Basketball Fiend

Last year Adam Yauch (better known as MCA of the Beastie Boys) released a documentary about eight high school basketball players who travel to Rucker Park in New York to play in the Elite 24 (a game showcasing the best high school players in the nation). You may have heard of a few of these guys. Michael Beasley, Kevin Love, Brandon Jennings, Tyreke Evans, Donte Greene, Jerryd Bayless, Kyle Singler, Lance Stephenson. Some are playing in the NBA. Others were drafted in Thursday night’s draft. Others will be in the NBA soon.

I know I’m a year late on this, but the documentary was terrific. It captured not only the meaning of Rucker Park, but also the perspectives of some of the best young basketball players in the country.

Of particular interest to me: Tyreke Evans and Donte Greene, two of the hottest basketball prospects in the nation in 2007 (when the doc was filmed). Now both of them are Sacramento Kings.

As a Kings fan trying to figure out why the Kings drafted Evans over Ricky Rubio, watching interviews with Evans as a high schooler was enlightening; the basketball equivalent of reading a Rolling Stone feature on a favorite band. It sounds weird, but watching Yauch’s doc was like getting to know Evans for the first time. I learned more about him in this hour and thirty-six minute documentary than in all of the nationally-televised college games, YouTube clips, and Internet features combined.

If you’re a basketball fan and you have an hour and a half to kill this weekend, I highly recommend watching Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot. You can catch it on Hulu or, if you want a more permanent copy, you can order it from the Gunnin’ Movie website.

If not, I’ve got you covered. After the jump you’ll find a quick breakdown of each player (Greene, Bayless, Love, Jennings, Singler, Beasley, Evans, and Stephenson) and what the documentary teaches us about him.

Keep in mind that the documentary was filmed in 2007, so these guys were two years younger at the time. That’s why the ages listed are different than the player’s current age.

Donte Greene

Age/class: 18-year-old high school senior
Rank: 8th in his class
Hometown: Baltimore, MD
At Rucker, plays for: White Team

What we learn about Donte:

He was born in Germany, but he grew up in Baltimore, like Carmelo Anthony. His mom passed away when he was 13. That’s when his passion for the game grew. After his mom passed, Donte and his younger brother were raised by his grandma (who was about to retire, but continued to work to support the boys) and his grandpa (who worked extra shifts as a janitor to pay school tuition). They are both very proud of him.

Donte and his little brother are close. Donte calls him “Baby Shaq” and hooks with up with gear and clothes. It’s Donte’s goal to make it to the NBA to support his little brother. (A goal that he has obviously accomplished.)

Donte’s mom played basketball overseas when she was younger (she also worked for the NSA). Says Donte, “Between my mother and my father, I was destined to play basketball.” (There’s no mention of Donte’s father in the doc, but he must have played ball for Donte to say that.)

Donte tries to let his mom’s death inspire him, rather than consume him. “You need to use your hurt to drive yourself, to be the best player you can be.”

Jerryd Bayless

Age/class: 18-year-old high school senior
Rank: 7th in his class
Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
At Rucker, plays for: Blue Team

What we learn about Jerryd:

Bayless is from Arizona, something he considers a detriment to his national exposure since Arizona is known predominantly as a “football state.” He was born into a seemigly affluent environment. Says Bayless, “I’ve just been blessed with people around me, working me out every day and just showing me the fundamentals of the game.” He prides himself not only on his athletic ability, but also his drive to work on his game and hone it. Instead of playing pick-up games (”like everyone else”), he went into the gym to work on his weaknesses.

Bayless’ parents appear strict (his dad tells him to “look up when you talk” during a press conference) and well-to-do. He says that his parents advise him to “stay level-headed” but he definitely has a competitive edge; something he says he honed by playing basketball with his older brother, Justin, in the backyard.

Footage shows Bayless taking a yoga class, and later, macking on a group of girls at the gym. He seems to be doing pretty well for himself when it comes to female companionship. If you know what I mean.

