Summer in the City: SLAM Summer Showcase Vol. 1 Recap

On Saturday, New York was once again the Mecca of basketball. SLAM Magazine put together a high school basketball showcase at Dyckman Park, featuring seven top-10 players from the classes of 2019, 2020, and 2021.

SLAM Summer Showcase Vol. 1 was the culmination of SLAM’s Dyckman takeover series. The Showcase was preceded by five games featuring elite high school prospects headlining a game at the park. Out of the five games, Kyree Walker, Zion Harmon and Joe Girard III were the only players who played in the Showcase and a solo game as well.

For the Showcase, the tone was set early. The main rule at Dyckman is that man-to-man defense must be played. Officials were shepherding rotating bigs out of the paint off-ball even stopping the game once because of it.

Having to stay attached to opponents you were guarding at all times opened the floor up. And with that open space it was no shock that one-on-one play dominated the game.

“Make it, Take it” is a classic blacktop rule, however the SLAM Summer Showcase Vol. 1 took it to a whole other level. If you made it, the. It was a guarantee that your defender would take it right back at you when you switched ends.

The game was set up as Team Stanley versus Team Ramsey with Cassius Stanley and Jahmius Ramsey serving as captains and selecting their respective teams. Team Stanley was coached by current Los Angeles Laker and New York City legend, Lance Stephenson. Team Ramsey was coached by current Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell; he was joined on the sideline by Minnesota’s Isaiah “Jellyfam” Washington. Team Ramsey would emerge victorious 99-90.

However, winning was only a secondary concern for the players. With the backing of a hype man and a raucous New York City crowd, every possession became a chance to go viral. The lights and cell phone cameras were on and here are the players that shone the brightest in NYC.