The Professor - Budapest October 2007

Teaser footage of the And1 Tour in Budapest.

Check back soon for a recap of this journey in Hungary.

The Professor - Diary #13

As were exactly halfway through the summer tour at this point, I think things have been great so far.......we toughest competition the first game in New York as always and smacked a legit team by about 20, we beat a real nice team in Boston who could have definitely competed with the NYC team, we sold out Philly and Atlanta and put on good shows, and we killed it in DC this past weekend at the mixtape game and at Berry Farms.

Berry Farms is like the Rucker of DC. Its got that crazy hostile intense streetball type atmosphere that you can only get in a few places. Before we played there on Friday we were 1 and 1 down there in our anual game verses DC’s finest. I hadn’t played there last year because of my broken foot but I had played there in 2005 and in my mind I had a subpar performance. Not that it was an easy task being that I was matched up against Kurt Smith, who is one of DC’s all time most noteable streetball legends and I was only 20 years old. So as you can guess, I was looking for redemption this year which is exactly what I got. When you play in those spots its all about holdin it down and that’s exactly what myself and the whole squad did. When I first subed in the game I immediately got the ball on a clearout which is typical.

My approach to streetball games nowadays is way better then it was 2 years back when I played there. If someone gives me even an inch of space to let my jumper fly, I let it go no matter what. Nowadays I force people to come out and guard me just by simply shooting over them till they feel they need to get out on me. So when I had the iso the first 2 possesions I was in, I didn’t waste anytime in attacking, I scored 3 straight buckets changing the momentum of the game and putting the confidence of the game in our squads hands.

They always say a fight is easier when you throw the first punch, so by attacking first I feel I win way more streetball battles, that’s some advice Mike Ellis had told me that I always remembered......Baby shaq absolutely shut it down scoring about 30 or 40. At one point he came down jus across half court and threw himself a bullet pass off the backboard and when he got in the key he jumped for it and dunked it back.......at that moment I swear on everything it was the most amazing display of athleticism I’ve ever seen in person! Ridiculous......helicopter and springs were both killing as well, down the stretch when we were trading buckets in the closing minutes, copter showed why he is the leading scorere over seas in the Japanese pro league. He scored about 10 straight and sealed the win for us. DC’s finest wasn’t familiar with Springs so when he started killing and coming into his own they had no answer, his athleticism is out of this world but he also has a wet J, with a nice handle. And all of that showed out Friday night and more.

The next day when we faced the same exact team we did the night before at berry farms it was more of the same domination. We smacked them by 30 and they pretty much laid down and it got a little stagnant. So towards the end when no dribbling or dunking was exciting the crowd I said to myself, ’why don’t I just try to get a dunk for the first time, because nothin else is working.’ So I was like fuck it, let me try. Sure enough I caught the ball in the open court and threw myself an alleyoop off the bounce and dunked it clean. That should be on the fifth or sixth episode I would guess; this Monday or Tuesday the 3rd episode of streetball will air 9:30 pacific time, 12:30 eastern time.......

The Professor - Diary #12

The other day I got a call from my business manager Mark Edwards and he told me that he got a call from the new CBA franchise, the Atlanta Crunk, and they wanted to know if I was interested in playing for them.

When I heard the news, I was super hyped! I always have wanted to continue my regular basketball career at as high of level as possible but there are always limited opportunities due to the mixtape tour going year round. When I told Mark that I would definitely play for them if the scheduling fits for this winter, we got on a conference call with the GM and coach. Coaching the team next season will be ex NBA player Kenny Anderson who played for the Nets, Celtics, and Blazers throughout his career. Who better for me to be coached by then an ex NBA player who was amazing in his career?!

On the conference call Kenny and the GM, who goes by the name of Spydo, said that when I miss the beginning part of training camp and come in late it will be tough to come in and get a lot of playing time because the chemistry won’t be where it needs to be and I might not be in tiptop game shape. But I understood that to the fullest. Whenever your in a system trying to get playing time, it always comes down to how well you perform in games and at practice. I am a huge believer of the quote, ’Play always speaks for itself.’ If someone deserves the minutes, their performance will be self-explanitory. When I played for the IBL franchise in my hometown of Aalem Oregon, they brought me in knowing I could hold my own at the least, but they really just thought I would sell tickets. So when it came time to start the season they had 2 guards in front of me and were playin’ me not even 10 minutes a game. So at first I was mad, but then I told myself I was just going to stick with it and if my play speaks for itself ill earn my way. Then 3 games into the season and I was already a starter! Its because I worked the hardest and outshined the other guards in games and in practice, as well as off the court.

