This Was Written By Dylan and Pete from MSF (Australia's Major Streetball Foundation) its a very interesting Read:

Streetball - How far is too far?

Are the majority of basketball youth in Australia being sucked into trying to play the And1 portrayed style of basketball and street basketball before learning the proper fundamentals and team aspects of the game? Well the answer is a simple, yes! It is something I have been noticing over the past couple of years, since And1 really hit our shores. I have nothing against And1, I personally think they are doing a great job with promoting the streetball style of basketball. With the new street legends getting a lot of media attention lately it shouldn’t be surprising that the kids will want to be just like them.

What many of the kids don’t know is that these “streetballers” have spent hours and hours a day for years and years honing their skills. Starting with the fundamentals and slowly working on the different tricks you frequently see them using to embarrass their opponents, on the And1 mixtapes and Tours. Many young players are blinded by the advertisements and videos and think streetball is all about the flare.


I don’t know what their thought process is, but Hot Sauce didn’t just wake up one day with killer handles. He worked damn hard on them so he could be one of the best Street players around.

The title “Streetball” has really just become a marketing tool aimed to try and make kids think it’s a new thing, when it has actually been around since the game started. Many kids seem to think that And1 and Streetball is one in the same. And1 is a clever way of raising the status of a style of basketball that has been around since Dr J started out. It is common knowledge but Dr J started out playing on the street and at the Rucker. As did Stephon Marbury and I’m sure many of the other NBA players did aswell. Streetball is seen to many kids as being basketball with loads of tricks involved. The REAL streetball game isn’t about pulling amazing tricks to try and embarrass your defender, it’s about people getting together to enjoy the game that they love. Streetball is a creative outlet for all those players who just want to play, without the stress of winning or being the best.

Basketball and Streetball can coincided easily and efficiently, because it really is the same game. The problem comes when kids try to bounce the ball through a defenders legs or bounce it off their heads before they can cross over effectively or lay it up every time without missing. Kids need to learn to master all the skills of basketball before trying to trick up their defenders in games. Sure, after the game when mucking around with mates go for your life, try all the moves you see on TV. But in serious games, players need to get down to the heart of basketball and stick to the fundamentals. I’m sure I’ve caused a few headaches for my coaches for doing something stupid, but more recently I’ve learnt to separate my street game with what I like to call my “league game”. The most effective player I have seen do this yet would have to be Rafer Alston. For those of you who don’t know, Rafer also goes by the name Skip to my lou. Alston kick started his basketball career by being one of the first And1 players, and starring in And1’s first-ever mixtape.

Alston, through hard work and determination, has pushed his way into the League and is beginning to make a name for himself as a serious player. He has been tossed around from team to team, but last year in Miami began to show his awesome potential as an NBA player. He was a great addition to the team. He is like two different people, on the NBA court he is Rafer Alston but on the Streetball stage he is the one and only Skip To My Lou! Skip or Rafer, either one it doesn’t matter, is the perfect model of how a person can separate his Street game with his “League game”.

Rafer is a professional in both areas of the game street or league, and the younger generation of basketball/streetball players should look up to him as the perfect role model. Learning how to separate these two very closely linked styles of play is a real art and may take some players a while to grasp the concept, but as Rafer has shown us - IT CAN BE DONE! ::

And one more thought...

To put it plain and simple.. the most successful brands are the ones who ride a culture and relate to the people, being interactive.. the reality tv scheme. open runs for the public? giving contracts and telling life stories about ordinary players trying to make it? it's all relavant to the ordinary person, mostly ball players.. and the fancy stuff they pull wasn't invented by And1 like it's made out to be... the fancy shit begun on the streets, long before the Jordan and Magic era.

I'm a huge fan of the And1 players and personalities.. and was a huge fan of the mixtapes (which started as the EBC in an And1 box). And1 really brought the life back to the game, but people talk like they invented this street style, when really they just introduced it, and took it to a mainstream level.. which ofcourse, has had good and bad effects which I won't go into. I love the players, I love their game, huge respect. You guys don't need to fire back at people saying "all you haters wanna be me come see me"... I think it's just the driver behind the And1 train who may be pushing a few wrong buttons, or not pushing the buttons that are most important. Just tap the driver on the shoulder and tell 'em whatsup, or get off the train like my man Booger Smith did.

From free DVDs... to $40 DVDs??
the way it's looking, there soon could be the $100 deluxe limited special edition exclusive volume 19 remix. Sometimes we need to ask ourselves, what's more important.. spending money on pure entertainment and fashion, or spending money on improving your game...

Keep it real. That's all I have to say.

Pro Vs. Street

"Who runnin’ who?"
Man, I don’t know about y’all but have you seen the mount of crap on the internet about this. People blowin’ froth saying Skip would kill Jordan or that Sauce would own The Glove. Fact is man, you can’t compare the two. Rules are basically the same but the rest is way different. Here’s why.


"Defense wins games."
Son, how much D you see in a street ball game. I know some dudes get low and put on mad D but the pros know that some players need to be double teamed. You think Hot Sauce would be left one on one? Hell no!( Mind you, his carry ball violations would make for an easy turnover). Mark my words, you see a guard in the L tell his team to back off so he can “shut down” his opponent would be on the bench faster than the coach calls a time-out.


"Handlez"
With even a basic knowledge of the rules, how many of those sick moves put down by the And 1 crew would be legal on the pro court? Not many. Oh yeah, remember that little thing called the shot clock. 24 seconds B. Recognise.

"No I in Team."
Ball movement. Not including alley oops or behind the back flashiness, there ain’t none on the Mixtape tour. It’s all about going for self and dishing the ball if you get shut down. Look at all the flak Kobe “pass?” Bryant gets. He got skills but he can’t seem to share the ball. I don’t care where you play and whom you play against. Ball movement creates opportunity and open looks. That’s real.

"You a hater Man!"
Now, a lot of you will be jumping up and down saying I got no love for And 1 and what they’re about. Wrong. I love their style of basketball and no doubt, if the Pro’s played a legitimate street comp, that they would get a run for their money. On the other hand, you put street players in the league, they ain’t gonna dominate. Yeah sure, a lot of the pros came up on the playground, but their games were fully developed through high school and college. Rafer made it to the L but he isn’t a dominant force, plus, he was a highly rated player in organized competition in high school etc.

"Verdict"
Like I said earlier, you can’t really compare the two because of the extremely different styles. I say this, the majority of Pros don’t fare as good in the playground and vice versa. Say what you will, I don’t think Sauce got what it takes to be in the NBA, but I’d love to be proven wrong. Years of focused, organized balling will give you a better foundation than drive way show boating. All these street ballers had to learn the fundamental before they could bust all that other mess. So kids, practice the fundamentals, become one with the ball. The NBA is callin’.

Peace.

__________________

Representing Streets is Watchin', Australia.
Est. 2K6