John Gotty, myself, and Tim Yu.

I haven’t posted about a press trip I’ve been on in quite sometime, but I love this image snapped, without our knowledge, by Marcus Troy. The three of us were walking from our hotel to the Staples Center to watch the Celtics clip the Lakers. It is always a pleasure to spend time with all involved in this photograph.

My favorite moment from the World Basketball Festival -

On Saturday, I took some time away from the the hustle and bustle of the court and walked around the grounds of Rucker Park. This young man was playing ball with his father, the two appearing to have a nice day out at the Festival and enjoying the more open community spaces.

Amid all the celebrity and fast pace of the activities, this moment hit strongest. Often, as media covering events, we don’t take the opportunity to experience them as members of the public. There is a reason for that – sometimes their just isn’t time.

I made time on Saturday. I got a haircut at the park (more on that in the future), walked through the interactive sections set up by Nike, and wandered down Fredrick Douglas to get some lunch, some super chicken at Charle’s Pan Fried.

In any event, I caught this little guy playing ball. He seemed to capture the essential spirit of the World Basketball Festival’s intent – Love of the Game. I really hope he continues playing. Hope he rises through New York’s High School ranks, stars at the Rucker, and represents the USA in international play.

I hope he enjoys and pursues basketball in all its applications, just as we did this past weekend.

And, ultimately, I hope he’s remembered as the lasting legacy of Nike’s event in New York.

Not a bad place to watch the games…

Butler has certainly come along way since I saw them play Georgetown at the Garden back in December.

Then, I thought they’d frighten a few teams and make a run at the Sweet 16. They’ve proved me wrong, and given this years tournament a fantastic story line. Having been to Indy a few times (once to see Wisconsin lose to Izzo’s guys in the Final Four, twice for museum conferences), I’m probably more excited for this Butler team than I would be for any other hometown favorite… baring, of course, the schools I frequently support.

Duke, I must say, is a program I can never properly get behind. I’ve utmost respect for Coach K, his players, and the style of play. They played beautifully last night. They move the ball steadily. They obviously shoot the lights out.

But, I’m hoping for the story book ending.

I’m hoping Butler takes it.

And, I am hoping that odd hoard of fans with no ties to Durham’s most famous institution have an unhappy Monday night.

Bob Hurley, Sr., one of the most recognized and successful high-school basketball coaches, is subject of The Street Stops Here. The film chronicles his St. Anthony’s (Jersey City) team through the 2007-2008 season, balancing the teams triumphs with the struggles faced to keep the school afloat financially.

I had the chance to attend a screening last week and given my own respect for Hurley couldn’t pass it up. It’s a superb film. Hurley, as a coach, motivates with an old school hard edge. His players, for the most part, have chosen him. Viewed him, and the St. Anthony’s legacy, as their ticket. And, the combination works. The games are shot from a bench view. The talent is apparent, but unlike in the recent More than a Game, the difficulty of shouldering pressure comes across genuinely. These are hardworking kids, like their coach they sacrifice. And, the team represents the school particularly well. A story of sacrifice. A story of little by little trying to make a change.

Just two of the hundreds of kids Hurley’s had at St. Anthony’s have failed to gain entrance to college. A remarkable record, and one that Hurley holds with great pride. As a winner, he’s up there with Morgan Wooten. But, most important is the positive impact he’s had on his players as students and people. Something lost in so many other basketball documentaries.

Produced by Team Works Media, The Street Stops Here plays tomorrow night (March 31, 2010) at 10est on PBS. Watch it. You won’t be disappointed.

Regular readers of The Economist might have clocked a brief article on baseball in China in the February 13, 2010 Edition (p. 68). The piece hinges on the potential of China to yield a few strong armed pitchers and the efforts of Major League Baseball to find them. With only mild success after the Olympics (many of the purpose built stadiums having been razed), baseball struggles to find foothold in Asia’s most populous nation.

