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ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live! to Broadcast Shows from Brooklyn and to Feature Barclays Center and Brooklyn Nets

May 15, 2012
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May 14, 2012
Brooklyn, NY—Jimmy Kimmel Live! will broadcast its show from the host’s birthplace of Brooklyn from October 29 – November 2, which is timed to coincide with the start of the inaugural season of the Brooklyn Nets.

ABC announced today that Jimmy Kimmel Live! will originate from the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), the historic performing arts center which has been the cultural epicenter of Brooklyn since 1861. BAM is located two blocks from Barclays Center, which will open on September 28 and be the home of the Brooklyn Nets. Barclays Center will host more than 220 sports and entertainment events a year and together with BAM will create one of the most vibrant and unique culture districts in the U.S.

As part of the week of shows, Jimmy Kimmel Live! will feature Barclays Center, the Brooklyn Nets, and the borough of Brooklyn, along with special guests, segments, and music acts.

“It’ll be great to have Jimmy back in his native Brooklyn,” said Brooklyn Nets and Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark. “It will be an exciting week for the show and for the Brooklyn Nets, as major professional sports returns to Brooklyn for the first time since 1957. Jimmy’s appearance is significant for the borough and will continue to make the Brooklyn Nets a national story.”

Kimmel will be the latest Brooklynite to be part of the historic launch of Barclays Center. JAY Z will open the venue with a concert on September 28 and Barbra Streisand will perform in concert on October 11.

Keeping Score: The Disappearance of the White-American NBA Superstar

April 20, 2012
By

hypebeast

As the Final Four draws closer and NBA teams look to solidify playoff positioning with the same scrappiness their younger counterparts use to cut down the nets with, it’s clear that the game of basketball is alive and well despite pay to play scandals and “super teams.” As the game has grown into a global phenomenon – aided by players like Yao Ming, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Serge Ibaka and Andrew Bogut, the game’s reach has transcended domestic urban playgrounds and barns where rickety hoops cling to a bent, ten-foot existences. In total, over 38 different countries and territories are represented in the NBA. The game is safe. The sport is growing. Yet, as this growth continues to occur, one particular demographic continues to shrink. What has happened to the white, American basketball players of yesteryear who took on superstar status as opposed to super-sub stat lines? Read more

 

Report: King to miss out on Hall of Fame

March 30, 2012
By

foxsports.com

After being nominated for the fifth time, former Nets and Knicks legend Bernard King will once again miss out on being inducted into the Hall of Fame next week, a league source told the New York Post.

“It’s fair to say I’m quite disappointed,” King told the Post on Thursday, after being informed of his status Wednesday night.

“I was not selected this year with the 2012 class. Obviously, I’m honored to be a finalist. I think it would be a tremendous honor for my family if I’m inducted. It would be wonderful.

“My professional career and what I did in college and even high school merits selection and hopefully one day I’ll have the opportunity to be inducted.”

King, 55, began his playing career with the Nets from 1977 to 1979 and returned to New Jersey in 1993.

The Brooklyn native played with the Knicks from 1982-86. He averaged 22.5 points per game over his career, including a career-high 32.9 for the Knicks in the 1984-85 season.

The Hall of Fame will formally announce its inductees Monday. Read more

 

Brooklyn-Native Chris Mullin is honored

March 20, 2012
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The Warriors retired Chris Mullin's No. 17 during the halftime ceremony.

Warriors Retire Chris Mullin’s Jersey
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Chris Mullin didn’t think he’d see his No. 17 Golden State jersey hanging from the rafters at Oracle Arena, not after a bitter parting with the Warriors three years ago.

But, Mullin has found a way to overcome a lot during his life and Hall of Fame basketball career.

Mullin was to be honored as part of a halftime ceremony during Monday night’s game between Golden State and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The former St. John’s star who went on to become a five-time All-Star after entering the NBA as a first-round pick in 1985 was having too much fun remembering his playing days and joking with former teammates than to get caught up in a discussion about any lingering resentment he may have toward his former employers.

