Big Strick Classic loaded with talent for Saturday
By Robert Alfonso Jr
BRONX, NY – Basketball fans will get their annual opportunity to pay respects to one of the games legends while having the opportunity to glimpse into the future.
The fifth annual Big Strick Classic, dedicated to the late John “Big Strick” Strickland a New York City Streetball legend, will have some of the nations best playing some of NYC’s finest ballers. On Saturday, the Gachos Gym doors will open as the event starts with a 3-point contest followed by a Dunk Conest.
Team Armoni will play Team Escalade at 6 pm. The National Team will place
Big Strick is a Brooklyn native, who played at Hawaii Pacific University. He played six seasons in the USBL from 1995-2000. Strickland was named to the All USBL Second team in 1997 and the First Team in 1998.
Over the past four years, the Big Strick Classic has had some noteable players. There were the likes of Dwayen Bacon, Maliek Beasely, Antonio Blakeney, Rawle Alkins, Chris McCullough, PJ Dozier, Kelly Oubre, Ahmed Hill, Prince Ali, Isaiah Whitehead, Aaron Harrison, Chris Walker, Kevaughn Allen, Cory Sanders and Damon Wilson Jr.
Here are the rosters for both games.
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TEAM USA |
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| Josh Jackson | Prolific Prep | Southfield, MI | 2016 | |
| Edrice “BAM” Adebayo | Northside | Pinetown, NC | 2016 | |
| Billy Preston | Prime Prep Academy | Dallas, TX | 2017 | |
| Jonathan Isaac | IMG Academy | Naples, FL | 2016 | Florida State |
| Alterique Gilbert | Miller Grove | Lithonia, GA | 2016 | UConn |
| Gary Trent Jr. | Apple Valley | Apple Valley, MN | 2017 | |
| DJ Harvey | DeMatha | Bowie, MD | 2017 | |
| Matt Coleman | Oak Hill | Norflk, VA | 2017 | |
| Andre Rafus | St. Benedict’s | Baltimore, MD | 2017 | |
| Troy Baxter | The Rock School | Gainesville, FL | 2016 | South Florida |
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TEAM NYC |
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| Markelle Fultz | DeMatha | Upper Marlboro, MD | 2016 | |
| Mustapha Heron | Sacred Heart | West Haven, CT | 2016 | |
| Trevon Duval | St. Benedict’s | Wilmington, DE | 2017 | |
| Mohammed Bamba | Westtown School | Harlem, NY | 2017 | |
| Hamidou Diallo | Woodstock Academy | Queens, NY | 2017 | |
| Nicholas Richards | The Patrick Scholl | Elizabeth, NJ | 2017 | |
| Wenyen Gabriel | Wilbraham & Monson Academy | Manchester, NH | 2016 | |
| Mamadou Diarra | Woodstock Academy | Queens, NY | 2016 | UConn |
| Lonnie Walker | Reading | Reading, PA | 2017 | |
| Shamorie Ponds | Thomas Jefferson | Brooklyn, NY | 2016 | |
| Myles Powell | Trenton Central | Trenton, NJ | 2016 | |
| Bryce Aiken | The Patrick School | Randolph, NJ | 2016 | |
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TEAM ARMONI |
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| Montez Mathis | Mount Carmel | Baltimore, MD | 2018 | |
| Unique McLean | The MacDuffie School | Grandy, Mass | 2016 | UMASS |
| Isaiah Washington | St. Raymond | Bronx, NY | 2017 | |
| Jose Alvarado | Christ the King | Queens, NY | 2017 | |
| Justin Winston | West Orange | West Orange, NJ | 2018 | |
| Makai Ashton-Langford | Cushing Academy | Worcester, MA | 2017 | |
| Nazreon Reid | Roselle Catholic | Asbury Park, NJ | 2018 | |
| Ja’quaye James | St. Anthony | Englewood, NJ | 2018 | |
| Atiba Taylor | Roselle Catholic | Spring Valley, NJ | 2018 | |
| Sidney Wilson | St. Raymond | Bronx, NY | 2017 | |
| Melo Eggleston | Clinton Christian School | Baltimore, MD | 2017 | |
| Daniel Mading | St. Benedict’s | Perth Australia | 2017 | |
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TEAM ESCALADE |
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| Quade Green | Neumann-Goretti | Philadelphia, PA | 2017 | |
| Hasahan French | Commonwealth Academy | Springfield, MA | 2017 | |
| Nate Watson | Bishop O’Connell | Arlington, VA | 2017 | |
| Luther Muhammed | Hudson Catholic | Irvington, NJ | 2018 | |
| Ray Salnave | Cardozo | Bayside, NY | 2016 | |
| Christian Poppola Jr. | Lone Peak | Highland, UT | 2017 | |
| Donnie Tillman | Findley Prep | Detroit, MI | 2017 | |
| Louis King | Roselle Catholic | Roselle, NJ | 2018 | |
| Jamir Harris | The Patrick School | Piscataway, NJ | 2017 | |
| Jalen Carey | Dwight Englewood | New York, NY | 2018 | |
| Raheem Solomon | Sacred Heart | Waterbury, CT | 2018 | |
| Cam Reddish | Westtown School | Norristown, PA | 2018 | |
| Jahvon Quinerly | Hudson Catholic | Hackensack, NJ | 2018 | |
About the Author
Alfonso
Robert Alfonso Jr. is a graduate of Mount Sait Mary College. He has more than 20 years of journalism experience. Alfonso has helped build a basketball web brand in Georgia and has covered high school through college sports for publications in New York, North Carolina, and Georgia. His mission has always been to uplift the athletes who play sports providing them the exposure needed in this new media platform.