I AM CHICAGO BASKETBALL Mag November 2016 | Page 18

“GROWING UP IN THE HOOD WAS
ESSENTIAL FOR MY DEVELOPMENT AS A
MAN......SO IN HINDSIGHT IT PREPARED
ME FOR WHAT WAS AHEAD! GROWING UP
IN THE HOOD IS EXTREMELY COMPLEX.”

I will never forget how the late
Conrad McCae went bananas
on what was supposed to be
our cities best street ball players, during the 1st New York
vs Chicago Summer Basketball
game during the Summer of
‘94. Even more embarrasing
it aired on World Wide Sports
Television. As I Chi hoop
ambassdor I was pissed and
knew I had to seek revenge
and restore some respect back
to our names on the streetball
tip. In 1999 that chance would
come as we pilgramed back to
the big Apple ready! This time
we beat the concrete for players - no Gucci gym bags or flip
flops allowed! We assembled
a straight hood All American

17

team from the crib. Despite
most players being 22 and up,
at the point, I had strategically
placed a 16 year old PG. When
I went to the local shot callers
/ Ballers to get some financial
support on the venture, they
all declined and thought I was
crazy for trying to take a kid
to NYC to compete against up
tops very best. Undeterred we
made a way to hit the East coast
to get up with them boys! We
got out there and went blow-4blow, toe-2-toe with them cats.
The game ended notted 112 to
112, where the players dwell.
There would be no overtime
play because of the frenetic
energy coming from both sides.
It was ready to boil over! But

cago / Low End),
moved to 57th
S. Wabash, 59th
S. Union, Ida B.
Wells Extensions
(511 / 527 - Low
End projects), 49th
S. Wabash, 48th S.
Elizabeth, Henry
Horners Projects
with Tony Allen,
Cicero st. Jabbar
Battle, West Pullman 125th (The
Runners small fry
team),Laramie
& Adams, Robert Taylors - 4927
building, 76th S.
Seely. I’M LITERALLY A CHIWHAT WAS LIFE CAGO KID FOR
LIKE GROWING REAL!
Without
UP IN CHICAthis type of moveGO FOR YOU?
ment as a child I
WB: Growing up would have been
in the hood was attached to one
essential for my neighborhood. So
development as a in hindsight it preman. I was born pared me for what
in the Boogaloo was ahead! Grow(South Side of Chi- ing up in the hood
throughout the
battle, a young
16 year old Will
Bynum destroyed
every NYC
point guard that
stepped up (Team
And1 in the makings minus Skip).
Will finished the
game with 18pts
in Grand ‘Thrill’
fashion. Enough
with the reminiscing though. We
got the Thrill live
and direct to kick
off the premiere
issue of the IACB
mag.