DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST BIBLE (S. MARBURY)

SCOUTING REPORT: #STEPHONMARBURY aka 'STARBURY' aka 'THE POLO KING'

"Stephon was the epitome of two things-having no fear, and instant offense. Anytime we needed a bucket, all we had to say was 'Steph go to work!' U could see that he came from a basketball family. Mr. Marbury, and his brothers trusted Dermon & I with Steph from the ages of 9 thru 12. The three brothers were determined to make sure that he made it! Any kid that can pull-up from half court with ease, is a kid that's dangerous. He instantly snatched the other teams confidence when he did that. The kid had the total offensive package, with a basketball I.Q. that was off the charts. His fearlessness, and confidence was totally different. He was a game changer. I knew that he was gonna be a pro at nine years old! Good kid, never talked back. Always wanted to learn. We've had a lot of pros come out of N.Y.C., but Steph was different. I haven't seen a kid like him in a long time!"

Maxwell Cole Sr. aka Coach Bingo
(Stephon's AAU Coach at Young Life & Riverside)

                    THE D.E.N. EFFECT

     What can I say about Steph. The guy was the definition of a #childprodigy. Everyone knew that he was going to be a pro at some point. It was just a matter of time. The way he walked, his swagger, and skill-set on the court was something that I never saw before. Yes, there were other New York City basketball prodigies. When people talk about the legend of #KennyAnderson, and #Jason Kidd-they say the same thing. These guys set trends, and captured the imagination of so many at such an early age. They were different. Extraordinarily special when it came to making magic with that rock. They were destined for greatness. I heard stories about the wizardry of K.A., but I didn't witness it. I lived thru the Stephon Marbury era. The one advantage that he did have, that none of his peers were able to access was the will, knowledge, and the #tutelage of 3 older brothers that were pros in their own right. Don, Eric, and Norman Marbury-AKA the DEN effect. Their will was on 1,000!!! They were driven by the fact that one Marbury had to make it big. When you add that burning commitment to the extreme skill-set that they all possessed, you have Stephon Marbury. Those three deserve a lot of credit! They were gonna give Steph everything he needed from a physical, mental, and business standpoint. Obviously, Steph had to consistently show up and do the work, and deal with the pressure from the critics-so you have to give him credit for that!

                   THE BEGINNING

     1986. That was the year that I met Stephon for the very first time. It was at the Patterson Projects in the Bronx. The Gauchos (Coach Dave Jones is from Patterson) were hosting their Roundball Tournament in the back park. He was 9 years old. Skinny, with a baby face. However, the air of confidence that he walked into the park with was astounding. This is a kid from Coney Island that never stepped foot into one of the most #notorious housing projects in the South Bronx, but it didn't matter. When he was in his #domain-he owned it! Someone asked, "Who's that?" Coach Bingo Cole (Who brought Stephon to the park & coached him with Coach Dermon Player up to that point.) responded right away, "That's Stephon Marbury, the number one nine year old in the country!" From that point on, he was on my radar. Who didn't want to compete against the best player in the country for his age group? I wanted to compete against the best. Starbury (That wasn't his #moniker then.) presented a challenge. We played with and against each other at least 100 plus time. However, being adversaries was the most fun part. Having the assignment of guarding the offensive weapon that he was, is where I #refined my defensive craft, and gained the reputation as a stopper. When you are a weapon, you represent fear to others that are in your #realm. I represented an option for dealing with that weapon. His #alliance with the Riverside Church, and mine with the Gauchos. Arguably the top two AAU programs in the country. In the same city-that in itself is crazy. Here's what you have to understand about Steph's game. The things that you witnessed him do in the NBA wasn't anything new to those that competed against him at this beginning stage. He did all of these things at twelve years old.