Kevin Love

Age/class: 17-year-old high school senior
Rank: 1st in his class
Hometown: Lake Oswego, OR
At Rucker, plays for: White Team

What we learn about Kevin:

Love receives many compliments on his skill and his standing as the nation’s top-ranked big man “since the 9th grade.” Love has pedigree both as a basketball player (his father, Stan Love, played in the NBA) and as a celebrity (his uncle was a member of the Beach Boys). This makes him one of the most “media-covered” prospects in the country. In high school, Kevin shattered a backboard, Shaq-style, after stealing a pass in the open court and finishing strong. In another game, he converted a full-court pass for a layup with 1.7 seconds on the clock to send his team to victory.

In other words, there are reasons for the hype about Kevin other than his “pedigree”.

Love isn’t a “video game guy”. His older brother (who long ago forfeited the right to beat him up) is. Perhaps that’s why Love dominated his brother and his brother’s friends at basketball when he was younger.

Love is physically bigger than his competition, but his size doesn’t give him an excuse to cut corners. He works hard, according to his trainer, and “knows what it takes to be great.” Kevin’s mom says that he eats five small meals a day, focusing on protein intake. He doesn’t eat fast food. Love notes that his goal for his senior season is to be the National Player of the Year.

Brandon Jennings

Age/class: 16-year-old high school junior
Rank: 4th in his class
Hometown: Compton, CA
At Rucker, plays for: White Team

What we learn about Brandon:

Brandon is headed to Oak Hill Academy for his senior year. He doesn’t want to be the “weak link” there, so he’s beginning to work out. Even as a junior, he has a mountain of YouTube clips; making seemingly impossible passes, freezing defenders with whiplash-inducing crossovers, and dunking viciously with the left hand. A commentator calls him “the future of point guards.”

A streak of something more than competitiveness runs through Brandon. Says his trainer, Nigel Petrie, “He’s always been a little smaller than his competition. I think that’s where he got that nastiness, that meanness, that toughness.” His AAU coach, Kelly Williams, puts it a different way. “He gets edgy a little bit. He gets attitude every once in a while. He’s gotten a lot better by not taunting or getting mad or bumping a guy or, you know, hitting him back with a basketball.”

Like Donte Greene, Brandon has a little brother who looks up to him. When asked who his favorite basketball player in the world is, little brother doesn’t hesitate. “Brandon.” With his dad out of the picture, Brandon is close to his mom and his brother, who he tries to be a role model for. He strives for the NBA so he can buy his mom a house.

Williams, Brandon’s AAU coach, is a big influence in his life. His advice is one of the main reasons for Brandon heading off to Oak Hill. Williams tells Brandon to settle down and advises him not to “f*** around” (Brandon’s words). Brandon is a bright kid who like to “study opponents”, but he’s also brash, confident, willing to say the first thing that comes to mind.

His skills are a perfect match for Rucker Park. He looks at home playing New York street ball and earns co-MVP honors on the White Team, scoring 12 points and racking up 15 assists.

Kyle Singler

Age/class: 18-year-old high school senior
Rank: ?
Hometown: Medford, OR
At Rucker, plays for: White Team

What we learn about Kyle:

A self-proclaimed “ordinary kid”, Kyle is an incredible all-around athlete. In addition to basketball, he plays baseball, hockey, and football and runs track. He’s a quiet, family-oriented kid with shaggy blond hair. A commentator says Kyle looks like he should be surfing or “playing volleyball” rather than hooping. But in the game at Rucker, he shows he can play with toughness.

Like Kevin Love, Kyle is from Oregon and is family-oriented. He is also blessed with super-athletic genes. His grandfather and uncles were all terrific athletes in Medford, having played at the same high school as Kyle. Family is important to Kyle. His mom supplies endless footage of games from his youth, most of them with the same audio track (”Go Kyle!”). As he says, “Our family’s all about being together, being a team, working together.”

