2019 City is Mine Classic
Bronx, N.Y. – The City Is Mine Basketball Classic, one of the most prolific high school basketball showcases in the country, returned in dramatic fashion over the Labor Day weekend. This year marked the 5th annual event and took place at the historic Gauchos Gym in the Bronx, NY. Spectators were in for a treat as four high powered High School teams competed for the illustrious title of 2019 City is Mine Champions. Team Milbank has been completely dominant having won 4 championships in 5 years and Coach Rose has run that team like a well-oiled machine. Throughout the years they’ve never been keen on recruiting the best players but always find a way to still come out victorious. Coach Rose attributes their success to playing with a chip on their shoulders and never feeling defeated, even if they are losing the game at some point.
Carmelo Anthony and Julius Randle taking in some HS Basketball action at the City is Mine Classic. Photo courtesy of ATH Photos
Bernard Bowen and NBA Legend Carmelo Anthony teamed up with Overtime to put together a top-notch event that brought out the masses. The event unofficially marked the end of the summer and showcased some of the best High School basketball players from the NY tri-state area. With DJ Webstar controlling the music and Dave “Cha Ching” Teele as the MC we were in good hands. The City is Mine Classic brings out a plethora of celebrities and NBA players alike and provides a great basketball atmosphere every year. This year New York Knick forward Julius Randle and former NBA standout Lance Stevenson both stopped by to catch some of the action. Def Jam recording artist Dave East also popped up to support, as well as NBA player development coach Chris Brickley. Food, music, celebrities in the Building and great basketball … what more can you ask for?
The City is Mine Classic always brings the people out. The 5th Annual Classic packed Gauchos Gym to capacity. Photo courtesy of ATH Photos
The event has held capacity crowds since it got its start 5 years ago and has boasted rosters that have included college and NBA standouts such as Ty Jerome (Phoenix Suns), Shamorie Ponds (Houston Rockets), Naz Reid (Minnesota Timberwolves), Lou King (Detroit Pistons) and Hamidou Diallo (OKC Thunder) just to name a few.
Kadary Richmond made a case for being the best player in NYC this summer. He will be attending Brewster Academy on a Post Graduate year. Photo courtesy of ATH Photos
This year the brand spread its wings and expanded to Baltimore, Maryland. The showcase was a huge success in Baltimore, but New York City is a different animal. The first game matched up United Brooklyn Vs. The Program. Both teams were very well-coached and featured some high powered talent. For ‘The Program’ players like Malachi Smith of St. Raymond’s (Bronx), Zion Cruz (Hudson Catholic), Nate Tabor (Sacred Heart), and Majesty Johnson (Brooklyn Collegiate) seemed to look nice on paper but at the end of the day, the combination of Kadary Richmond and Femi Odukale proved to be too much. United Brooklyn would win the first game and await the winner of Team Vsonary/Shine vs Milbank.
Def Jam Recording Artist Dave East and City is Mine Founder Bernard Bowen courtside at The City is Mine Classic. Photo courtesy of ATH Photos
Everybody wanted to see who Team Milbank would bring to the table. The defending champs stacked the deck bringing out Zed Key (LuHi), Jaylen Murray (Putnam Science Academy), Dylan Wusu (Sacred Heart), Micawber Etienne (Suffield Academy) and RJ Davis (Stepinac) just to name a few. This team, under the guidance of Coach Rose of Milbank, would run the table and make light work of their first opponent of the night. They played as if they had been playing with each other for years.
Lance Stevenson stopped in to check out the City is Mine Classic. Photo courtesy of ATH Photos
The championship was set. United Brooklyn versus Milbank for the claim to a 7-foot trophy and more importantly, bragging rights. Milbank stormed out to an early lead as United Brooklyn gathered themselves and tried to keep the game close. It seemed like Milbank was firing on all cylinders and looked to put the game out of reach around halftime. After the break, led by Kadary Richmond, United Brooklyn made a run and closed the gap to 10. The combination of RJ Davis and Zed Key proved to be too much as Milbank pulled away in the 4th quarter and came out with an 85-74 win. This win marked a 3peat for Milbank and 4 out of 5 championships. It’s fair to say that Coach Rose has put together a dynasty of sorts and they will definitely be the team to beat for years to come.
The Milbank Flyers goes for the 3peat and are your 2019 City Champions. Photo courtesy of ATH Photos
The City is Mine Classic is definitely a gem of New York City. It has a great family atmosphere and has been run with integrity and class throughout the years. Thank you to the staff for all of the hospitality and we look forward to covering this event for years to come.