             SWAGGER ON A TRILLION

     As Coach Bingo stated in his quote, one area that Mr. Marbury never fell short in was #confidence! Sometimes he might of come across as cocky, or arrogant, but it was just a byproduct of how confident he was in his skills. To be great at anything, you must possess this quality. I don't care if it's a sport, business, or being the best student in the classroom-you have to believe in yourself to the utmost. When you work as hard as Starbury did to be great, that will get your mindset believing that you're better than your competition. That's one thing that I don't think his peers really realized at the time. How hard he worked on his craft. I know I didn't. I just saw this gifted player and thought that it came naturally. The kid worked his ass off. That confidence in oneself can sometimes rub other people the wrong way. Steph knew that it was going to be him or someone else that was going to make it. He wasn't going to tear himself down to make someone else feel good. Off the court it wasn't personal, but on the court he was going to let you know that he was better than you. His brothers understood how important confidence was on the court. They pumped that confidence kool aid into him day in and day out. So how could he act any different amongst his peers and on the court? He was the definition of swagger!

                        THE PACKAGE

     Steph could do anything that he wanted on the court. You can #attribute that to the hard work that he put in with his brothers and on his own. When you're a regular ball player you put in regular work. When you're talking about a prodigy, the magic number is 10,000 hours. They reach that number sooner than anyone else ever will. It takes an unbelievable amount of dedication, focus, and discipline. Regular kids want to hang with friends, play video games, and just chill. It doesn't work that way for a prodigy. They want to master their craft! Steph's #handle was fluent. He could attack the basket, while being under control going in both directions. Crossovers, thru the legs, behind the back, stutter steps, hesitation, and spin moves. He had it all in his bag. Those are great skill, but the historians of the game have seen that before. His #courtvision was #impeccable. He could dominate a game by getting 20 assists-taking only 5 shots. Once again, that was already done prior to him showcasing that ability. His #knowledge of the game was #impeccable. I can envision his older brothers sitting down with him to break down the game of all the great players-watching film together, and breaking down every aspect. The way that he saw the game, and made the right play nine out of ten times was special. However, the other point guard #savants before him were able to exhibit this every time they stepped foot on the court. To be a complete basketball player, you must excel at all of these skills! In my opinion, what really separated Steph from all of the great point guards that came before him and after him was his ability to shoot the ball. That was the game changer for him. #KennyAnderson mastered the pull-up jumper as a young phenom. #JasonKidd wasn't considered a great shooter in high school-he became a consistent shooter late in his career. #RandyLivingston was a dominant, explosive pg that did whatever he wanted on the court. I mention these guys because I have a lot of respect for them. I also bring these guys up because you have to mention them in the conversation of the the top 5 point guards in high school ever! No of them possessed the range, fluidity, and lift that Stephon Marbury had on his jump shot! He was deadly in all three phase-catch and shoot, pulling up out of the pick and roll, and pulling up off the dribble (half court & transition). You have all heard the #legend of him taking one dribble over half-court and knocking down the pull-up with ease. Not once, not twice, but consistently with ease. Not out of #desperation, but because he could. All legend that you hear about isn't always true! You can trust me on this one though, I was there. Fortunately, I wasn't on the receiving end of on of those half court bombs!

DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST'S DEFENSIVE STRATEGY:

