Photo courtesy of Dave’s Joint.
By David Cordova.
The Bronx is a huge place, with over 1 million of New York City’s 8 million residents. There are plenty of nice areas in the borough & some that are very gritty. But that’s what makes it what it is.
This place is the birthplace of hip-hop & it is the home of one of Major League Baseball’s most storied franchises, the New York Yankees. However, there are two areas that divide the borough. Fordham Road, Pelham Parkway & Pelham Bay Park are the areas that divide the borough. If you’re going uptown, like all the way uptown, then you’re in the North Bronx.
Take the 2 or 5 train into the Northeast Bronx from Manhattan or the other boroughs, or the Bee-Line buses from Westchester County (the 40, 42, 55, 60, 61 & 62 buses come from places such as Valhalla, White Plains, New Rochelle and neighboring Mount Vernon) or the Harlem Line Metro-North Railroad train. They all will take you into an area of The Bronx that is rich with Carribbean culture, but is also known for its basketball history.
It is in the Northeast Bronx, which ends at either Wakefield or Baychester, where there have been tournaments that have served the youth of the area.
From the 1990’s up until the mid-2000’s, the UDC Tournament, a playground tournament at Agnes Haywood Playground on Barnes Avenue, brought out the best high school talent in the city, including AAU teams such as the New York Gauchos & the Riverside Hawks, both of whom had some of the best talent nationally.
Then on Gun Hill Playground on Magenta Street, there’s the Gun Hill Basketball Classic, which has been a staple in the community and throughout The Bronx for many, many years & is a place where hoopers can get some great competition during the summertime.
Next, near Boston Road was the now-defunct Future Talent Basketball League on the asphalt courts of the apartment complex on Seymour Avenue, which was a breeding ground for some of the best middle school talent in the area and had a great emphasis on academics.
Then, not too far up the road in the Edenwald Houses, one of the most infamous neighborhoods in the borough, there is the Grenada Built To Win Classic, organized by former Division I hooper, Rasheen Jenkins & his co-commissioner, Vance Callahan. In recent years, the BTW Classic has become a go-to for those from the borough and other areas around the city and has risen as a staple for playground basketball for many divisions, including the high school division & the college/pro-am division, commonly referred to as the unlimited division. In July 2023, they were featured in the New York Times as it showcased everything that was going on with the community.
Then in the area, just a couple blocks away, right across the street from the prestigious Cardinal Spellman High School, is John Philip Sousa Junior High School, which is a staple in the community for the youth.
Sousa, as it is commonly known by the community, is the home of the New York Wiz Kids, an Adidas-sponsored basketball program that competes in the 3 Stripes Select Basketball Circuit & has been in existence since 2001, when it was founded by program director and coach Clarence “Muggsy” Leggett.
Long before they got into the grassroots basketball scene, the Wiz Kids were known for holding their own in various local tournaments throughout New York City. They were the team for all of the youths that grew up in the North Bronx.
Various players came through the program, amongst them professional basketball players such as Brian Williams (University of Tennessee), Dayshon “Scoochie” Smith (University of Dayton) & Dwight Hardy (St. John’s University), to name a select few.
However, for most of the great players that have come through the program, there is one that has stood out, one that is on the cusp of being a pro. One that has represented the area well.
Since his middle school days, Ian Jackson has been wowing the general public with his effortless play on the court. His ability to throw down thunderous slam dunks has been the stuff of legend.
Throughout his high school years, he left an indelible mark on the city game and on the national scene.
While at Cardinal Hayes High School in The Bronx, where he starred at for three seasons, he led the Cardinals to back-to-back appearances in the CHSAA championship, including his sophomore season in 2021-22, when the Hayesmen won the championship. Also, at the age of 16, along with fellow Bronxite Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, he was the first in New York State to earn an NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) deal with a company called Spreadshop, where there were T-shirts with his picture on them for spectators and fans alike to wear.
As a senior, he starred at Our Saviour Lutheran High School in The Bronx, and was a fixture in the Overtime Elite (most commonly referred to as OTE) League, where the squad went under the moniker, Jelly Fam, in reference to the basketball movement started by several high school hoopsters from the tri-state area in the late 2010’s.
