Sorry if this doesnt belong in GARM, but I know a bunch of current and older Rockets usually play there. And it usually gives us a behind the scenes look into how they are progressing in the offseason. Anyways looks like the FREE tournament starts next week. Anyone know who will be there??? http://houstonprocity.com/schedulesscores.html
Wow!! that thing is still around? I played in it back in 85 to 88 with Allen Leavell and Major Jones and his little brother and sometimes Caldwell. Fonde sure brings back some memories. We had Mo and Jelly there beating each other up and it was the best ball anywhere but the NBA.
There's no doubt that "Leeeeeeeafff Lewis" will be there. I love the games, but hate the MC. TJ Ford, Rashard Lewis, Tack Minor all played last year. Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley are usually there, thought they only watch. Mike James showed up to watch a couple of years ago (the year we traded him), and some of the players talked him in to playing. I had forgotten all about it starting next week until you mentioned it. Thanks for the heads up.
I was wondering when they were going to get this started again. Hands down the best free basketball you can watch live in person anywhere. I remember Josh Smith hitting his head on the rim catching an alley last year, crazy!
T.J. Ford was on the 790 earlier and said it wasn't happening this year due to the lack of sponsors. This must be an old link
You may be too young to remember this guy, but, Josh's hops reminds me of a guy that used to play there named Bill Willoughby. He had a short run with the Rox in the early 80's. He had a 47" vertical (higher on the run) and was famous for a while as the only man to ever block Kareem's sky hook at it's highest point. He caught a pass on the side and drove, ducked his head under the rim to avoid a block, and flushed it on the other side. When he straightened his head out, it was still above the rim. Sick!!! Not the sickest hops I ever saw there. There was local guy there named "Jumpin" Jack Smith that was a playground legend from MacArthur on the North Side. He was about 6 foot at most. He would bet people 20 bucks he could sit a quarter on top of the back board. Would have the "pidgeon" pull themselves up and stand on the rim to verify if the quarter was there. Then he would go double or nothing he could turn it over. Seen many guys lose 60 bucks that way. Only other man I have ever seen grab the top of the backboard was Olajuwan in college. Smith was famous for dunking his own missed free throw against eventual state champion Port Arthur Lincoln in the 81 playoffs. Missed short and it bounced high. He took one step and caught it way above the rim and put it down. Seen that done by people running from behind the line but that's the only time I have seen the shooter do it. Pretty sick
I know that as of yesterday, the schedule on the website was last year's schedule showing July 7 as the first day. They have games only on Mondays and Wednesdays so it matches now. It has been updated that's for sure...
I remember watching Willoughby play for the Rockets as a kid, but he never turned out to be much of anything in the NBA with all those hops. If I recall, he was the 2nd person behind Daryl Dawkins to be drafted straight out of high school and into the NBA - I think he was picked in the same draft as Dawkins.
I think your right. At one time there were 3 and the Rockets had 2 in Malone and Willoughby. Thinking of them reminds me that a few bounces the right way and we could have had 4 titles in a 15 year period. Maybe Mo should have played with his "four buddies from his neighborhood" and we would have beat the Celtics in 81
Yea, I heard the same thing after telling people I found this, but I too remember it starting a bit earlier last year. Ive been checking this summer and the website was down. Now it appears to be back up with a new schedule??? I remember Mike Harris was playing like a mad man last summer there, and then we cut him. It's not too far from my work, I'll be stopping by Weds.
lol. See thread title. Fonde. It's short for the Fonde Recreation Center. And from the looks of what previous posters posted, they're not playing this year, but I'm not sure.
I think Willougby used to be one of the Rockets career FG% leaders...at something like .548..... [Edit]Not far off, about 52%... DD
You could check RCSSports.com. They reported a week or so ago that the league wasn't playing this year because of sponsor issues, like TJ said on the radio. I talked to TJ at one of his workouts this summer and he said he wasn't going to play in it this year.