     The only chance that you had with guarding Stephon Marbury was to make him uncomfortable-that's it! He was to great of an offensive player to give him any space or room to breath. Conversely, you had to stay in his space, and frustrate him. That's easier said than done. Especially if you didn't have a defensive mentality. How do you accomplish this feat? First and foremost, you had to #deny him the ball by any means necessary. Once he got the ball in his hands, you were at his mercy. The game plan has to be to forget about all of the other four players on the floor and just focus on complete denial. It's very hard to do because it takes a ton of physical and mental discipline, but that's the only way. Secondly, you had to be physical with him. Early on in his career, he wasn't as strong as he eventually became in the pros. I used to always try to bump him, and use my forearm to try to wear him down and frustrate him. Hoping that it would take a toll on him physically. Lastly, you had to come to grips with the fact that you were going to get embarrassed at some point in that game. I remember playing against Steph and Riverside one time at Tolentine High School-can't remember the tournament. He shook me to the floor one time, and I got back up and kept playing. You can't let a moment like that break you. Against a talent like that, you will never completely shut them down. You just try to limit their touches, make them take tough shots, and make them work as hard as possible to get the ball. Steph will go down as one of the greatest players to ever play the game from NYC. He had a legendary career. He was the man ever since he was 7 years old. It is extremely difficult to be touted as the number 1 prospect at anything in life, and continue to get better. Say what you want about Starbury, but you can't say that he didn't accomplish that. It was a pleasure to compete against him. He made me better. I hope that he would say the same thing about me. I never told Steph this, but I'm proud of the great career that you had, proud to say I competed against you, and I'm proud to say that we won a gold medal together as teammates! Thank you for being special and showing up every time you stepped on the court!

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DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST BIBLE (K. THOMPSON)

SCOUTING REPORT: #KERRYTHOMPSON, aka 'GOAT', aka 'The Natural Controller'

  "Goat was the most talented scorer that I ever played with. At age 11, 12, and 13-he was dropping 40's and 30's in unlimited tournaments around our neighborhood. His offensive skills were unbelievable and ahead of it's time. He hit off the backboard shots from deep, and hit the deep range pull-up effortlessly. He also had the layup game with both hands. Goat's scoring ability was unbelievable!"
-Wali 'World' Burgos
(Patterson Legend/Stevenson High School Standout/Writer & Director of "Checklist" The Play) 

  THE TRIANGLE-PATTERSON, MOTT HAVEN, & MITCHEL

     If #BruceSimms was the first person that I had to physically #hone my #defensive #skills (#stance, #lateralmovement, #footwork, #handeyecoordination, #balance) against, then #KerryThompson was the guy that prepared me from a #mentalcapacity. You have to be able to understand the landscape of basketball in the #80's #SouthBronx where I grew up. Three housing projects co-existed within 3 minutes of one another, and 3 #cultures were exploding at the same time. Basketball, hip-hop, and the drug culture were all strong forces-you had to make a choice. Luckily for me, I chose to hoop. I grew up in the #PattersonProjects, Kerry grew up in #MottHaven, and #RodStrickland and the Strickland brothers (Byron & Steve) grew up in #MitchelProjects. The battles that were waged between these 3 projects before I took the stage were legendary! I give you this background so that you can understand how connected, yet disconnect each project was. If you grew up in one of these three projects, you represented that turf so to speak. You played on the courts where you lived, and not in the other hood-unless there was a local tournament.

              ROUNDBALL CLASSIC

     I remember the 2nd Annual #GauchosRoundballClassic like it was yesterday. The year was #1986. Patterson native, and Gauchos Coach #DaveJones brought the #prestigious tournament to the projects. It wasn't just a tournament, it was an outlet for local inner-city kids to do something positive.  It #represented #hope, and a way out!!! Till this day, people still talk about those games. That's when I began to hear the #exploits of this individual named Kerry 'Goat'. We never crossed paths on the AAU circuit, so I had no idea who he was. (I believe Kerry is one year older than me.) That goes to show you how #urbanlegend works. "Kerry had 45." "50 the other day." "55 last week." I never told him this, but the things that he was doing from an offensive standpoint were #mythical. That's when my #mindset started to take over. I didn't know who this cat was, how old he was, or how tall. I just knew that when I laced up against this guy called 'Goat', he wasn't going to score 50 on me. I was going to cut his point total in half. If he was used to getting 50, he was only going to get 25 against me. To an #explosive scorer, that means a lot. That #demoralizes them. It hurts their #ego, and makes them uncomfortable! That was a #pledge/#mantra that I repeated to myself! Kerry Thompson #fueled that passion in me. I wasn't going to let him embarrass me. He put the battery in my back!