So that’s the attitude I’m going to carry into this next situation with the Atlanta team in the CBA, which I’m nothin but excited for.......

The Professor - Diary #11

Ever since the first episode of Streetball aired on ESPN 2 last Tuesday, my whole outlook on the tour has been re-energized. When I saw how good the first show came out I knew right away that with the group of guys we have today we can be just as successful as a tour as we’ve always been, if not more. The feedback after the first episode was great amongst players and fans. Its apparent when you see the show that there is no drama in the air between guys and we all like to see one another do well.

We just got done with our fourth game of the tour yesterday in Philly and it was crazy. The outdoor arena set up seats 5000 and there was at least 4800 in there, so it was packed out. The starting group came out the gate a little slow but then picked it up about 3 minutes in. The crowd was ready to go nuts over anything halfway exciting. When the 2nd group went in with myself, Hotsauce, Springs, Bad Santa, and 8th wonder we began to take over with the showtime and on the scoreboard. I had my best half scoring 15 pts and helped create a huge gap in the lead. I only missed one shot the entire game which I was real happy with. Bad Santa was ripping people before they could cross half court and Hot Sauce was lookin like his old self. Sauce got an iso on the wing in the 2nd quarter that made everyone go crazy......he crossed a dude, put it between his legs inside out style snatched it back, did slow motion then passed it to me under the hoop for the layup. The crowd loved it!

Springs was out there doing him in a major way. On three different fast breaks in the game he did 2 windmills from about 13 or 14ft, then on a 3rd break he put it between his legs and shut it down! His athleticism is ridiculous. But if there were an mvp of this game it would have to go to my guy, Baby Shaq. He scored 30 pts and at one point in the 4th had about 15 or so in a row! He hit 3 threes in a row then had a dunk and a floater, he killed some dude that had a heavy body frame similar to his build, I’m sure that dude is somewhere embarassed right now.

I’m on the plane right now back to LA for a few days because I’ve got some work to do for the acting side of things. I’m doing a photo shoot to get shots for an acting portfolio and having a couple meetings to look for representation out in LA for movies and commercials and what not. From LA ill be going back to DC for the next game.

I’m excited for episode 3 to come out, which I saw a rough cut of the other day. It covers a lot of our players lives outside of the tour as well. It shows sauce in ATL hangin’ out, Bad Santa in Cali at home playin’ in the Dre league, and shows myself on the movie set of Ball Don’t Lie which should be dope..... Streetball on ESPN 2 airs 930 pm pacific time on Tuesday night and re-airs every Wednesday as well. Check listings for time changes, which are usually common.

The Professor - Diary #10

The first few games of the tour were very different from each other, which each one getting better. Our game in NYC was real physical and more of a straight up game as usual. It always turns out that way in NYC because the players we play against take so much pride in playing in their home city which is the mecca of streetball and they are not trying to get made look bad no matter what, even if that means fouling and making the game ugly. But in the end we definitely ended up killing, won by about 10 or 15. It was a good note to start the tour out on, just knew that we needed to step up the entertainment aspect keep it movin.

In Boston it was another real good team we faced but we ended up killing them too without a problem. Finally last Saturday in ATL we had a good all around and entertaining game. I personally had my best game of the tour despite wrapping the movie ’Ball Don’t Lie’ at 4 in the morning! I then jumped on the 6am flight out of LAX and got to ATL at 230pm, and the game started at 3! I went straight to the court took about 10 jumpers and started playing. I came out a little slow but then got going the 2nd half. I had some good alley oop passes, made a dude slip on a spin move and had about 3 steals to cap off a 20pt victory. If there was an MVP of this game though, it would go to Baby Shaq no question! He had about 40 and killed some dude they were calling Mr Atlanta. He dunked on some dude so bad too, it was rediculous, shut it down!

Next game is in Philly the 14th of this month and im expecting big things. Now that I wrapped the movie ill have an opportunity to get back to the tip top shape i was in before the movie started. I haven’t had a chance to be in full basketball mode and kill like ive wanted to but now is the time ill get an opportunity. The first two games it was brutal having to take the red eye flight then go straight to the airport from the game without laying down....tough! but thats what its all about.

