By David Cordova
During the month of June in New York City, outdoor basketball leagues are always in demand. Especially, for the youth. As the school year comes to a close, the kids are looking forward to showcasing their talents under the lights or under the sun in the city’s most prestigious tournaments.
On a Sunday afternoon at Monsignor Kett Playground, Nike Basketball and Game Seven Marketing put forth a great event that is bound to be one of the most talked about this summer, a matchup between the Dyckman Tournament, which featured the best players from the Bronx, Manhattan and New Jersey against the Getsh Park Tournament, which features the best talent in the borough of Brooklyn.
This huge battle of high school players wasn’t the only attraction at the park on this day. It was also a day in which all of New York celebrated the release of the Nike Air Zoom KD9 sneaker, worn by none other than NBA All-Star & Olympic gold medalist, Kevin Durant. As he walked into the park, Durant was serenaded by cheers of “KD, KD, KD,” by a chorus of elementary school kids.
With Durant on hand to witness the matchup, there was a level of excitement amongst the crowd that reached a fever pitch. Early on in the game, the Gersh crew took control of the game, leading 18-3 in the first quarter. Throughout most of the game, Gersh had dominated. But the Dyckman squad was not out of it and made a huge comeback in the second half, behind Markquis Nowell and Moses Brown. In the last few seconds of the fourth qurter, Dyckman led by three 76-73. But Rasheem Dunn brought back Gersh with a three to end regulation as the game was tied, 76-76, going into the extra session.
In overtime, Gersh came back and took over and their counterparts could not contain them as the squad from Brooklyn came through with a 15-point victory, 95-80.
All in all, it was a great event for all of the New York City faithful who were on hand to witness this epic matchup featuring two high school teams from two of the most premier playground tournaments in the city. The best part of the event was not just the presence of KD being bestowed upon the community, but the game itself as it brought out plenty of energy that is seen in the college/pro (also known as unlimited) division games. This day was just another great chapter for the summer basketball circuit in the Big Apple.
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