Wearing a dark-colored suit with a light blue and yellow tie, Mullin smiled as he recalled spending hours in the gym after practice with Mitch Richmond and Tim Hardaway, each player trying to one-up the other no matter what the drill was. Read more

Brooklyn’s LIU’s Blackbirds look to make history in NCAA tourney

March 15, 2012
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LIU Blackbirds Northeast Conference Champions

LIU Brooklyn coach Jim Ferry: ‘We respect Michigan State, but we aren’t afraid

Detroit Free Press

When Jim Ferry and his Long Island University Brooklyn players learned their bracket for their second straight trip to the NCAA tournament, no one was excited. In fact, Ferry and his team were irritated.

They thought they deserved higher than a No. 16 seed. And certainly they figured they wouldn’t have to play a team like Michigan State right out of the chute. But this is exactly what the Blackbirds — and Northeast Conference champions — are facing when they play the No. 1 seed Spartans on Friday night in Columbus, Ohio. Read more


Brooklyn-Native Sean Armand Draws First-Round NCAA Matchup with BYU

March 13, 2012
By

Iona Gaels Sean Armand

Iona Gaels vs. Brigham Young Cougars – NCAA Tournament Game at 9.00pm

Second-year shooting guard and Brooklyn native Sean Armand made an impact on Iona’s lineup as a freshman in 2010-11. A sharpshooter for the Gaels, was one of four players on the team to appear in all 37 and made four starts. Connected an Iona rookie-record 61 three-point field goals and led the team with a 42.1% mark from beyond the arc. Ranked No. 2 in the MAAC in points per 40 minutes played. The three-point total broke teammate Kyle Smyth’s rookie record set in 2009-10. Pure scorer with one of the purest shooting touches on the roster… Possesses NBA range that is capable of attacking in the open floor or off the dribble. Extremely hard worker showed improvement on defense as a rookie in addition to his talented offensive skills. Played his postgraduate year at CJEOTO Academy in Somerset, NJ after a standout career in New York City’s PSAL at Jacqueline K. Onassis High School.

2010-11 Avg 6.4 ppg

2011-12 Avg 9.5 ppg

Brooklyn’s Kahlil McDonald Kicks Off NCAA Tournament

March 13, 2012
By

Kahlil McDonald

Brooklyn’s Own Kahlil McDonald and Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
Kicks Off NCAA Tournament Tuesday with First Round Matchup against Mississippi Valley State.

DAYTON, Ohio — After a stunning run through the 2012 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, WKU heads to its 22nd NCAA Tournament beginning Tuesday night at 6:30 in the first round in Dayton, Ohio against Mississippi Valley State.

The Hilltoppers are riding a six-game winning streak into their third NCAA Tournament trip in the last five seasons, and the 2012 squad will be looking to become the 12th WKU team to win a game in the Big Dance.

WKU rolled through the Sun Belt Conference Tournament last week with four wins in four days, and a win on Tuesday would send the Hilltoppers to Louisville for a second-round matchup against Bluegrass foe and tournament number-one overall seed Kentucky.
Senior guard Kahlil McDonald and George Fant are each averaging 13.7 points per game during the current six-game winning streak and Derrick Gordon is at 12.7 points per contest.
Kahlil McDonald has had at least 10 points in six-straight games and is shooting 41.8 percent from the field, 44.7 percent from three-point range and 95.0 percent from the free throw line (19-for-20).
Kahlil McDonald played at Bishop Loughlin in Brooklyn

Joseph R. “Joe” Brennann

March 7, 2012
By

Joe Brennan


Brooklyn, NY
November 15, 1900 – May 10, 1989
He attended St. Augustine’s Academy in Brooklyn. He lettered all four years and was named captain his senior year.