     HERE'S WHY THEY CALL HIM THE GOAT

     Lefty's just have the ability to change the game! They're different, very hard to adapt to. That was Kerry, he was a lefty. He had the entire offensive #reportoire at such an early age. #Scoring was in his genes-his brother #TroyMurray was a smooth, dominant scorer in his own right. #Terrorizing defenders in the #NYC #PSAL, (Public School Athletic League) Troy Murray taught Kerry the game.  "I took my brother Kerry with me to one of my games when I had 45 or 50. After that game, he realized that none of those guys could stop me, and he trusted me to get him better. He put the work in. We used to make 100 jumpers a day, work on his handle, and his legs-doing vertical backboard taps", said Troy Murray.  No different from Jordan #honing Pippen's skill-set. Goat was destined to be a great scorer! Kerry's #confidence/#swagger was sky high. That was probably his biggest #asset! He would #intimidate guys before the game-if you weren't strong mentally. He wasn't ashamed to tell you that he was about to #embarrass you. All of the great scorers have that #braggadocious attitude. Handle-check! The #shiftiness to break you down either way, and the explosiveness to go up top (Dunk on you.)-check!  However, if you were going to score that many points-you better be able to shoot the rock. The 'Natural Controller' did that with his eyes closed!!! He had the same ability that Bruce Simms had. Those guys kept you off balance as a defender. Give them too much room, and they knock it down. Play them too close, and they blow by you and get to the rim, or pull-up. Great #playmaker as well. The guy was just the ultimate offensive weapon. He could explode at any time. Once he got going, it was nothing you could do. The only chance that you had was to make him work before he got the ball. Try to #deny, keep it out of his hands, and limit his touches.

                   MATCHING UP

     Interestingly enough, I only had the pleasure of matching up against Goat 2 times in our playing career. Out of the 2 games, we split. An interesting story took place as a result of playing against Kerry & his Walton High School team. The year is #93', when my St. Raymond's team (#KareemReid, #TylerBrown, #CharltonClarke etc.) matched up with Walton at the Gauchos Gym. I don't remember the final score, or how much Kerry had, but the end result was a loss. #GaryDeCesare didn't take that loss in stride at all. "Keep your uniforms on, we're going back to the gym", he said. Once we get back to St. Raymond's High School, he tells us to wait in the gym. While waiting in the gym, you feel the A.C. blasting. He rolls out a T.V. on a portable stand and we proceed to watch the Walton game that we just played in. It had to be only 20 minutes, but it felt like forever. We stood there freezing, while Gary D. verbally lit into each one of us about how terribly we just played. There was a reason for him being that extreme in that moment, that's the genius that Coach Decesare is. He knew that we would face Walton down the road in the State Championship, and that's exactly what happened. That State Championship game against Walton was over before it started-we beat them convincingly. That seed that GD planted in our heads made us want to never feel that way again.

     Hopefully, Kerry would tell you that I made him work, and challenged him a little bit. I would think that he respected how hard I worked on the #defensiveend. The only way that you get guys like Kerry Thompson to respect you, is by working hard and #competing. If you dont-they will have their way with you. The truth of the matter is that Kerry Thompson was an offensive #genius! When you played against him, all you could do was hope that he had an off night. Thank you Kerry!!!

DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST'S DEFENSIVE STRATEGY: Make him work as much as possible before the catch. Deny, and try to get him frustrated. Once he catches, you have to crowd him, and force him to his weaker hand. (Right) Live with the results of him shooting contested 18 to 25 foot jumpers. You have a better chance with that than you do with him attacking the basket to score and get others involved. Turn him into a passer by sending a double team if you have to. It's proven that he can beat you by scoring the ball!

