Goodman League Shines on Friday Night

Friday night’s twilight game at the Goodman League was more about the hoopla than the hoops on a cool evening in the District. The scent of grilled barbeque decorated the air at Barry Farms basketball court while announcer Miles Rawls provided the jokes for those in attendance.

When the crowd wasn’t enjoying the surrounding festivities, they were enjoying a barn burner between Team Ooohs and Ahhs and the Maryland Greenhawks. The Greenhawks, headlined by Randy “White Chocolate” Gill, raced down to the wire with Ooohs and Ahhs, edging them 91-84.

In a high scoring shootout, both teams forced the ball downcourt relentlessly as fastbreaks were pushed whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Usually when two teams run and gun to the extent of Friday’s action, the term “bring your track shoes” is often used as an illustrative description. But one player on Team Ooohs and Ahhs took the saying to heart and Rawls made sure to take it to him.

“Look at the new guy checking in with the track shoes on,” Rawls joked. “He must have had those on his grocery list for K-Mart. Milk, toilet tissue, and new shoes.”

It was that type of night at the Goodman, where the atmosphere of a storied city basketball league could’ve easily been mistaken for a summer family cookout. Rawls does an excellent job of compensating for entertainment whenever the games lack the star power of top-name professional ballers.

Although the night featured famed And 1 hoopster Gill and a few other familiar ballers, it was mostly staffed full of miscellaneous first names that members of the crowd had never heard of.

Former Tennessee point guard Bobby Maze led the Greenhawks with 31 points while Wade added 24. Boo and Chris Matt both added 24 points for Ooohs and Ahhs in the defeat. Names like Wade, Boo, and Chris Matt aren’t going to pack the bleachers but their games are impressive.

Both Maze and Wade showcased their slashing abilities as they got to the basket when they wanted, whenever they wanted. Boo and Matt are excellent one on one scorers who should help the Greenhawks remain an attractive team to watch for as the summer progresses.