Gersh Park: The Brooklyn Way
Summertime in New York City is the best time of the year for a basketball junkie. It’s said that every borough has its own flair for the game, and Brooklyn, having bred countless ballers, has earned a reputation for its blue collar style of play. We visited Gersh Park for the 2018 season opener and was treated to a first class performance on the court. Commissioner Damian “DP” Pitts has done a tremendous job building a great atmosphere for ballers and fans alike. With Nike, Jordan Brand and the Brooklyn Nets involved, the Gersh brand is greatly enhanced. With a freshly painted court and everything in place Gersh was ready to kick off their 2018 season with a special night of basketball. The weather was perfect and with two action packed games on the bill, Brooklyn bred announcer Fly Ty on the mic and great food vendors on site, it couldn’t haven gotten any better than that.
It seems as if the entire borough of Brooklyn came out to Gersh Park for the home opener. Photo wooterleagues
As the crowd swelled you can tell that we were going to be in for a treat. It wasn’t until the venue was jam packed did I recognize it from the countless YouTube videos I’ve seen. This was All Things Hoops’ first time at this tournament and the basketball Gods came through and gave us exactly what we came to see. In a matter of minutes the crowd easily looked like it had ballooned to at least a few thousand. Brooklyn Nets Isaiah Whitehead and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson came through and seemed to be enjoying the show as well.
Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers comes to his backyard aka Gersh Park every year. Photo urkill Instagram
The main event would feature Indiana Pacer and Brooklyn native Lance Stephenson, Jesse Jones aka Filayyy versus current overseas pro Erving Walker aka I-95. It felt like everyone knew what to expect. The anticipation was killing me. The high powered Sean Bell team came out the gate firing on all cylinders. Lance hit threes and scored from all over the court. Filayyy got set up and hit three consecutive 3-pointers to put their Sean Bell team up for good. Bryce Jones also put his stamp on the game scoring multiple buckets while being heavily defended. The Sean Bell team appeared to be running away with the game but it was the inspired play of Erv Walker who single handedly defended his squad to make this home opener a show to be remembered. He took on every challenge that was presented to him and stood tall every step of the way.
Gersh looks to defend the NY vs NY Championship. It will be very difficult to repeat the special run they had last year but are definitely up for the challenge. Photo NyvsNY Instagram
Gersh Park has been a well known tournament in the East New York, Brooklyn since 2005. They have built their reputation on bringing some of the best talent around to grace the stage. Partnering up with high powered sponsors, The Brooklyn Nets and Nike, Gersh Park has made a argument to be the best tournament in New York City. They won the Nike NY vs NY tournament last year and looking to defend their title this summer. No disrespect to the other tournaments out there but Gersh is for real and they hold no punches. The staff is very professional and handle business like a well oiled machine. Salute to the staff of the Gersh Park Tournament. We’ll be back!!