Contact Info:
1-833-LOCK-U-UP

DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST BIBLE (B. SIMMS)

SCOUTING REPORT: #BRUCESIMMS aka 'Cut Em Loose Bruce'

     "Growing up in the 90's era, the #competition was off the charts! I felt like I wasn't getting the same opportunity that other players were. I was very #determined to get better! So, everyday I went out and worked on my game. Shooting, ball-handling drills, and conditioning. You name it, I did it. Whatever it took to be a better basketball player."
-Bruce Simms

     The very first #defensiveassignment that I ever had to face came in the form of one of my childhood friends, and a friend of mine till this day-Bruce Simms. Bruce & I grew up in the same neighborhood, (#PattersonProjects in the #SouthBronx) and #competed on a daily basis. That era of basketball in the late 80's and 90's was amazing. The level of talent was insane. You had three projects within a 5 min radius, (Patterson, #MottHaven, and #Mitchel) and all we wanted to do was play basketball all day. That was our high. That was our thrill. Nothing else mattered. We played basketball all day long. We only took a 10 minute break at some point to get water from the #firehydrant, or go to the store to get a 50 cent juice that four dudes had to share. (Sorry, Gatorade didn't exist. If it did, it wasn't in the budget-lol.) We were all friends off the court, but when we were on it-we wanted to kill one another!!! This is the era of '#YoungLife', '#TS Bucks', '#MilbankFlyers', '#Gauchos', and '#Riverside'. To be considered one of the best, you had to be able to not only make one of these teams-you had to produce! Bruce Simms was one of the best and he held his own everywhere that he played.

     'Cut Em Loose' Bruce' was no joke. He had the total #offensivepackage-very strong physically & mentally. In terms of physical tools, he was very fast, explosive, and had a lot of #bounce! I always admired his #athleticism. His #handle was very strong. #Adept at attacking the basket with either hand. All NYC guards were able to break you down and get to the basket, but what separated Bruce was the fact that he possessed a smooth jumper. You had to respect his ability to #catchandshoot. However, if you #closedout to hard, or played him to close-he would blow by you and #pullup. Bruce was a handful to guard. He would dominate and score in bunches. Even though he could score the ball so well, he was also a great #passer. On certain days, you just had to hope that he missed. That was your only chance of being able to contain him. Trying to intimidate Bruce physically wouldn't work, because he was strong as a bull and mentally tough. He wasn't going to back down from a fight/challenge. I probably never told him this, but that's the quality that I admired about him the most!

     Ultimately, B. Simms was the first offensive weapon that I really had to mentally prepare for everyday. He would literally embarrass you. Playing against Bruce made me a better defensive player by default. If I could challenge him and make him work for every point he scored-I did my job. You couldn't let him get any easy buckets. If I forced him to take a tough shot and he made it, I was ok with that. Mr. Simms was just that good of an offensive player. The name Bruce Simms rings bells all across the five boroughs to true basketball heads. He dominated at #JaneAddams high school & #WestchesterCommunityCollege, before he earned a #Division1 scholarship to #MercerUniversity. My guy continues to play recreation hoops today, and can still get buckets. Off the court, Bruce is a great family man, as well as a successful role model residing in NYC!

     Thank you 'Cut Em Loose Bruce'! You were that driving offensive force that pushed me to the limit every single day. You always challenged me, and never let me off the hook. Guarding you helped me become a '#defensivespecialist'-even though I know you didn't realize the effect that you had on me. You were a bad man brother! Thank you friend!!!

DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST DEFENSIVE STRATEGY: You have to be arms distance at all times. Sense of urgency on the close out, however you can't crowd him or he will blow by you with either hand. Try to force him to his weaker hand, (left hand) even though it isn't really a weakness. You have to be physical with him, even though he thrives off of physical play. Best case scenario, you have to live with him taking #contested 2's & 3's. Can't allow him to get to the rim where he can finish with either hand and get his teammates involved. That's where he is most effective! MUST DENY him and make him work to get the ball. Keep it out of his hands and make others try to make plays. That's your best option!!!