A fast, smooth, and durable player, Joe Brennan possessed an accurate shot with either hand and was a stopper on defense. During his era, any time All-Time teams were discussed, “Poison” Joe Brennan’s name was mentioned with the best in the game. Brennan went directly from high school to a brilliant seventeen-year professional career in many of the game’s early leagues. He joined the famous all-Irish Brooklyn Visitations in 1919 and became the team leader in Brooklyn’s rise to prominence. Brennan was the Metropolitan Basketball League’s leading scorer in 1922, and led the Brooklyn Dodgers to the Met League championship. The following two years, he led the Brooklyn Visitations to the Metropolitan League title. Playing for Paterson in 1927, Brennan led the Metropolitan League in scoring, and in the same season led the Visitations to the National League championship. All along during his playing career, he worked at a bank. After he retired from playing, he coached St. Francis College in Brooklyn, and continued to work full-time at the bank. He coached at St. Francis from 1941-48, compiling a 96-46 record.
He later became president of Atlantic Savings and Loan Bank in Brooklyn.
Joseph Brennan was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 as a player. He is also a member of the St. Francis College Athletics Hall of Fame.

Metropolitan Basketball League championship with Brooklyn, 1922, 1924, 1925

National League championship with Brooklyn Visitations, 1927

Led Metropolitan Basketball League in scoring, 1922, 1927

Played in Eastern, New York State, Pennsylvania State, Interstate, Metropolitan, and American Basketball Leagues

The Brooklyn Visitations beat the Fort Wayne Hoosiers 14-10 in the first professional basketball game to be broadcast live on radio.

March 7, 2012
By

In 1931, WGL radio broadcasts the first game of the American Basketball League championship series. The Brooklyn Visitations beat the Fort Wayne Hoosiers 14-10 in the first professional basketball game to be broadcast live on radio.

The Brooklyn Visitations (also known as the Triangles) were an American basketball team based in Brooklyn, New York City that was a member of the Metropolitan Basketball League and the American Basketball League.

After the 1935/36 season the team became the Paterson Visitations. Then, during the 1st half of the 1936/37 season, the team moved back to Brooklyn on November 21, 1936 and became the Brooklyn Visitations again.
WGL is an AM radio station located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The station operates on the AM radio frequency of 1250 kHz.The station was the first to broadcast in the city of Fort Wayne.

Brooklyn’s Barclays Center to host college hoops

March 7, 2012
By


Brooklyn, NY   The new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, future home to the NBA’s New Jersey Nets, has announced a pair of college basketball doubleheaders for this December.

The opening twinbill will take place December 15 when Michigan takes on West Virginia and Fordham battles Princeton. The following week it will be Seton Hall against Long Island University and South Carolina versus Manhattan College. The Barclays Center is slated to open in September.

The Knicks’ first black player from Brooklyn

February 21, 2012
By

The 1950 Knicks. In the front row, second from left, is John Rucker, who was dropped before Sweetwater Clifton became the team's first black player.

PALM COAST, Fla.The enlarged black-and-white photograph, taken more than 60 years ago, was received and immediately framed.

John Rucker, 81, was a reserve on Brooklyn's Erasmus Hall High team that won the 1948 city title.

 

John Rucker gently and proudly laid on the table his irrefutable evidence that he had actually played ball with the Knicks. Read More

 

 

Brooklyn Nets Gets Its Roof

January 15, 2012
By

Barclays Center Roof Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues


Brooklyn Nets Barclays Center Gets Its Roof

The roof is on, and the Barclays Center is one step closer to being finished.

The future home of the Brooklyn Nets was “topped” on Thursday.

The arena at Flatbush and Atlantic Avenues will not only house the NBA’s Nets, but will also host other sporting events and an array of concerts and performances.

It is scheduled to open this September with a performance by Brooklyn’s own Jay-Z.

Smart Set Athletic Club

January 10, 2012
By

Smart Set Athletic Club championship team of 1908


Smart Set Athletic Club, of Brooklyn, New York, was an amateur African-American basketball team in the early 1900s. Smart Set was the first team to be designated Colored Basketball World’s Champions, in 1908 and 1909. The team so dominated their opponents they were known as the “Grave Diggers.”