Genetics are important, too. Says Kyle’s high school athletic director, “I don’t think most people have, for lack of a better word, the genes Kyle has received.” Proving the truth of that statement are high school clips of Kyle at quarterback (he was a three-year starter before he gave it up), weaving behind the offensive line, charging over defenders, throwing bombs to his receivers in the end zone. He is incredibly agile and strong, qualities he uses to make a good impression at Rucker. Such a good impression, in fact, that he winds up with not one, but three nicknames (a sign of respect) coming out of the Elite 24 game (Wirless, Shampoo, and The Wig).

Michael Beasley

Age/class: 17-year-old high school senior
Rank: 3rd in his class
Hometown: Marlboro, MD
At Rucker, plays for: Blue Team

What we learn about Michael:

Nothing we haven’t learned already. He’s a jokster. He’s a prankster. He likes to run his mouth. And he’s a beast on the basketball court. He can fill up a box score like it’s nothing, like he’s filling up a tank of gas.

A couple of details the may have been left out other places: in elementary school he (allegedly) mooned a teacher, he also cut off a little girl’s ponytail in kindergarten, and, when he first started playing AAU ball, he wore size 22 sneakers, which turned out to be three sizes too large because his mom had no way of measuring his feet. A product of many transfers, Beasley has moved around from one high school to the next. In fact, he went to three different high schools in three years. One in Florida. One in Washington, D.C. And one in Virginia. Neither his mom or his AAU coach thinks that has affected his schoolwork.

Beasley dominates at Rucker Park, torching Donte Greene on a regular basis, and earning co-MVP honors for his team; the Blue Team. He finishes the game with 26 points and 9 rebounds.

Tyreke Evans

Age/class: 16-year-old high school junior
Rank: ? in his class
Hometown: Chester, PA
At Rucker, plays for: Blue Team

What we learn about Tyreke:

Tyreke started playing ball at the age of 4 in the Chester Biddy league (a rec league in Chester, PA; where he’s from). His brother, Reggie, was the team’s coach. Which makes sense because Tyreke has been raised predominantly by his brothers, who look out for his best interests and make sure he doesn’t fall into the temptations of street life. His older brother Eric, nicknamed Pooh, is his mouthpiece.

Says Pooh, “Reke has all kinda moves, but he’s thinkin’ two moves ahead. He got handles, of course, but he’s worked. Reke’s been a gym rat all his life…Reke never really played street ball all that much. I didn’t really want him to. I did all that so he wouldn’t have to.”

Tyreke’s game is described as natural. He just understands the physics of the game, how to get to the hoop and score. Which makes him a savant in the basketball world, like, say, Manny Ramirez and baseball.

Tyreke doesn’t have that prima donna rep that Manny has, though. He’s a quiet kid, a hard worker. As one of the commentators says, “He only wants a pair of sneakers and to play ball. Like, he doesn’t want money. You know, he doesn’t want a BMW…he just wants to play ball.” Those qualities come from his brothers, who do everything they can to keep him respectful and focused. It’s obvious that he has a good head on his shoulders.

Lance Stephenson

Age/class: 15-year-old high school sophomore
Rank: ? in his class
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
At Rucker, plays for: Blue Team

What we learn about Lance:

Lance is well-known in Brooklyn. Like, really well known. He can’t walk down the street without people stopping him, wishing him well. He’s a New York high school icon, in the mold of the Stephon Marbury’s and the Kenny Anderson’s.

Like many of the other guys in the Rucker Park Elite 24 game, he is close to his family. As Lance says, “My best friend is my family. My father, my brother, my mother.” His mother echoes that philosophy of family first. “Whatever he wants to do in life, we just try to give him those tools…We roll together like that.” So does Lance’s father, who teaches Lance important lessons about patience and turning the other cheek.

Unlike the other guys, though, Lance plays at Rucker Park often. He is a staple there. Even at 15 years old. Which makes sense because his game is advanced. He’s smooth to the basket and his midrange game is in the mold of Kobe Bryant. He proves that he deserves to be in the conversation of best high school player in the nation (regardless of age or class).

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