Filming my movie was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I’m almost more proud of the work i put in filming that movie then anything else in my life including basketball. I went into the world of acting which i knew very little about and ended up carrying a movie and had the producers and cast tell me i did excellent work. I’m looking foward to seeing the final project, but don’t wanna say too much about it. The cast is amazing with the likes of a lot of recognizable actors such as Ludacris, Nick Cannon, Mykelti Williamson, Harrold Perrineau, Steve Harris, Rosanna Arquette, and James Pickins Jr. just to name a few! so I’m really looking foward to the final product which won’t be out till next year.

I went to the rap party on Sunday night right from the airport when I flew back and had a great time. Just about everyone from the crew and cast showed up, which can be rare on films such as this one. Stay tuned for more blogging coming soon now that i have downtime........In the meantime, I’m going to answer some of thequestions that are on the board below.....Stay tuned!

The Professor - Questions/Answers

And1’s Professor is answering all of your questions here each week on HoopsVibe.com. Send your to asktheprofessor@hoopsvibe.com.

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Whats the open run situation for the 2007 tour?

Professor:
For the 2007 tour there is no open run before the games. What their going to do is hand select streetballers from different cities to play against team And 1 in each city. Then the last game in LA on August 25th is going to be an allstar team, made up of guys who killed earlier in summer vs the And 1 mixtape team. And 1 felt like the repeated open run system on the tv show was getting a little repetitive so they wanted to try something new.

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Sup professor, I’ve heard you’re blogging with Hoops vibe and that is very tight. So how do you learn all your skills from. I’ve always wanted to know how you do all your trickz? Also, did the "Air up there" really do a 720!!!??? Because I’ve seen it and i was very confused on how he did it?

Professor:
Thanks bro. I learned my skills from many different people, definitly not just one individual as im sure you could guess. My dad was my first influence, he introduced me to the game and soon after i came to love it. Growing up, players i watched were clyde drexler and terry porter because at that time the blazers had a winning squad and thats who everyone was talking about. Soon i came to love players like Allen Iverson, Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, and Jason Williams. I always loved little guys like myself who played with a big heart. It gave me inspiration, so that was my motivation to play with heart. As far as the skills it I would pick up things from everyones game and try to incorporate it to my own. And developing skills i think is a huge time investment on a players part. I put so much time into playing ball growing up it was rediculous. I would be at the gym all day like it was a daycare. I would arrive in the morning sometime and wouldn’t leave till 1030 at night when it closed. I just loved the game and being in the gym, and i think in order to be great a player has to feel that way unless theyre extremely gifted athletically and the game comes easy, which was not my case. Yes, Air Up There did a 720 as rediculous as it seems, lol. Its all over youtube.com. Just type in ’720 dunk.’ Its not that confusing to figure out how he did it.......he jumped in the air and turned fast as hell 2 times around and dunked it. Hes flat out, athletic as hell! lol

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Wats gud Fess, I’m just wondering how did you dunk. The year Spyda won the contract you were on the team and everyone went to Run n Shoot. You threw the ball up caught it and dunked it and I was so amazed by that cause your not real tall. I was wondering at that time were you on some kind of vertical jump program if so which one? Also how come I haven’t seen you dunk after that?

Professor:
Honestly, ive never been on any kind of jump program in my life. When i was in junior college in Oregon they had a weight program i was on that really elevated my game and probably gave me a few inches on my vertical but nothing huge. Ive never had any major hops but always had decent jumping ability. Ive been able to dunk since 2003, but its usually only when im feeling real good. Ive never had enough hops to be able to dunk in a game unless i had a WIDE open fast break which usually isn’t the case, because if i do, im usually throwing the oop to one of my teammates. My goal for this upcoming season is to work my legs so I can dunk on the regular.

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Sup’ Professor, in your opinion, who is the best overall player in your team? Who is the best dunker? Who is the best dribbler?

Professor:
That is a very tough question you asked right there! I don’t think any of those questions can be answered accuartely because you got so many talented dudes on one team that have so many different styles and play so many different positions. I think that boils down to strictly opinion at the end of the day. Also, it depends what game your talking about......is it pro ball? streetball? college? if you come more specific i will break it down for you. If our players filled out a survey of who is the best player? who is the best dunker? and who is the best dribbler?......I guarantee that almost every person would have different answers for all those questions. So its hard to really say, thats what the fans are for, lol

The Professor - Diary #9

As I sit here on one of my days off reflecting on the past and thinking about the future, it only excites me. So many things are different in streetball now with different tours, new faces, its much more commercial now.

