Gary Ervin added a final memorable moment to his unforgettable summer.
The former Robeson guard was named the Nike Streetball Player of the Year at the Tournament of Champions Sunday night at Rivington Park on the Lower East side. Ervin, who played his college ball at Arkansas and UMass, earned the award for the first time in his career.
“It’s special,” said Ervin, who made sure to play in each of the Nike-sponsored tournaments. “It’s the biggest award in the city. That last couple of years I felt I was in the running for it.”
While Ervin played across the city’s streetball circuit, Nike Pro City was his focus. It was at Baruch College where he delivered some of the summer’s most memorable moments with The Franchise, the team named in honor of streetball legend John Strickland. In a semifinal win over the Uptowners, he scored 19 points and sunk a wild one-handed runner with 15.8 seconds remaining in overtime. Ervin wasn’t done yet. In the final against defending champion Dyckman, he poured in 15 points, dished out nine assists and hit the winning 3-pointer from the top of key, again in overtime, on his birthday.
“It’s been memorable,” Ervin said. “I’ve been waiting for this. I finally played in some Nike tournaments and my team went far. It’s a blessing.”
He felt he might have won more titles this summer, but scheduling conflicts got in the way. He had playoff games in Dyckman with Team 8732 and Watson with the Grey Goose All Stars on the same night as his Pro City championship game. He leaves Tuesday for Croatia to play in the Adriatic League with KK Zadar. He will be bringing some hardware with him.
“It’s been a special year,” Ervin said. “For me to sign to a place like that, it’s just the beginning.”
Sean Bell (West 4th St.) 99, Team 914 86: Former Boys & Girls standout Zamal Nixon scored 19 points and Chris Obekpa had 12 for Sean Bell (West 4th) in the Tournament of Champions semifinals. B.J. (The Beast) McFarland notched 12. Kirk Williams poured in 30 points for Team 914 and Aaron (The Problem) Williams added 17 points.
Sean Bell (Watson) 86, Bingo’s All Stars 77: Kyle Hunt dropped in 12 points and Justin Burrell had 12 for Sean Bell (Watson) in the TOC semifinals. Aaron Williams chipped in 11 points. Greg (The Purest) Plummer paced Bingo’s All-Stars with 17 points and Anthony (I. Robot) Glover scored 15. Corey (Homicide) Williams added 12 points.