By the time he graduated from OSL, he had left a great mark, as he was the first top-10 recruit nationally from the New York City area in over a decade, as he was rated as the No. 7 overall recruit nationally in the class of 2024 by ESPN & also became the first McDonald’s All-American in school history out of the school based in the Morris Park section of The Bronx. He was also a two-time gold-medalist with USA Basketball, as he participated in international competition at FIBA events in Mexico & Spain.
In January 2023, while at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts, he made his announcement for his collegiate choice live on ESPN, as he decided to play for the University of North Carolina.
He had a solid season with the Tar Heels as a freshman last season, as he averaged 11.9 points per game and led his squad to a 23-14 overall record & a first-round appearance in the NCAA Tournament, where they lost to Ole Miss. For his play, he was named to the ACC All-Freshman team.
While he started out strong early, his role diminished later on in the season & was the key reason for why he hit the transfer portal following the end of the season.
On April 21st, he announced that he would be returning home to play for St. John’s University. This is definitely big news for many reasons, among them being that one of the city’s crown jewels will be doing his seasonal work at none other than the famed Madison Square Garden, where the Red Storm will be playing a number of home games this season.
Also, he is an Adidas NIL client & the Red Storm now rock the 3 Stripes apparel as of July 1st, following the end of their deal with Nike. For both parties, rocking the same apparel is a great deal in itself.
And lastly, he will be playing for a Hall of Fame-caliber coach in Rick Pitino, another native New Yorker, known for his years of coaching on the sideline and winning two national championships, as well as producing countless professional basketball players.
Jackson is also a marketable player in other ways, as he also has a podcast called the Captain Jack Show, which he co-hosts along with content creator, Pat Wavyy.
Now that the season is almost here, the kid they call Captain Jack is back home in the city and ready to rock out. Those games at the Garden & Carnesecca Arena will be something to watch with him in the fold.
Speaking of the Edenwald Houses, which was a housing development built in 1953 by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA for short), they have produced several hoopers that have gone on to great prominence.
One of the major names that came out of the neighborhood are the late Eric Mobley, who starred at the University of Pittsburgh in the early 1990’s & was the No. 18 overall pick in the 1994 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and played four seasons in the NBA.
Another prominent name from the neighborhood is Shane “The Dribbling Machine” Woney, a streetball legend known for his play around New York City and on the AND 1 Mixtape Tour during the early-to-mid 2000’s. In the late 1980’s, he was a teammate of Mobley at Salesian High School in New Rochelle, New York, as both led the Eagles to an appearance in the CHSAA B division championship game in 1989.
Some other prominent hoopers from the neighborhood are former Clemson University guard Marion Cash, Emmanuel “Emmy” Andujar, who starred at Manhattan College (now known as Manhattan University) & also the aforementioned “Scoochie” Smith and Jenkins.
But there is one more resident from the neighborhood that isn’t done writing his story.
From a very young age, Malachi Smith was one of those guards that always rose to the occasion. He was always a very smart guard and a fearless leader. But he did it all quietly. He was never a loud leader, but his game always spoke for itself.
As a little kid, he would train with his father, Elliot Rosado, at the Baychester Community Center on Schieffelin Avenue & 229th Street, right across the street from Cardinal Spellman & a stone’s throw away from Sousa.
Also, from a young age, he would play for the Gauchos, from elementary school up until his junior year of high school. Like many young men in The Bronx, it was a rite of passage playing for the ‘Choz. Wherever he went, he held his own in middle school, whether it was an AAU tournament or a playground tournament.
Then for high school, he stayed in the borough to play for a storied powerhouse in St. Raymond High School for Boys, the school with the nice building and gates in Parkchester with a $4 million gym that was renovated in 1997 & had a skybox replete with banners from past championships that were won throughout past decades.
In two years on the varsity, he made plenty of noise for the Ravens, including his junior season in 2019-20, when he averaged 19.2 points, eight assists and 5.2 rebounds and led his team to a 22-5 overall record & a berth in the CHSAA “AA” semifinals. However, the rest of that season would be canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic and also his senior season and also the chance to play for the PSA Cardinals on the Nike EYBL circuit.
