Brandon Jennings continued his nationwide tour of summer ball by playing in the Dyckman tournament this weekend. (Anthony J. Causi / New York Post)
If there was any doubt why the capacity crowd made the trek from Dyckman Park in Inwood to Gauchos Gym in the South Bronx then waited out in pouring rain for up to an hour, it was obvious in the game’s opening minute.
Milwaukee Bucks standout Brandon Jennings opened the contest with consecutive 3-pointers. They drew healthy applause. Kemba Walker followed with an uncontested layup. An eruption followed. Similar reactions ensued after every move. When Walker got the ball, there was electricity in the building, a what-will-he-do-next feel.
Yeah, they wanted to see Walker, the native son, reining national champion and NBA lottery pick of the Charlotte Bobcats. He didn’t disappoint, pouring in 36 points to lead Man Up to a dramatic 109-104 overtime victory over Dominican Power in his first – and likely only, he said – appearance in the city’s summer ball circuit.
“It’s fun – it’s always fun coming back to Dyckman,” said Walker, the former UConn star who played in the unlimited league throughout college, winning a pair of titles. “It’s intense, everybody’s trying to win, going at each other hard. It’s New York City basketball.”
Flashing that trademark smile and easy, hip gait, he wowed his hometown crowd with the moves many only saw on television this winter. There was his high-arcing step-back jumper, straight speed dribble into the hole coupled with strong finish and stop-on-a-dime crossover.
More than his well-known basketball exploits, Walker was, well, himself, signing autographs and taking pictures before the opening tip and after the final horn. It was that humble persona, longtime streetball coach Bingo Cole said, that has made him so likeable, first as a high school star at Rice, later at UConn and now as he makes the transition into the NBA.
“His personality makes you like him,” Cole, who has known Walker for years, said as he sat courtside. “He’s always smiling, always happy.”
It was a highly entertaining game, the team of big names – Walker, Jennings, former Christ the King star Erving Walker (now at Florida) and Curtis Kelly – struggling to put away the nondescript group. Man Up led by 12 in the first half and by as many as 15 points midway through the fourth quarter, but Dominican Power came storming back. They even took the lead briefly in overtime behind the play of former Quinnipiac and Cardinal Hayes star James Feldeine (50 points).
Walker and Jennings wouldn’t let the game get away, in particularly Walker. He’s still competitive, no matter the setting. During one stretch, he slammed the ball to the floor during a Dominican Pride run. He had arguably the game’s biggest hoop, a 3-pointer during over time to give Man Up the lead for good. He didn’t want to lose, not in his backyard anyway, the place he made himself into the player he is today.
“There’s nothing like this,” he said. “Not at the college level, not the NBA. It’s different. You got guys running on the court, acting crazy. No words can describe it.”
The idea to play was hatched by Jennings, who has made a habit of playing in streetball leagues nationwide recently with the NBA lockout in effect. He plans to play in Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia next, and possibly Los Angeles soon, too.
“I just want to put on a show and be in the community,” he said. “You got people here who probably can’t go to NBA games. It’s a great opportunity.”
In those stops, Jennings will no doubt be the main attraction. He was Friday night at Dyckman. That wasn’t the case Saturday night in The Bronx. The crowd came to see the man simply known as Kemba, based on their reaction.
As always, he didn’t disappoint – on the court or off of it.