The weather was extremely hot this past weekend, but the Goodman Coalition courts were even hotter thanks to all the NBA talent that stopped pass Spingarn High School in Northeast, Washington D.C.
Four young NBA players participated in the Goodman Coalition weekend basketball games, including a Saturday evening headliner on July 9 that featured the Memphis Grizzlies’ Grievis Vasquez and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings playing in the same backcourt. Both Vasquez and Jennings impressed the crowd, scoring a combined 100 points for the DMV Ballers squad. Jennings scored 49 points, while Vasquez, a former University of Maryland-College Park star, scored 41. Unfortunately for the DMV Ballers, that still wasn’t enough to beat out the Running Rebels, led by Rob Lumkins with 30 points and Reggie Mason with 28 points. The Running Rebels edged the DMV Ballers, 137-132.
Sunday’s action was almost as exciting. Vasquez ‘newest teammate, Josh Selby, showed off for Baltimore’s Finest squad in the 5 p.m. headliner, scoring 41 points in a 120-117 victory over Back Yard Band squad. Local favorite Terrance added 22 for Bmore’s Finest, while D. Nice scored 32 points for the losing Back Yard Band.
Each weekend throughout July should offer plenty more exciting basketball to be witnessed free of charge either at the Barry Farms Community court Monday through Friday or at Spingarn High School Saturday through Sunday.
But according to the Fantasy Sports and Politics online radio show, perhaps the biggest Goodman related basketball event this summer will be located indoors at Georgetown McDonough arena where after considerable discussions, the Goodman League will take on the Los Angeles’ legendary summer basketball league, the Drew League.
A lot of trash talk has been passed back and forth between both crews. The FSP online radio show invited representatives from both leagues on air to talk it out on July 7.
At the time, Dino Smiley, longtime director of the Drew League, which has been in existence since 1973, told FSP that the only thing that was keeping the epic faceoff from happening was the location. Smiley insists that the game be played indoors because his players aren’t used to outdoor basketball. A Los Angeles Drew League participant Chris Young, agreed with Smiley.
“D.C. already has the advantage with us playing in ya’ll back yard,” Young said. “Then we are supposed to play outdoors, where not one of our players has played at in years. That’s setting us up for failure right there and we ain’t about to pay thousands and not give ourselves a fighting chance.”
The only problem with the Drew League’s request for indoor action lays in the fact that the Goodman League has always been played outside, inside the gates of the Barry Farms community basketball court. Mac Williams, the media relations director for the Goodman League told FSP’s Black Wright that playing anywhere else takes away from the community.
“The people in the community want to be able to come inside the gates and watch the show, free of charge, like they always have,” Williams said.
“When Nike, And-1, and even the biggest of NBA stars come in town, they play outdoors, right inside them gates. And we don’t go looking for those guys. They come to us because they want to play inside the gates, just like everyone else has over the years.”
Unfortunately for Barry Farms community residents, the two sides weren’t able to agree to play the game without changing the location to Georgetown McDonough. According to Wright, there won’t be free admittance to the game, neither. As of now, the game is scheduled for Aug. 20. More details to come in the future.
