other times.
"First and foremost we entertain the crowd, that's what they want to see," Escalade said. "Down the stretch, you know it's going to be buckets, real basketball."
"A lot of people try to compare us with the Globetrotters, but it's really not like that," Prime Objective said. "It's competitive basketball. These guys are so talented, they can pull off their moves no matter who they're playing against."
Send this article as a postcard