''They Had Game''
’Before The Break Away Rims″.....″Operator, Please connect me too 1972″
Yeah, I, bent a Few Rims, ...had a lot of Fun,...however, ’Oak Street Court″..........5:30 every evening, this court will be occupied by some of the greatest baller’s you will find anywhere, I’m just gone mention the ones, I’ve played with an against for many years, many lived in this area, and many lived across town, .....''take no prisoners'' style of play, petty fouls calls will not be, respected, period, suck it up princess, this the projects, aka, BDP, ''Boston Damn Projects'' Homie.....The Legend, that went on to do greater things, such as, James ″Hickey″ Cunningham the only Baller, I know of in the 70’s that got a full ride at a ACC School Division 1, in Football and Basketball, at Clemson University, ...every evening we battled like were never knew one another, just how it was, we played hard and we played to win at all cost, Tricky Dick, Sog, Sam, Johnny Ray, Rock, Squirrel, Tag, Barry, Lonnie, Chuck Jackson, Freddie Jackson, James Jackson, Charles Jackson, Gerald Lane, Mike Cannon, Andy Arrington, Dime, Nickle, Shakey, Pete, Lee Lee, Curtis, Robert, Larry, June, Bee, Bernard, Poochie, Headache, Darryl, ....first team too 15, ....and gotta win by two if a Tie.........I walked away from the Game at 35 years of Age..no injuries, nothing hurt, still had much love for game, ..and it wasn’t that hard for me too do, especially after, getting Dunked on from a ″alley hoop″, by Rodney Scott, the young upcoming star from North Forsyth High School, my Alumni, can you believe that, ...we were playing under The Dome, on 10th street Rupert Park, I just remember, seeing his Nike’s in my face, I went up too the 5th floor, he went on up too the 8th, and looking down on me, with sympathy, and flushed it, the crowd went wild, and on this very evening, I hung my shoes up, on the very day!!....NO REGRETS.......My Greatest local, players of all-time,.This would be a Fantastic Voyage if we all could, Reunite for one more Game..........Larry Little,″Weasil″ Curtis Little, James Jackson, ″Jack″ Jerry Gillespie, Willie Griffin, ″Super Sub″... William Pickens, ‘Book″ Leslie Booker, ″Booker″... Punch Scales, Clyde Reynolds, James Lewis, Woodrow Johnson,″ ″Woody″ Thurman Carter, ″Tee″ , Norton Barnhill, ″Norton″ Charmus Bohannon,″June″ Larry Richardson, Rob Little ″Rob″ , Micheal Grace, Stretch Grace, Kenny Jarrett, Kenny Plummer, Harold Martin, Henry Hicks, ″Hen″ Carlos Terry, ″Lo″ Larry Haney, Tobe Jackson, ″Toby″ Mike Epps, Alex Mackey, ″Mack″ Charles Dennings, Dexter Funderburke, ″Bird″ Bobby Moore, ″Mo″ Willard Coker, ″Rompy″ James Cunningham, ″Hickey″ Barry Damon, Sam Campbell, ″Sam″ Sam Kennedy, Chuck Commodore, Charles Platten, Dwayne Sawyer, Louis Lowery, ″Chocolate″ Eddie Bines, Shelton Ship, ″Ship″ Darryl Keller,″Scoota″ Charles Douthit, ″Pumpkin″ , Donald Daniels,″Chummy″ Headache, Melvin Wilkins, ″Rip″ Darrell Cook, Chuck Jackson, Waldo Hauser, Frazier McColoum,,″Fox″ , Mike Perry, Big ″Sog″, John Norwood, Mike Samuels, Worth McCloud ″Bullwinkle″ Milton Vaughn, Outha Rucker, ″Ruck″ Billy Carter,″Billy Dee″ Curtis Ingram,″Boo Boo’ James Eller, Howard McCollogh, James McClam, ″Rubber Band″ Hector McClam, Calvin Higgins, ″Hig″ Donnie Barnes, Gary Barnes, ‘GB’ Kenny Barnes, Chris Ingram, Chris Williams,, ″Tootie″ Paul Cloud, Duane Akiens, Ronald Speas ″Junk″ , Norman Speas, Christopher Lewis, ″Fuzz’ Robert Parks, Mike Ingram, ″Mike Mike″ Wayne Ingram, Bill McClain,″Mr. Bill″ William Tatum, ″Goose″ Johnny Simmons,″Man″ Johnnie Martin, Larry Williams, Mike Dowell, Orson Abbott, , Roy Wilkins, ″Tootie″ Tim Oates, Charles Oates, Vern Oates, Henry Wright, Tony Posey, Flag Stansfield, Kenny Dennard, Gil McGregor , John Stone, James Fowler, Kerry Roach, Rick Hall, Jeff Sitler, Fernandez