DURHAM -- It was opening night, but the S.J.G. Greater NC Pro Am summer basketball league appeared to be in midseason form Thursday night at N.C. Central's McLendon-McDougald Gymnasium.
Not all of the big names were in attendance, but there were still plenty of stars on the court who put on quite a show for the near-capacity crowd.
"The first night is usually slower," said Chuck Jones, one of the league's directors. "Some of the NBA guys don't play until after the July 4th holiday, some of the college players aren't here because they don't start summer school until next week, and usually the crowd's smaller because the community doesn't know we've gotten started."
Well, word got out this year, and plenty of N.C. State fans were on hand to see C.J. Leslie and Tracy Smith play together, along with Word of God's Joseph Uchebo, who has committed to N.C. State, in the opener. Then the North Carolina fans arrived to watch Team Stackhouse, which put Tar Heels John Henson, Reggie Bullock, Harrison Barnes and rising high school senior P.J. Hairston, a UNC commitment,on the floor together.
Stackhouse was there, coaching his team.
Raleigh's John Wall showed up during the third quarter of the first game. The NBA's top draft pick, who played one season at Kentucky, won't play in the summer league until he signs with the Washington Wizards.
Josh Powell, a former N.C. State star who just won his second championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers, was also there, but he was not planning to play in the opener for his team, Lucky Seven, which includes former Wolfpackers Scooter Sherrill, Levi Watkins, Courtney Fells and Marcus Melvin.
Team McGladrey, featuring Smith and Leslie, lost the opener and played without incoming State freshmen Ryan Harrow and Lorenzo Brown.
"They were at orientation," Leslie said. "But they'll be here after this. We're going to play a lot together."
Leslie showed off his talent with some blocks and follow dunks.
"C.J. is an athlete," Smith said. "He's such a jumper."
Team Stackhouse dominated D1 Sports from the start. Barnes hit two 3-pointers early, and Henson was unchallenged inside. Their lead was 23-10 after the first quarter and 41-24 at halftime.
"Harrison was a beast, that's what he is," Henson said. "Really, all the guys can play. This game was fun. In this league, I'll see plenty of competition with guys like Josh Powell. That's what's so fun about this league."
The league also gives some of the top high school players in the country the opportunity to match their games with college players and pros, and Rodney Purvis, a rising sophomore at Raleigh's Upper Room, showed he belongs. He played with Team McGlad rey.
"I was nervous out there," Purvis admitted. "That was a big crowd for me to play in front of, and it took a few minutes for me to get going, but it's going to help my game to play against better competition like this."
Ravenscroft rising junior Madison Jones, on Team Stackhouse, and D1 Sports' Quincey Miller, a rising senior at High Point Westchester Academy, also showed they had the game to play in one of the top summer leagues in the country.
The league's schedule and updated rosters can be found at www.ncproam.com.
A big part of the festivities is the courtside announcing by Bill Murphy.
After a Leslie follow shot, he said, "That's C.J. Leslie with a demonstration of elevation."
After Hairston threw down a dunk, Murphy said, "He's going strong with the grown-man dunks, P.J. Hairston."
Murphy even points out the bad, proclaiming, "That was a brick," after a missed free throw.
"This is a great thing," said Murphy, who won't miss a game. "Every night, the games are something to see. By the time the tournament starts, the competition really heats up."
"Last year, we had John Wall and Raymond Felton face off in the championship game," Jones said. "And we will have matchups like that this year, like when the State freshmen play against the Carolina freshmen."
