Troy Jackson. Grayson Boucher. John Harvey.
For most people, those names carry the same allure as the stale air and dentist’s waiting room feel of the press room at Madison Square Garden.
Escalade, Professor, High Octane.
Those names, well, they can light up The Garden’s marquis and cause more than 10,000 people to enter the famed basketball arena on any given night.
No, these aren’t new Knicks. They are three of the streetballers from the And1 Mix Tape Tour.
They were in Manhattan on Monday for a one-day whirlwind press junket hyping the tour’s stop in New York City on Friday.
The Professor went one-on-one against Jay Crawford during a spot on ESPN2’s “Cold Pizza” morning show.
He, along with Escalade and High Octane, then came to The Garden and hunkered down in its press room for a bunch of one-on-one interviews with various media outlets. Same questions as always. Same answers as always.
Intrepid videographer friend Bobby and I had the 12:00 slot for interviews. The one right before lunch. Not exactly the opportune time for full attention. It didn't help that we started at 12:30, either.
Then Escalade spoke. Hilarity ensued. When his streetball career ends, some network needs to hire this man for a talk show. Instant ratings boost! Oh, by the way, Escalade, a Queens native and younger brother of former Knicks point guard Mark Jackson, is 6-foot-10 and weighs in the neighborhood of 400 pounds.
Among his more comical soundbytes:
“I’m just a fat dude doing regular stuff.”
“[Streetballers] are what we are. If I put 50 Cent in the Lincoln Center, it don't become the Philharmonic.”
“And1 is the preeminent streetball tour on the planet . . . That’s a $20 word I just gave you. Preeminent.”
Cha-ching! Can I expense that?
High Octane’s face lit up when I dropped a “Galeazzi” on him. High Octane played at C.W. Post under longtime coach Tom Galeazzi, aka The Wiz. I’ve covered my share of local college sports, so I know who’s who. High Octane seemed shocked that a media person knew who his coach was. Plus, Intrepid videographer friend Bobby is a C.W. Post alum, so we had our “in.”
When streetball comes to The Garden this Friday, more than 10,000 fans will watch the arena’s most entertaining game since, well, since And1’s game here last summer when Pharmacist ripped off Hot Sauce’s jersey. Certainly the Knicks didn’t provide much excitement for the building last season. Fans wanted to rip off their own jerseys and leave them in the subways for the rats to gnaw.
Streetball is half-basketball, half-entertainment. It has its supporters and its detractors.
In today’s supersaturated media world – a world where nine of ESPN’s 24 hours of programming is the exact same show – sports tend to appear bland. The And1 Mix Tape Tour will surprise you with its creativity and originality.
Besides, where else can you see a fat dude dunk?
Additional streetball coverage
• Story: So, you wanna be a baller?
• Video: One-on-one vs. Earthquake
• Photos: Slip-n-slide and through the legs