Griffin,″Bumpy″ James Griffin, Mark Griffin, Mark Redd, Henry Fulk, Calvin Eaton, Barry Churn, Elbert Jeffries,″Moochie″ Butch Coker, Bobby Shields, Mike Copeland, , Jodie Payne, Robert Wilkins,″Boobie″ Tim Pollard, David Allen,″Ping″ Sam Smalls, Claude Smalls, ″Boone″ Carl Smalls, ″Beep″ Herman Springs, ″Xman″ Jimmy Lowery, Ikey Blue, Leroy Springs, Terry Edwards, David Springs, ″Kitta″ Calvin Edwards, Kevin Edwards, Buck Reinhardt, ″Colonel″ Lemont Williams,″Bull″ Christopher Key, John Williams, Donald Gantt, ″Diamond Dan″ Carlos Gantt, ″Doc″ Howard May, Ronnie Christian, Man Pate, Arthur Davis, Micheal Mabry ″Gus″ , Kenny Ray Eldridge, , Reginald Eldridge ″Red Nose″ Charles Eldridge, Donnie Eldridge, Randy Johnson, ″Roach″ Mike Samuels, ″Eraser″ Charles O’Neal, ″Bird″ Frank Beal, Larry Cloud, Micheal Wiseman, Mike James, Vincent Williamson, Ernest Williams ″June″ , Roger Gaskins, Kent Marshal, Bobby Scrivens, , Ben Piggot, Kermitt Piggot, Carl Patrick, James Miller, Greg Good, Danny Blue, Bonnie Blue, Cedric Russell, Paul Shelf, ″Show Boat″ Alex Smith,″Skully″ David Webster, Tyrone Hatchet, Swain Bennett, Denard Gentry, Harold Lash, LJ Pipkens, Vincent Butler, David Harold,″Sweetness″ Ricky Royster, Ricky Holt, Byron Samuels, Chico Horton, Cedric Span, Thad Young, Bud Hayes, James Scurlock, Mike Westmoreland, Ken Wilford, ″Rock″ William Bitting ″Rock″ Henry Fulk, Johnny Ray Wilford, ″Johnny Ray″ Ken Whitmire, Charles Baldwin, Dwayne Ingram, Mike Ingram, Tim Bess, Girad Miller, Anthony Mitchell, ″Slick″ Mike Jennings, Herman Flynt, Harry Davis, ″Harry O″ Chuck Shore, Steve Grimes, Steve Stover, Hansel Henz, Billy Highsmith, Billy Harris, Carlos Gregg, ″Melo″ Richard Hairston, ″Rick″ Mitch Burns, ″Poochie″ Steve Burns, Vincent Pledger, Rubin Pleasure, Steve Dillard, ″Cocomo″ Montae Burns, T. Russell, Bobby Gaither, Christan, Gaither, Sam Porter, Dean Hargrave, Harvey Reid, ″Turkey Bird″ Rip Wilkins, .Mike Thomas, ″Pop Bottle″ Drako, Ron Hollingsworth, ″Worth″ .Vincent Sherad, ″Fro″ Vincent Cloud, Mike Sheppard, Pete Clark, Winfred Mack, Carl Redd, , Gary Grace, Cedric Howie, .Denorris Nichols, ‘Pig’ , ..Donald Galloway, .Reggie Glenn, Carl Graham, Jimmy Wilkins, Alan Carruthers.″Tick″ ....Alan Cardwell, ...Jimmy Jones, ...Willie Dixon,″Tricky Dick″ Mike McDougal, ..Lorenzo Glenn, ..″Lo″ ..Chris Martin, Wayne Johnson, Elson Floyd, Tee Ball, George Evans, Wookie, ..Larry Roberts, Clark Mcgriff, Teddy East, Mike Franklin, Walter Funderburke, James Funchess, Lonnie Scales, , ...Reggie McCummings, Victor McCummings, Mike Smith, Leonard Jackson,″Jug″ .. Chester Carmichael, Jeff Cloud, Ronald Moore, ″Mo″ Ronald Webb, Mike Howell, Rodney Webb, Rodney Scott, ″Skywalker″ Tryone Scott, ″Edgar″ Dennis Scott, ..Anderson Noble, ’Nobe″ Robert Noble, Chris Noble, Mike Noble, ..Sidney Wilkins, ..Carl Simmons, James Paul, .″JP″ .Bobby Kimbrough, ″Bob″ .Byron Ingram, , Lorenzo Wolf, ″Lo″ .Herb Sellers, .Jessie Williams, ″Jessie″ Jessie Byrd, ″Jessie″ Mike Wincoff, James Hanna, David Hanna, .....and of course, ″Jimmy Jett″.............just too name a few ....somewhere, in Life we crossed one another path...all these different Leagues, Church Leagues, Industrial Leagues, City Leagues, 14th Street Rec, Sims Center aka ″Ben Pigott Gym, Hanes Hosiery Rec, Reynolds Park Rec, Piney Grove, Blum Park, 19th Street, 17th Street, Cleveland Projects, Boston Projects, Kimberley Projects, North Elementary, Winston Lake YMCA, Central YMCA, Richmond School, Northwest, Happy Hill Garden Night Summer League, Big Apple League, Chavis Rec, High Point, South Park, Sprague Street Rec, Skyland Park, .Patterson ave YMCA..WSSU, Old Gym,..Wake Forest Gyms, ...., Belview, Polo, Rec, MLK Rec,....some of these guy’s, I never knew their real names......and many still don’t know mine....but it was a ''Treasure''
