The eyes of the streetball world will be on Dyckman this week.
The league that has dubbed itself “the red carpet of streetball” will be the final New York City Nike league to crown its champion and will have the fans’ undivided attention. A fitting finish would put quite a cap on one of the most followed summers in recent memoriy.
In mid-July, Ooh-Way defeated Team Nike in a contest called the Game of the Decade in front of more than 4,000 people. Imagine what could happen if those two teams. overflowing with talent, meet for the Dyckman championship and a spot in Sunday’s Nike Tournament of Champions.
That’s exactly what we could get.
Team Nike, which lost twice during the regular season, had its semifinal game against United Brooklyn moved from Monday night to Tuesday at 8 p.m. because of the rain. Ooh-Way takes on the winner of Monday’s quarterfinal between JTA and Bodysnatchers. Not to take anything away from the remaining teams, but the path for a Team Nike vs. Ooh-Way rematch opened up with the elimination of Team 914 and four-time defending champion TNP. But anything can happen.
Arguably the two best teams on the circuit squaring off one more time would be a fitting end to a Dyckman season that has centered so much around coach Bingo Cole’s Team Nike and its band of streetball veterans. Many of them won the Hoops in the Sun crown Sunday and feel short in the EBC Rucker title game last week. Keydren Clark, Anthony Glover, Kenny Satterfield, Quinton Hosley, Adris (2 Hard 2 Guard) DeLeon and Co. will try to complete the first part of the reason they were put together by winning at Dyckman.
In Ooh-Way you’d have a squad of mostly up and comers trying to build their own legacy on the streetball circuit. There is former St. John’s star Dwight Hardy, Seton Hall alum Jeremy Hazell and Villanova guard Corey Fisher. Around them are savvy veterans Darren Phillip and Corey (Homicide) Williams, who won Hoops in the Sun with Cole.
There are storylines abound.
A Tem Nike win would have a major impact on the Tournament of Championship since both that team and what would be a watered down Bingo’s All-Star could compete, according to the legendary coach. That would likely mean the X-Men would represent EBC and United Brooklyn West 4th as its runner-up to the X-Men. If Bingo’s All-Stars are not allowed to compete, then R2K would represent HITS.
All of this will be decided at Dyckman the next two days. The 1 Train will be watching. Will you?