In contrast, basketball generates massive interest. With an estimated 300 million hoops fiends (suggested by The Economist) and a rabid fandom surrounding the NBA, basketball is the model baseball wishes to follow (again, noted in The Economist). China has produced stars of its own, and by all accounts China also champions the American hard court legend.

The NBA Star undoubtedly fuels Chinese interest in basketball. Because of this, I am consistently intrigued by emerging basketball brands from China and couldn’t resist the opportunity to travel to Portland last week for Li Ning’s grand US opening.

Founded in 1990, Li Ning offers a dizzying array of athletic apparel, equipment and footwear in the PRC. It’s namesake, Li Ning, has a firm grounding in athletic competition – as one of China’s most decorated Olympians, winning 3 golds during the 1984 Summer Games. He retired in 1988, focusing attention two years later to sporting goods. Since inception, Li Ning has grown into one of the most competitive brands in the domestic market. An international hold, however, has proved elusive.

I first heard about Li Ning when former Cavelier Damon Jones signed what seemed a bizarre footwear deal with the company. His sponsorship did little to introduce the brand to the USA, but it did mark a slowly progressing entry into the global basketball market.

Several years later, Li Ning returns to the US with a list of heavy hitters – Baron Davis and Shaq – along with the newly opened Portland flagship store.

On the surface, Li Ning has done the obvious. They’ve attracted aging stars with big personalities, just what one needs to generate a little buzz. Given the hold of the NBA in China, this move certainly has positive ramifications on the domestic market as well, however in Baron sights are now firmly set on the cradle of basketball.

Along side a strong line-up of footwear dedicated to the more obscure atheltic venture – badmenton and table tennis – the Baron Davis signature shoe (the “BD DOOM”), is a high performance court sneaker with a type of player specific branding that is unfortunately often avoided. The shoe has birthed the Beardman. A logo, a character, and everything that stands for Baron’s carefree off-court personality. The Beardman has become its own toy and adorns everything from t-shirts to very impressive varsity jackets.

Li Ning, in Baron Davis, might not have a match for Lebron and the swoosh, but they certainly trump the efforts of other PRC brands (like PEAK) to break the US. And, they might successfully rival Under Armor’s swoop of phenom Brandon Jennings.

Talking with Li Ning Marketing Lead Eric Tian, its obvious the brand’s excited about Baron. To think of him as a silver bullet, however, would be to treat the global basketball market with undeserved shallowness.

Falling behind the this summer’s World Cup, and the current Winter Olympic Games, the FIBA World Basketball Championship won’t get the full mainstream media attention in 2010 it should. Granted, the World Championship’s have only just gotten competitive. The tournament might still be a decade away from providing true gripping drama. Twenty years, perhaps, away from becoming the true second to football as a global game.

Yet, when you look at the fans filling the seats at NBA games, there’s a trend almost impossible to ignore – foreign languages fill the arena sound scape. The rise of the Argentinian and Spanish teams to world powers (both have beaten the US in recent major tournaments) hasn’t quite been ignored.

Li Ning understands this growth. Their sponsorship of the two Nations mentioned above (the worlds 2nd and 3rd best teams) is what impresses me most about their basketball efforts. While some brands would think short – as the affiliation with Baron Davis does – Li Ning has an impressive long term vision.

The NBA will always be the home of the basketball star. But, the international game is growing and its increasingly impressive.

For that, I’ve got a little more faith than some in Li Ning’s basketball future. After all, who can deride an athletic brand for truly understanding where the core of sports is going.

This is the soundtrack to my youth.

Triple headers. Knicks vs. Pacers. Jordan vs. … well, everyone. Ahmad Rashad’s bad suits. (were they Jordan’s suits?). Flat tops. Reeboks. The Dream. That guy on the rockets that looks like an alien.

John Tesh’s “NBA on NBC” theme song inspired instant good moods. I miss it only slightly more than I miss my ex-girlfriend.

(Also, I am rather upset that I am not going to all-star weekend, the best weekend in America).