"N-It-2-Win-It"

Our neighborhood gym, Scruggs Community Center, during the summer break from school, played host to the youth summer basketball league. We would play the other kids from other housing projects, like Butler Terrece, Binford Court, Mason Court, New Projects, Lincoln Project and even Councill Court's second team because so many of us wanted to play, we had to have two teams.

It was in the summer of 86 when I started developing a keen sense for the sport of basketball. I can remember Dennis Eason working with me one-on-one and giving me drills to do so that I could learn to dribble the ball and my dad gave me a few pointer as well. By the time summer league rolled around, I have to admit...but I thought I was pretty darn good-lol. Marcus, Alvie, Tyson, and Anthony...these guys were really good for their age and I wanted to be just as good as they were, so I practiced on my ball handling the whole spring leading up to summer league.

When it came time for registration at for summer league, I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to play due to me helping a friend of my mom's do some work. He only paid me $50 bucks a week, but that was a lot of money for a 12yr old at the time. Well Marcus and the fellas had asked me to play with them and I told them that I didn't know due to me working. I told them I'll let them know in a few days if I was going to be able to play or not. They had a pretty stacked team talent wise, I mean these guys were REALLY good to be 12yr olds. They were considered to be Councill Court's A-team.

Now Councill Court, like I mentioned before also had a second team. I'd say it was about 2 weeks before the season was about to start when I was approached by Lamont Laws and Ramoan Meadows, they were players on Councill Court's second team, the B-team and they had dropped by my home to see if I would consider playing on their team for the summer. Ramoan asked me if I was going to play with Marcus and the rest of the fellas and I told him that I didn't know if I would have time due to me working. But if I did play, I would mostly play with them because they had asked me first.

As they were leaving off my porch, I remember like it was yesterday, Ramoan turned and said, "Rel, we need you" and Lamont said, "Yea man..we ain't got NOBODY". To hear my homies say that they need me was moving enough, but to hear Lamont refer to the team as "nobodies", did something to me. It stuck with me for a few days. Well the day of the 1st games rolled around and Councill Courts A-team were slated to play Butler Terrece and the B-team were to play Mason Court. I had to work that day and had convinced myself that I wasn't going to play this summer...but I kept hearing Lamont's voice in my head saying, "We ain't got NOBODY...We ain't got NOBDY".

3 o'clock came around and I was heading home from work. I remember Ramoan telling me that they played a 4pm and they were playing Mason Court in the opening game. When I arrived home, my mother told me Lamont had dropped by looking for me. I asked her, "Which way did he go"? She said he went walking towards the gym. It was 20 minutes til 4pm and I had to make a decision quick. I changed into my ball clothes and darted up to Scruggs. When I walked in I just stood in the door way looking around. The place was jammed packed!!

I saw Marcus and Alvie with the rest of the crew, Mason Court's team was warming up by the door entrance. They looked intimidating, there had to be aleast 15 guys on their squad. At the far end was Councill Court's B-team, Ramoan, Lamont and the rest of the players. They didn't even have a coach. As the clock was counting down with only 3 minutes left before tip off, I went to the scorer's table and signed my name on Councill Court's B-team roster. None of the players never saw me walk in the gym.

So I just hopped in line as they were doing the lay up drills and just so happen Ramoan was underneath the basket, getting the rebound to pass it to the next guy in line...that next guy was me. When he saw me in line ready to receive the ball, he just about went through the roof!!! He was jumping up and down...you would've thought he won the lottery or something.

Maaaan, I was sooooo PUMPED!!! I asked Ramoan, "Who's the coach"? He said, "We don't have one". As the seconds dwinddeled down to start the game, I told the guys to bring it in and let's see who's starting...it was me, Lamont, Ramoan, Boris Pride, and William Strickland. We came out the gate sluggish, maybe it was because of the crowd and being intimidated...whatever it was it played a factor in us going down by 20 points, but what was odd was that the whole gym was cherring for us. They really wanted us to win!

Well we clawed back in the game and in the final seconds of the 4th quater we tied the ball game up and went into overtime. The crowd went bananas! They stormed the court because they thought we had won-lol. Not only did we go into overtime, we went into triple overtime. We lost by one point when the officals took away a freethrow because of Ramoan's foot being on the line as he was shooting his freethrow. After the game Ramoan came up to me and said that he was sorry for losing the game for us and if I wanted to go play on the A-team he can understand. I said to Ramoan, "Homie, I'm in it to win it"...he said, "Really"? I said yea...yea I am. We finished with an 0-13 record that summer...didn't win a single game.

But that summer I learned a lot. I learned that winning isn't everything. I learned how to be a leader, I was like the coach for the team. We were just kids playing a game that we loved, not knowing that the game was teaching me to become who I am today. After that 1st game I asked Ramoan what was the name of the team he said, "Why not call it N-It-2-Win-It"? I replied, "Hmmm, not bad at all...not bad at all"...and that became the name of our team.
By: Relly Rel