The basketball team was only one of the sports teams fielded by the Smart Set Athletic Club, which was founded in 1905. The Smart Set maintained a large track and field team, and members of the club were also active in baseball, swimming, rowing, bowling, boxing, and wrestling. The Smart Set sponsored track and field meets, notably big indoor meets at the 14th Regiment Armory and the 47th Regiment Armory. The athletic club drew its membership from the wealthy black families that lived in the predominantly white Stuyvesant Heights section of Brooklyn.

The basketball team, formed in 1907, is believed to be the first independent all-black basketball team. The Smart Set team played its home games at the 14th Regiment Armory in Brooklyn.

In 1907 the Smart Set team joined other black clubs to form the Olympian Athletic League, which included notable rivals St. Christopher Club and the Alpha Physical Culture Club both of Harlem, as well as the Marathon Athletic Club of Brooklyn and the Jersey City Colored YMCA.

In 1909, the Smart Set pioneered intercity basketball among black teams by traveling down to Washington, DC, to play against the club champion of the Inter-Scholastic Athletic Association, Crescent Athletic Club. In 1910, the Smart Set met the 12th Street YMCA of DC in a season-ending game, and lost.

The Smart Set Athletic Club also sponsored a women’s team, the Spartan Girls, one of the first all-black women’s basketball teams.

Oscar B. “Ossie” Schectman

January 10, 2012
By

Brooklyn Basketball Hall Of Famer Ossie Schectman


Oscar B. “Ossie” Schectman (born May 30, 1919) is a retired American professional basketball player. He is credited with having scored the very first basket in the National Basketball Association (NBA), at that time the Basketball Association of America. He was born in Kew Gardens, Queens, New York, United States.
Schectman began his playing career at Samuel J. Tilden High School in Brooklyn, New York City.

He later played both guard and forward at Long Island University, then a powerhouse under coach Clair Bee. He was a member of the undefeated 1939 NIT and National Championship team. In 1941, he was named Converse first team All-America.

After graduating LIU, Schectman joined Eddie Gottlieb’s Philadelphia Sphas in the American Basketball League. The Sphas had started as a barnstorming team (their nickname stood for the South Philadelphia Hebrew Association), but they joined the ABL in 1933 and thereafter, dominated the league. The Sphas won the league championship in his second season (1942–43), and the following year, he finished second in the league in scoring with 199 points (10.5 average).

Schectman remained with the Sphas until 1946 (they won another championship in 1944–45), and then joined a new league called the Basketball Association of America (predecessor of the NBA).

On November 1, 1946, in the opening game of the fledgling Basketball Association of America (BAA), Ossie Schectman scored the opening basket for the New York Knickerbockers against the Toronto Huskies. Schectman and his teammates Sonny Hertzberg, Stan Stutz, Hank Rosenstein, Ralph Kaplowitz, Jake Weber, and Leo “Ace” Gottlieb went on to win the opening game 68–66 and finish the season with a 33–27 record. In 1949, the BAA became the National Basketball Association (NBA), and Schectman’s shot is considered the first basket in the NBA.

Solly Walker

January 10, 2012
By

Brooklyn Basketball Hall Of Famer Solly Walker


The first African-American player to wear a St. John’s uniform, Solly Walker came to St. John’s from Boys High School in Brooklyn and played in 78 games, scoring 573 points (6.8 average) and grabbing 496 rebounds (6.8 average). He led the freshman team in 1950-51 to a 17-2 record by averaging 15.1 points per game.

Walker’s first year on the varsity squad was exciting, as the team advanced to the NCAA final, falling to Kansas. Walker played in 30 games and averaged 4.4 points and 3.8 rebounds. In 1952-53, he helped St. John’s advance to the NIT final by averaging 7.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. In 1953-54, Walker enjoyed his finest season. He led the team in both scoring (14.0 ppg.) and rebounding (12.2).

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