Durham, NC, United States
Seth Curry, who will be starting his junior season at Duke in three months, lines up and hit's a three pointer from NBA range at one end of the court.
At the other, the Milwaukee Bucks' 16 points-per-game guard Brandon Jennings split's the defense and lays in a finger roll.
Curry's Duke teammate Ryan Kelly works against Sandhills Community College standout Marquis Hines. At the top of the key, Kelly uses a spin dribble to try to get around Hines.
"No!" shouts the P.A. announcer mid-play. "No, no, no, no!"
Sure enough, Kelly is stripped. "He's just too big for that," says the P.A. man as Kelly's future Duke teammate Austin Rivers uses a crossover dribble to drive the lane and score on the other end.
VMI's Stan Okoye scores on a feed from Curry. Then Jennings gets the crowd to erupt with an flashy pass to Lamar Community College's Will Bunton.
Just 22 seconds of action at the North Carolina Pro Am.
The self-described "Rucker of the South" and "Mecca of Summer League", the Pro Am six weeks of heated competition between some of the best players Tobacco Road has to offer.
The league was started four years ago by former North Carolina Tar Heel and longtime NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse. After years of competing in some legendary summer pick-up games on the UNC campus against returning alumni like Jordan, Worthy, and Kenny Smith, Stackhouse decided to let the rest of community in on the secret.
Admission and parking are free for all games, which are held on the campus of North Carolina Central University, in Durham. The league is bankrolled by donations. A local auto mall sponsors one team. So does a luxury hotel. Former Tar Heel and current Cleveland Cavalier Antawn Jamison sponsors another.
NC Central drew a sold-out 3056 fans to their gym for a game against NC A&T last season. Nearly that many were packed in on a muggy August night to watch the finale of the summer league regular season.
Stackhouse was in attendance as a spectator, though he played the night before, speaking to Rivers, who was exasperated by a lopsided loss, eventually convincing the kid to ball one more game as his teammate to erase the bad taste.
New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul, formerly of Wake Forest, was also in the house and rumored to be suiting up, although Paul never took the court.
Former Duke star and current ESPN analyst Jay Williams was also rumored to be playing. He served as guest coach instead, at one point charging onto the court during a time out, Italian ice in hand, to argue a traveling call.
Virtually every player expected to have an impact for Duke, Carolina, or NC State this season has made an appearance at this year's Pro Am. Carolina's Leslie McDonald suffered a knee injury in an early game that may cause him to miss the start of the season.
The top pick in this year's draft, Kyrie Irving, has played there. Last year's top pick, John Wall, saw time in the Pro Am last summer. Area players who didn't make it to the ACC or NBA, either because of grades, injury, or a talent ceiling, fill out the rosters, often spectacularly.
A group of NC Central players formed the backbone of Team Jamison, who had an undefeated season heading into the final game. Despite bringing in ringers like Knicks and Nuggets point guard Raymond Felton, they lost the finale and the regular season crown to a squad that added Rasheed Wallace to the roster for the final game.
The night before, the NC Central guys enjoyed their home court advantage to the fullest, jumping out 24-2 on a team featuring three current Duke players before cruising to a 41-point win.
The action is frantic. Defense is forgotten for long stretches as teams exchange dunks, threes and driving layups. The P.A. announcer keeps up a steady stream of chatter, announcing "That was a brick" and "airball" right along with the points, fouls, and assists.
In the first game of the season-ending triple header, Team Automall (not their real name), featuring Curry, Kelly, and two other Duke teammates won a hard-fought seven-point victory over a team led by Jennings and Rivers.
It's not unusual for regular season teammates to play against each other in summer league. In fact, Monday night, the Pro Am had their own version of the Civil War as Duke's Plumlee brothers faced off.
Mason won the tip against older brother Miles and never looked back, outscoring big bro by 24.
Rosters are fluid at best in summer league. Following their loss, Jennings and Rivers changed jerseys and suited up for a team sponsored by a local custom wheels and rims shop. Their team fell behind early against a team sponsored by an area real estate development.
Team Real Estate featured Tar Heel big man John Henson and Tar Heel recruit PJ Hairson. Purdue's John Hart, recovering from a broken foot was also on the team, as was unofficial league MVP Darius Johnson-Odom, who Marquette snuck into Raleigh and steal from the ACC schools.
Tired from playing back to back games, Jennings and Rivers left at halftime, leaving their teammates to fend for themselves, which they did, mounting a comeback and winning by a point at the buzzer.
Who needs a key to the NBA lockout? We can just let summer league continue into the fall.
Twitter: @ihavenet
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