However, the pandemic did bring one great thing. He got a chance to commit to the school of his choice, which would end up being the University of Dayton, which was the school that his older brother, Dayshon “Scoochie” Smith also played at. On August 29th, 2020, in front of family and friends at a park in The Bronx, he sealed the deal by committing to the Flyers.
Now that high school was over with, he went into the college ranks with a chip on his shoulder, as many missed out on him due to COVID. But he silenced the critics with an amazing performance as a freshman for the Flyers, averaging 9.3 points & 5.3 assists per game and leading the Flyers to a 24-11 overall record and an appearance in the second round of the NIT. He would go on to be named to the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team
But one of the best performances during the season was during the ESPN Events Invitational at the Wide World of Sports campus in Kissimmee, Florida, as he helped the Flyers take down high-major programs such as the University of Miami (FL) and also the University of Kansas, who was rated at No. 4 in the Associated Press national poll at that time. And then in the championship, he helped lead them to a win against Belmont. Because of his performance, legendary sportscaster Dick Vitale even shouted him out and praised him for his play. He also walked away with the MVP of the event.
But the sad part about his freshman season was how it ended, as he sustained an injury to his ankle during the second round of the A-10 tournament against Richmond, that would end his season and would plague him throughout the next couple of seasons.
As a junior, he would only play one game before shutting it down for the rest of the season. However, he would come back the following year, which would be his final season with the Flyers, as a redshirt junior, and came back with a vengeance. He averaged 10.4 points & 5.3 assists per game and led them to a 23-11 overall record and another NIT appearance, again going only to the second round.
He graduated from Dayton this past May with his degree in General Studies, with minors in Communications, Criminal Justice & Social Work.
Which now leads to his current phase.
Because he only played in one single game during the 2023-24 season, the NCAA would grant him one final season of eligibility, and he would enter into the transfer portal. On April 14th, he would commit to play at UConn, which has had a history of having plenty of players from New York City, including Hassan Diarra, a Queens native who won two national championships with the program in 2023 & 2024, respectively.
Last night, in the exhibition game against Boston College at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut that was organized by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, he was introduced as the starting point guard for UConn, and he gave the crowd a good intro, as he scored seven points to go along with five assists, as he led the Huskies to a 71-52 victory.
Not a bad start at all.
Now that both Jackson and Smith are back in the tri-state area after significant time away, it is something that not just the whole New York City, but also The Bronx, and especially their beloved area of Edenwald/Baychester can definitely rejoice in. Both players will be holding their own in the Big East Conference.
Jackson will be making the World’s Most Famous Arena his home, as the Red Storm will be playing more than a dozen games in the storied venue, especially a few during conference play.
Smith will also be making appearances at the Garden as well, three times before the Big East Tournament in March.
On Nov. 28th, which is also Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, the Huskies will be playing against Illinois in the Sentinel One Classic. A week later, on Dec. 9th, they will be playing against the defending national champions, the University of Florida, and another guard from The Bronx, Johnuel “Boogie” Fland, in the second and penultimate game of the Jimmy V Classic, which will be a prime time game on ESPN.
And lastly, the game that everybody will be waiting for, the matchup on Friday, Feb. 6th at the Garden, when St. John’s, the defending Big East champions and UConn, will meet up at 8 PM. Those tickets can and will be sold out when they’re available and it will be highly-televised game on FOX Sports.
This week, the Associated Press national poll came out for the first time for the 2025-26 season. The Huskies are rated at No. 4 in the country. The Red Storm are rated at No. 5 in the country, which is the highest preseason ranking in school history.
But while everybody will be focused on the two rivals matching up, there will be two guys from the same area suiting up against each other and hopefully, guarding each other as well.
This will be something that the ‘hood would love to see. This is better than hooping inside Sousa or the outdoor asphalt court in the Edenwald Houses on Grenada Place. But rather, it’ll be in a place where both have always dreamed of and also on the grandest of stages.
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