Contact Info:
1-833-LOCK-U-UP

DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST BIBLE

THE BEGINNING

     My first defensive assignment was given to me in the summer of 89'. That was the summer that I became the 'Defensive Specialist', aka 'The Sheriff', aka the 'Defensive Stopper'. They all were great nicknames, names that I never made up for myself-they were given by coaches and peers. It felt good to get that validation, but with validation comes expectations. Once you develop a #reputation, you have to #produce. Not once or twice, but every time you step on the court!!! Let me take you back to the beginning-before the #defensive titles were given to me.

     I told this story before, and it never gets old. I always believe in giving credit to people when it's due. To all of those guards that I shut down, and harassed over the years-it's not my fault! I formally apologize. Eric Harris Sr. is the one to blame. He's the one that put the battery in my back. He instilled the #mindset/#mentality that it takes to be a defensive assassin. His rationale was very simple, but it made a ton of sense. (Keep reading and I will tell you why.) That 1989 Gauchos team that I was blessed to be on was serious. When I say serious, I mean we didn't lose games. Period!!! If you weren't there, that was when NYC basketball was the best in the country hands down!!! There weren't 1,000 AAU teams. You had to be good enough to make the two majors. Gauchos or Riverside. That was your goal. Eventually, you wanted to make one of those rosters. On the Gauchos side, player development took place on a daily basis. Mr. Paige was the #wizard/#mastertrainer! Everything started and went thru him. His teaching tools & methods were so advanced and ahead of it's time. He's the GOAT, there will never be another like Mr. Paige. The #architect of that team was Coach Dave Jones. He was the #disciplinarian/#fatherfigure that everyone respected. Both of those guys were straight shooters and always told you the truth. They didn't care what your response would be. They didn't care if it would hurt your feelings, or if you decided to go to another team based on your feelings getting hurt. As a matter of fact, they wanted you to go elsewhere-because that meant you weren't mentally tough! Besides, you didn't want to leave once you cracked the Gauchos code.

     You don't become the best team in the country by accident. We bust our ass physically and mentally every single day. (Everyone was the right age!!!) We also had a lot of talent, as well as guys that played their role to make the team successful. Our #big3 was #TylerBrown, #DennisKeenan, and #WallyLynch. Wally was the point guard & the orchestrator of the show. He always set the table on the court, and made sure that guys did what they had to off the court. He was a natural born leader! Tyler Brown was our main #scorer. He was 6'5 at 12 years old, and dominated the game from the very beginning. Tyler was a child #prodigy! You can still catch him on the summer circuit today getting buckets-one of the most underrated players in NYC history. Dennis was our Chris Mullin. A pure #shooter at 6'5 that could also get to the rack. A tough as nails white boy that wasn't going to back down from anyone. We had so much other #talent on that team as well. Here's where Eric Harris' genius kicked in. With that #lineup, my dad knew that my major contribution wouldn't be on the #offensiveend. However, a #defensive contribution was much needed! He said, "Don't focus your efforts & energy on the offensive end. You can be more #valuable to this team by being a #lockdown defender. Your points will come off of your defense. Coach Dave, and any coach that you play for moving forward will always need you on the court. Offense comes and goes, defense is consistent. Defense will be your weapon!" I took heed to what he said. Mr. Paige and Dave Jones prepared us physically and mentally to be great. The rest was up to us. I was ready!!!

     We travel to Indianapolis, Indiana for the 1989 AAU tournament and it wasn't fair. We go undefeated, and win all of our games easily by #doublefigures. It was a total #teameffort that whole tournament! From an individual standpoint, my sole purpose was to shut down any guard that I matched up against every time I stepped on the court. It didn't matter if they were from the midwest, down south, or the west coast. I wanted the competition to be put on notice that there was a 'Defensive Specialist' that they had to deal with from NYC for years to come!!!

Contact Info:
1-833-LOCK-U-UP