All time Rucker Stars
- Thread starter beast of the east
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Jackie Ryan..
Chris Mullin called him the best shooter he ever saw that did not make the NBA.
Lou C. recruited him too.
Good documentary here:
Chris Mullin called him the best shooter he ever saw that did not make the NBA.
Lou C. recruited him too.
Good documentary here:
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beast of the east
Active member
The Rucker tournament is legendary, and a very significant part of basketball history.
The Rucker tournament featured many schoolyard legends, who by many accounts were as good or better than anyone in the pros but were derailed by drugs, alcohol, or crime. The tough life of the streets in and around NYC all but choked their chances to go on to college. Some never made it through high school. Their exploits on the courts however (especially when clean and sober) took on mythic proportions.
Professional success in the 50s and 60s was of course important, but NBA stars came to the Rucker to prove they could play on asphalt in rough and tough games against the very best. They weren't protected by referees, they had to prove they could withstand the bumps and bruises and play on Sheetmetal backboards and chain link nets. They had to bring their best, against guys with the best street names, like Herman to Helicopter, or the Goat. In those days, the Goat didn't mean the greatest of all time, but the nickname of Earl Manigault. GOAT and the Goat however, may have equated to exactly the same thing north of 124th street.
So when Chamberlain went up against Hawkins even with a 5 inch height advantage, even as a guy who redefined what an NBA dominant center was, who scored 100 points in a professional game and averaged 50 for a season, he had to prove he was as good as the Hawk, whose huge hands and incredible ability was Dr. J. when Erving was still simply Julius.
There are dozens of stories, maybe hundreds or thousands. Many are 100% true. Most have expanded larger than life and physically impossible. It hardly matters. Schoolyard legends, much like Negro league baseball stars, didn't accumulate stats as much as they played the game with flair, where the very best could humiliate an NBA player or college star who was too soft, less talented, or lacked the mental toughness to compete there. The crowds who watched of course, rooted for the local stars and made it a hostile place for an NBA player to compete. Until, of course, they proved themselves to be Rucker worthy.
The Rucker tournament featured many schoolyard legends, who by many accounts were as good or better than anyone in the pros but were derailed by drugs, alcohol, or crime. The tough life of the streets in and around NYC all but choked their chances to go on to college. Some never made it through high school. Their exploits on the courts however (especially when clean and sober) took on mythic proportions.
Professional success in the 50s and 60s was of course important, but NBA stars came to the Rucker to prove they could play on asphalt in rough and tough games against the very best. They weren't protected by referees, they had to prove they could withstand the bumps and bruises and play on Sheetmetal backboards and chain link nets. They had to bring their best, against guys with the best street names, like Herman to Helicopter, or the Goat. In those days, the Goat didn't mean the greatest of all time, but the nickname of Earl Manigault. GOAT and the Goat however, may have equated to exactly the same thing north of 124th street.
So when Chamberlain went up against Hawkins even with a 5 inch height advantage, even as a guy who redefined what an NBA dominant center was, who scored 100 points in a professional game and averaged 50 for a season, he had to prove he was as good as the Hawk, whose huge hands and incredible ability was Dr. J. when Erving was still simply Julius.
There are dozens of stories, maybe hundreds or thousands. Many are 100% true. Most have expanded larger than life and physically impossible. It hardly matters. Schoolyard legends, much like Negro league baseball stars, didn't accumulate stats as much as they played the game with flair, where the very best could humiliate an NBA player or college star who was too soft, less talented, or lacked the mental toughness to compete there. The crowds who watched of course, rooted for the local stars and made it a hostile place for an NBA player to compete. Until, of course, they proved themselves to be Rucker worthy.
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