Rucker Park
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rucker Park is a basketball court in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located at 155th Street and Frederick Douglass Boulevard across the street from the Polo Grounds site, in the Harlem neighborhood. Many people who played at the park achieved a level of fame for their basketball abilities, and several have gone on to play in the NBA. The court appears in the videogames NBA Ballers, NBA Street, NBA Street Vol. 2, NBA Street V3 and NBA 2K7 as a playable court.
Contents |
[edit] Games
The basketball tradition began with Holcombe Rucker who ran a semi-professional basketball tournament at a playground on Seventh Avenue between 128th and 129th Streets starting in 1946.
In 1965 when Holcombe Rucker died from lung cancer, two of his pupils; Bob McCullough, Sr. and Fred Crawford, Sr. started the Rucker Professional League. The first All-Pro Summer Basketball League. They were participants in Holcombe Rucker's Tournament since 1954. The loss of their mentor in 1965 was especially hard to take since they were both now Professional basketball players. (Bob) Drafted by the Cincinnati Royals and (Fred) a member of the Milwaukee Bucks. Fred would also play with the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers.
The idea came from Fred Crawford to have a memorial game in Rucker's honor. It was held at the Milbak Recreation Center. After finding out that Rucker's Peers, Donald Addams, Howie Evans Ollie Edinburough and Pelham Fritz weren't going to continue the Pro division of Ruckers tournament. Fred and Bob chose to run an All-Pro tournament in Rucker's Honor in the park across from The former famed Polo Grounds ball park that is now a housing project. It is in this tournament est. 1965 that the Pros versus Playground Legends phenomenon began.
In 1971, petitioned by, The Rucker Pro League headed by Bob McCullough, the New York City Council renamed it Holcombe Rucker Playground, in memory of the Harlem native who used the basketball programs he started to help countless young men find their way in life.
The Pro Tournament also created a youth program entitled "Each One Teach One" that held clinics in the park since 1967. Clinics hosted by NBA basketball players, from the Rucker Professional League. Tiny Archibald and Dean Meminger were among the first coordinators of the Each One Teach One Program.
Over Memorial Day Weekend of 2006, the legend of Rucker Park was further immortalized with the advent of the first Elite 24 at Rucker Park Game. The game, conceived by Rise Magazine basketball gurus Kris Stone and Jim Kauffman, featured the top 24 high school players in the country, including Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Lance Stephenson, Brandon Jennings, Kyle Singler, Jerryd Bayless, Donte Greene, and Tyreke Evans. It was the first HS All-Star game played, regardless of sneaker affiliation. The Elite 24 has since been made into a motion picture, Gunnin' For That #1 Spot.
Currently the Rucker Pro Am represents the highest level of play on the courts.
[edit] Layout/Appearance
The court is green with red paint. There are bleachers, but they are fairly run-down.
[edit] Important Players
The park has seen many NBA and streetball legends such as Pee Wee Kirkland, Earl "The Pearl" Monroe, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Connie Hawkins, Julius Erving, Earl "The Goat" Manigault, Nate Archibald.[1]
[edit] Original Rucker Pro Tournament - NBA Players
- Julius "Dr. J" Erving -76ers
- Kareem Abdur Jabbar -Bucks/Lakers
- Earl "The Pearl" Monroe -Knicks
- Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain -Lakers
- "Tiny" Nate Archibald -Kings/Celtics
- Bob McCullough -Royals
- Connie "The Hawk" Hawkins -Bullets
- Fred Crawford -Knicks/Bucks/Lakers
- George "The Iceman" Gervin -Spurs
- Dave Cowens -Celtics
- Tom "Satch" Sanders -Celtics
- Charlie Scott -Celtics
- Kenny "The Jet" Smith -Rockets
- Willis Reed -Knicks
- Ernie Grunfeld -Knicks
- Rolando Blackman -Knicks
- Dean Meminger -Knicks
- Calvin Ramsey -Knicks
- David Britton -Mavericks
- Kevin Williams -Spurs
- Mario Elie -Spurs
- Walter Berry -Spurs
- Dwayne "Pearl" Washington -Nets
- Wes Mathews -Lakers
- Lenny Wilkens -Hawks
- Charlie Chris -Hawks
- Ray Williams -Knicks
- "Sugar" Ray Richardson -Nets
- World B. Free -Warriors
- Tyrone Corbin -Hawks
- Louis Orr -Knicks
- Sam Worthen -Bulls
- Tom Lockhart -Bucks
- Cazzie Russell -Knicks
- Jim Bostic -Hawks
- Larry McNeil -KIngs
- Steve Burtt -Spurs
- Jamal Mashburn -Hornets
- Rod Strickland -Heat
and More.....
[edit] Original Rucker Pro Tournament - Globetrotters
- Billy Meggett
- Bobby Hunter
- Carl "Los" Green
- Floyd Lane
- Georgie Moore
- Herman "Helicopter" Knowlings
- Herman "Honey" Taylor
- Joe Barnes
- Lenny Williams
- Pablo Robertson
- Ron Jackson
- Walter Robertson
- Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain
Current and Former NBA players who have played at Rucker Park include:
- Rafer "Skip to my Lou" Alston.[2]
- Jamaal Tinsley, of the Indiana Pacers.[3]
- Kobe Bryant AKA "Lord of the Rings" was given this name due to the fact he is the only NBA player to play at 155th after winning an NBA championship.
- Kareem Reid, known as "The Best Kept Secret," led Fat Joe's Terror Squad team to Rucker Park's EBC championship in 2004. Although he never made the NBA, Reid has also won titles in the American Basketball Association with the Arkansas Rimrockers, and in the NBA Developmental League with the Asheville Altitude.
[edit] EBC at Rucker Park team owners
Past and present team owners include:
[edit] References
- ^ DeMasio, Nunyo. "BASKETBALL; Carrying On an Asphalt Legacy", The New York Times, August 21, 1995. Accessed October 6, 2007.
- ^ Popper, Steve. "PRO BASKETBALL; Nets Win, but Challenging Trip Awaits", The New York Times, January 18, 2003. Accessed October 7, 2007. "With the Rucker Park legend Rafer Alston now the biggest attraction for Toronto, the Nets' only moments of suspense came when they attempted to compile their own mix of highlights."
- ^ Jamaal Tinsley Interview, Inside Hoops, January 7, 2005. Accessed October 7, 2007. "InsideHoops.com: In your high school years, out of the gym, which parks were you playing at? Jamaal Tinsley: Everywhere. West 4th. 68th, the Pro-Am tournament. Rucker. Soul in the Hole. That's it, mainly, in New York City."
[edit] External links
