BTW, in case you haven't noticed NYC players have in general been sh!t lately... The city doesn't produce quality or quantity any longer.
The ones worth recruiting, have been recruited, we won some and lost others. Pretty much how it is regardless of coach...
Gentrification pushing out all the ballers. Happening in DC too. Never thought I'd see lots of kids skateboarding and all other sorts of stuff in parks, sidewalks...unbelievable
Right on. Schoolyards and playgrounds are empty. Not to sound old, I'm 40, but I remember growing up in Rockaway....if you lost you had to wait an hour to get back on the court. Shame
You're not old - this happened in a matter of 10-20 years. You were part of the tradition (waiting your turn). The only time I see that happening is in my fitness center gym - lol ballers have to go there to get good games. My long time rec league couldn't keep older teams together. At the end, we used to have 6-7 guys in their late 30s, early 40s playing against 20-25 y.o. teams. We'd lead or stay close in the first half, then they just knew to keep running. Survival of the fittest - lol. I have a friend doing an older pickup league, but I have to drive 35+ miles - rather just shoot at the gym.
I remember some guys I caddied with as a teenager telling me that it made them sad that they got rid of midnight basketball in White Plains in the mid-late 70s. They said it was organized, secure, and a place to stay away from trouble. I was a surburbanite who thought everyone could just play in their neighborhood. It did open my eyes up to an image of a really fun scene - wish I could have had that too.
http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/11216972/playground-basketball-dying
Great post bball. I went out for a few beers with my brother to watch the tourny on Thursday. We were talking about this same issue. He's going to bring his 3 kids into Brooklyn and leave them at schoolyard and let them get schooled on the court. They are Long Island kids
Thanks. Sadly, it's reality. I hope us posters think about it when we talk about recruiting.
Your brother's idea is good. A good way for his kids to see a different style of play. Look at what WVU did in their brawl, I mean game, vs. MD. They did anything and everything the refs let them get away with. It was all so subtle, the slight hand checks not getting called, the contact to gain an advantage by slowing down driving MD players. But I commend the players for making it work by working their tails off to move their feet so quickly to not make it glaring enough to call. All of that effort, and of course they still foul like crazy. I was disappointed in how the refs called the game. It's not like Maryland wasn't tough. when Melo left, they were done - no depth at PG - familiar theme, except they were exposed only at one position. Turgeon should have pressed them back earlier.
It's no accident that Huggins' roster has a Baltimore, Brooklyn, Cincy, Miami, Chicago player on their roster. The dudes bust it out there, and are tenacious as hell. But watch what the refs do in the UK game - they're going to call slight hand checks, little bumps, etc. Going to take away that advantage. Without it, they're done.
Great observation. I was so impressed with West Va. I can't name 1 guy on their team, but they d it up, sideline to sideline. They do foul, I've seen Manhattan the same. I think the thought is that the team is deep enough and the refs can't call the foul every time. So go ahead and call it. We have subs
You're so right baldi. Being around AAU I have seen refs literally bullied into not making calls while their team plays in your face D 90 feet from the hoop. Its fun to watch (if you're not coaching against it) and its impossible to ref.
You know what else is impossible to ref? A rec game between Yonkers Police Dept and Yonkers Fire Dept, and your partner doesn't show. One of the hardest 2 games I ever refereed - lmao. I threw a cop out with 2 Ts.... 
Hahahahha I love hearing shit like this
It was a literal zoo. These guys come out of work after a rough day I'm sure, suit up, and then beat the living bejeezus out of each other. I might be repeating an old story, but working by myself, the usual mechanics is to stay by midcourt slightly to the side to get the best angle possible for one person. Only problem is, I had to momentarily turn my head running up court because the short, stocky cop was tuning up a tall, skinny fireman every other time up the floor. F'n unreal. so I kept catching him elbowing, etc., and he got pissed I caught him. 2 Ts later, and his ass was gone.
Years later, and I'm watching Rescue Me. Denis Leary and his NYFD firemen vs. the NYPD in hockey - and they're killing each other - I never laughed so hard at a sports scene.