I mean you got people out there giving themselves streetball nicknames and making their own videos of themselves and putting them on youtube.com. Then you got all these myspace streetballers, who got their own pages with videos showing their whole crew. And the whole inspiration for those kids making their own crews, and making their own videos, and giving themselves nicknames came directly from the And 1 Mixtape tour.

I get excited when i think about how the destiny of the future of streetball is in our hands. Ive been doing everything i can to get ready for this upcoming tour and to be honest I’m looking forward to finding some new victims. I’m back to probably the best shape I’ve been in, my jumper is better than it’s ever been, and my ball handling is as it always is.

I have a new approach to the game and am looking forward to killing with it on tour this year. For the past few months I’ve probably played over 30 streetball games and averaged about 25 or 30 a game. Thats more than I ever scored in the past simply because I didn’t get that many touches per game and my approach was totally different. With the addition to some of the new guys on our team this years tour should be ridiculous.

We got dudes that people are sleeping on right now. My guy Springs that recently did an interview with hoopsvibe is the best kept secret in streetball right now but I doubt that secret will be kept after this summer, lol.I mean just to give you a sneak peak, check out this video of him going between the legs from the free throw line!!! click few months and averaged 40, no exaggeration.

With myself, Kenny Bruner aka bad santa, and springs in the back court we murdered people. Scores were like 210 to 117. Or 130 to 90. Crazy victory margins like that. Kenny is the best streetball defender in the game, he averages nearly a triple double every night. And you can’t deny the entertainment factor either with myself, hot sauce, and new addition Silk, who is often slept on as well.

So all in all i just wanted to state how excited i am, approaching this upcoming tour and putting my hard work to test. Ill be posting more often on here now, i was caught up for a couple weeks and slipped, but im back. Stay tuned......

The Professor - Diary #8

I was up at mini-camp the 14th through the 16th in New York enjoying myself. Its always cool when the whole team comes together under one roof. I start to get excited to play ball, see guys I ain’t seen in a long time, and most of all just joke around and talk shit. Some people don’t know we got some funny ass dudes on our squad! Everyone is a character within themselves and our funny in their own way. Honestly if they did a TV show on only the funny stuff that’s happened on the bus, it’d be entertaining as hell because these dudes are hilarious. So I know when we all come together its gonna be a good time no matter what. The first day we got together we had a rehearsal of the new show on ESPN called ’Up Front’. Its a show that features and previews all of the ESPN series that are coming on for the new season, but in a comedy and theatrical type setting. They had us (And 1 Mixtape team), Mike and Mike, some skit with Donavan Mcnabb and Serena Williams, along with a much of other new shows they were previewing on the segment. In our segment we went through a couple sets that basically displayed what we’re all about as a team. We came out in 2 lines and I first played Hot Sauce 1 on 1, then Bad Santa came out and played D on Sauce. After that the dunkers came into play catching alleyoops from Bad Santa and I. Then we grouped together and did a tip drill off the backboard with everyone and the last person which was Assassin dunked it to end it. After that we hustled up, said And 1 on three, then gave a wave to the crowd and exited the stage. The crowd loved it and I think it was a good look for us. I think they’ll welcome us back in the future.

For the next couple days it was mostly on-court type stuff. We had a practice each day and a series of meetings covering everything for the tour such as media, rules, scheduling, appearances and more. The practices went well, I’m getting hyped as hell to get the season started though and face some All-Star teams, it should be interesting. At night usually some of the guys are always in the club. I’m the type of guy who goes out every now and then. I pick and choose my times to go out because in my opinion its bad to overdo it, and I can get burned out energy wise. On Tuesday night, myself, Escalade, Springs, and Baby Shaq all went out to this spot in Manhattan called Retox. We had a good time; that’s where the picture of Escalade, Springs and I was taken.

Next up for me is the beginning of filming ’Ball Don’t Lie’ May 29th which I’m super hyped about. Its 4th quarter right now with my acting lessons so I’m going hard right now. Ill keep y’all posted on how things are on the set, in the meantime be on the lookout for more....

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The Professor - Questions/Answers

And1’s Professor is answering all of your questions here each week on HoopsVibe.com. Send your to asktheprofessor@hoopsvibe.com.

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Watsup professor my name is jay I’m from South Africa, I gotta ask you man how do you cope with being the only white guy on your team. Most times I go to the courts I’m the only white guy there and when I go to the courts at my school I get discriminated almost every time because I’m white.

