24/02 – AND1 Don’t Let SHU Fans Down
The crowd in attendance knew what kind of night it was going to be when the And1 Streetballers chose to test out the backboards rather than run customary lay-up drills before Sunday’s Celebrity Basketball Game at the Pitt Center. While the Sacred Heart All-Stars ran their lay-up and jump shooting drills on one end of the court, the And1 Streetballers chose to work on their alley-oop throwing technique and their lightning quick handling.
After both teams warmed up, announcer Mark Edwards introduced both squads to the filled-to-the-brim Pitt Center. Receiving some of the biggest pops was Sacred Heart’s high-flying Prez Palmer. Then it was time to introduce the stars of the show, the Streetballers.
Most of the And1 team members have been on the ESPN Original Entertainment show “Streetball” so fans knew what they were in for.
John Harvey, better known on the court as “High Octane” is a native of the Bronx. Harvey is what team And1 likes to call their big man, even though he is only 6’5”. By the way he flies above the rim, it’s easy to see that he is bigger than his body gives him credit for.
Another Bronx native, Shane Woney, who is better known as “Shane the Dribbling Machine,” also played for the And1 Streetballers.
Perhaps the star of the show was Philip Champion, who goes by the name of “Hot Sauce.” The crowd went crazy when announcer Edwards introduced him, but things haven’t always been so glorious for Champion.
While living in Brooklyn, Champion was put in jail for a misdemeanor, but Edwards, his friend at the time, got him out of jail and moved him to Atlanta, where he earned the name “Hot Sauce.”
It was game time and much to everyone’s surprise, the Sacred Heart All-Stars scored the first seven points of the game, which left most of the crowd in shock. But it wasn’t long before the Streetballers started their high-flying routine.
Less than four minutes into the game, High Octane threw down his first of many dunks, bringing the crowd to its feet. Then it was time for Hot Sauce to show his stuff.
Early in the first half, Hot Sauce used his speedy dribbling skills and amazing quickness to leave one defender back at the three-point line. While the crowd oh’d and ah’d, Hot Sauce went in for an easy lay-up. This became a regularity throughout the rest of the half.
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Despite the Streetballer’s amazing moves and dunks, they were only up by two points at the end of the first half, 28-26. One reason for the Sacred Heart All-Stars early success was Derek Krysiak (freshman, Prospect).
“You would think there would be nervousness with family and friends around, but I just fed off of them being there and played my best,” said Krysiak.
“Just hearing that crowd takes away any nervousness.”
While the Central High School Drill Team waited to perform their routine for the halftime show, much attention was focused on the Streetballer’s bench. Fans ran up to the players with pens in hand begging for autographs.
One female fan was so happy to finally meet one of her favorites, Hot Sauce, that she began to cry and could barely take her picture.
Early in the second half, team And1 made a run and at one point were up by 7 points. With 12:53 remaining, Streetballer I’ll B Right Back threw a between-the-legs alley oop to High Octane, which left the crowd and his defender in awe.
The move was so amazing that Shane the Dribbling Machine had to escort the defender out of the gym, as if to say, you’re done for the night.
With just a minute left, Sacred Heart had come back to tie the game at 61. Their run was capped off by a slam from PJ Eannotti, the first dunk for the SHU All-Stars all night. However, on And1′s last possession, I’ll B Right Back worked some more of his magic and drove down the lane for an easy lay-up.
The Streetballers came away with the victory, 63-61, but there wasn’t one person in attendance that cared what the score was that night. They had seen an amazing show and entertaining show.
“Who was your favorite?” one fan said to his younger brother.
“Hot Sauce was crazy. How does he do that stuff?” his brother replied.
That’s one question that the fans in attendance had been asking themselves all night long.