http://www.fiveborosports.com/ssp/news?news_id=3344By Zachary Braziller June 25, 2009
For years, Antonio (Mousey) Carela coached at the famed Rucker summer league, leading Terror Squad to one championship after another.
Slowly, he grew tired of the exercise – not the winning, but the tournament. The atmosphere had begun to dry up. The electricity was gone.
“Nobody,†Carela said, “wanted to go there.â€
So Carela left the blacktop, but not for long. Three years ago, he started his own streetball tournament, called Tri State Classic, at nearby Colonel Young Park, at 145th St. and Lennox Ave in Harlem.
Carela, a Bronx native, isn’t coaching anymore; he is an organizer, and has learned on the fly. He has picked up several sponsors, including big names in Nike and McDonald’s.
So far, the tournament is a success.
It attracts high-profile fans and even better basketball. Rapper Fat Joe is a regular. So is New York Knicks forward Al Harrington and newly acquired New Jersey Nets guard Rafer Alston. Ice T has stopped by. Former Rice High stars Kemba Walker, a rising sophomore at Connecticut, and Lamont (Momo) Jones, who recently committed to Arizona, are playing together on Bingo All-Stars, along with Kenny Satterfield, the former Cincinnati standout.
St. John’s-bound guard Dwight Hardy is averaging 30.5 points per game for R2K. Kareem Reid, who played briefly in the NBA after a stellar career at Arkansas, recently joined Dancy Power.
“It’s overwhelming,†said Carela, an assistant coach at ASA College in Brooklyn who was a point guard at John F. Kennedy years back. “For a third-year tournament, it’s right up there with everybody else. I get all of the top players.â€
Entering the season’s fourth week, there is plenty of depth in the 16-team league. Money Train is 3-0 and Ooh-Way Records, R2K, Bad Boy, Terror Squad are all 2-0.
Carela said he learned a great deal from his days at the Rucker. He won’t make the same mistake he felt others did. Tri State is for the people and that will never change.
“I call it the fan’s tournament,†he said. “If the fans don’t come out, you don’t get no support.â€