Professor:
Whatsup jay. The way I look at that situation is that if people are going to discriminate where your playing ball, they most likely won’t discriminate once you prove your game to them. For me growing up whenever I’ve played in a gym and I was the only white guy, or one of few, I was discriminated against maybe in the beginning as far as being looked at as the short white boy and considered one of the worst dudes on the court because of it stereotypically. But by the time we got done playing, that stereotype went out the window when they saw my game and how I had just killed despite height or race. So basically, people may be discriminated against for looks, weight, height, race, or whatever else. But its all about proving yourself. I believe that this theory
applies to life as well, not just hoop.

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Yo professor my names cody. I met you in 05 and 06 in phoenix. Man I was looking forward to meeting you again this year but y’all ain’t headed to phx again. Where is the closest game to me? I’m from Colorado. Man keep doing your thing your moves are hot.

Professor:
Cody, whatsup boy. it doesn’t look like we come close to Colorado at all this year but I’m sure we will be back in due time. Also we do seperate streetball exhibition games with legends of the blacktop and that tour may come out there. Just be on the lookout. If you looked at my last post, I posted the And 1 Mixtape Tour 2007 schedule.

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Why did you decide to stay in and1 team versus going to Streetball Entertaiment?

Professor:
I think staying with And 1 makes sense because i grew up with And 1 and it helped create who I am today. Venturing off and rolling with a new brand and company is a huge risk to take in my opinion. When people hear the name ’And 1’ it sells itself. Everyone relates the word to crazy moves, crossovers, no look passes, and ridiculous alleyoops. Even most popularly related to the word is individuals names such as Hot Sauce’ or ’Professor.’ When I saw the schedule and what was going to be marketed with Streetball entertainment, it didn’t seem like there was anything different from what And 1 has done the past 4 years. They were going to do the same 30 cities in all the same arenas. Some of those arenas And 1 didn’t even do well in and we had everyone signed and marketed in those cities. Plus, there was no guarantee that they were going to have a TV show. That was important in my mind because the TV show ’streetball’ has given all of us players affiliated with And 1 major exposure. It would be almost impossible to duplicate that exposure with a show on another network because ESPN is worldwide, and not too many other stations willing to pickup a streetball reality series can say the same. At the end of the day I looked at what And 1 has done for me and I decided to keep the ball rolling over here.

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Do you think that the founding of streetball entertainment will have an impact on the success of And1’s tour?

Professor:
No, not at all. I think that what were doing is going to be major with the 10 city tour and all the games being played outdoors. We’re bringing it back to what made And 1 exciting and first put it on the scene. You can’t beat a real outdoor streetball environment if you ask me. Plus our footage will all be on ESPN again for another season with a fresh new look and I’m not sure if streetball entertainment will even have a show following their tour.

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Do you still keep in touch with some of the guys who left to Ball4Real?

Professor:
yeah a lot of those guys are my dudes and we talk every week. I never let business get in the way of friendship. I talk to Spyda and AO the most out of their camp. AO and I were just hanging out down here in LA 2 weeks ago and when spyda comes through town I get up with him. No matter what comes of the future we all shared a bunch of experiences together the past few years that will always be memorable too me and too valuable to let a friendship go. If anyone over there ever needs to reach out to me about anything its all good.

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How much time do you spent on the court everyday? Or per week?

Professor:
Everday I’m in the gym for a minimum of 2 hours. I’ve been getting up at 5am everyday lately knocking my basketball workouts out early in the morning. Then I run 2 miles and lift for about an hour. Too me, whatever you put into working on your game is what you get out of it. Its all about your time investment and dedication. When I go to the gym its not going to ever be some sweet ass workout. You can’t just go to the gym and shoot around casually and expect to improve. I get up at least 500 everytime I’m in there and go hard with full court dribbling drills, then end the workout with some free throws. When I run 2 miles I try and keep one hard pace the whole time. Right now I get in 2 miles at 1330, which is tough to get done every morning, but when you start seeing results you begin to like it and go harder. This year I’m concentrating on working my legs harder then I ever have before because I see how important that is. For me to be at the top of my game I need to be able to run all game long and be able to shoot j’s in the 4th quarter just like I did in the 1st. I used to lift for bulk and got heavy at one point and found that quickness is more important for me then bulk weight. So those are things I look to ge done in the gym and do on a regular basis.

Ask The Professor

Send all your questions for And1’s Professor to asktheprofessor@hoopsvibe.com. The Professor will be answering your questions each week.