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Being a NYC
player, 'it
means a lot'
The Putnam Science Academy prep basketball team is playing a pair of games in New York City this weekend as part of a couple high-level showcase events. They are big games on the schedule.
They are particularly big games for PSA teammates Hassan Diarra, JuJu Murray, and Josh Gray, as all three hail from New York City and are eagerly anticipating the opportunity to play in front of their home crowd.
They are also looking forward to displaying their unique style of basketball in front of the people who appreciate it the most.
“Being a New York City basketball player, it means a lot,” said Murray, who was born and raised in the Bronx. “It’s just all about being a dog. That means having a toughness, always bringing your game, always making sure you’re coming to play and making sure you’re going to play hard. I’ve always felt like New York City basketball is just different.
“One thing I know about us is we’re not going to let people just walk over us. Nobody is going to walk over a New York City basketball player. Uh-uh. It’s just not going to work like that.”
Because they’re from New York City, the trio is often looked at differently. It comes with the territory and is something they expect. New York City teams and players get everyone’s attention.
“In AAU, when a New York team is playing against any other team, that other team is trying to take our heads off,” said Diarra, who like Murray is a guard but hails from Queens. “Every time we play. Every time. We’re the biggest game on everyone else’s schedule. It’s cool. We’re from New York and they’re not.”
Gray, a 7-footer from Brooklyn, said the bullseye is a mark of pride, something to welcome.
“Everybody knows that’s the Mecca of basketball,” he said. “There’s pride in being able to say that I’m from there. A lot of pride in that. New York City, it’s different than anywhere else.”
Putnam Science Academy plays Core4 Prep of Atlanta this Saturday at Barclays Center in Brooklyn as part of the Battle in the Apple. Sunday, the Mustangs play First Love Christian Academy (PA) in the PSA Prep Showcase (no affiliation) at Mount St. Michael Academy in the Bronx.
And with all due respect to Diarra and Gray, this weekend could very likely be The JuJu Show. The Class of 2021 guard is a social media and online sensation. He raised his profile even higher this summer by winning MVP honors at the SLAM Summer Classic, featuring some of the top high school players in the country, at renowned Dyckman Park.
“He’s huge back home,” Diarra said. “He’s a superstar. He’s the guy. The. Guy.”
Murray, 18 years old, can’t walk too far down the city streets without someone recognizing him and saying hello or asking for a picture. He is close with Isaiah Washington, a former Mr. Basketball in New York State who played at St. Raymond’s High School in the Bronx and is currently playing at Iona College.
“People always say they always see other people coming up to me,” Murray said. “I used to see people run to Isaiah. Run to him. Run full speed like somebody was chasing them. Just running to him, screaming his name, wanting to take a picture. When I was younger I always thought that I wanted to be like that one day, that I want people running up to me, to know who I am when I walk down the street.”
And now that he’s arrived?
“That’s a good feeling, man,” he said with a big smile. “I’m a NYC kid. NYC loves me. It’s good, it’s good.”
Diarra has had his moments too. On the AAU circuit this past summer, he had a teammate from Philadelphia and his coach was from New Jersey. He said they both told him they could tell he was from New York City by the way he played, with a distinct toughness, swagger, flavor to his game. Diarra didn’t really believe them, didn’t believe there was some kind of tell.
But then “I looked at it and re-evaluated myself and was like, ‘Damn, yeah, they’re right. I play like a NYC guard.’” There is a great lineage of those guards, going back to Bob Cousy, Tiny Archibald, Lenny Wilkens, and Pearl Washington. More recent names include Mark Jackson, Kenny Smith, Kenny Anderson, Stephon Marbury. There are many who more have achieved status without becoming household NBA names or Hall of Famers.
“When I started playing for real and realized there were all these dudes, it was like ‘I’m from New York City just like them,’” Diarra said. “So you’ve got to carry that, you’ve got to live up to it. It’s not pressure but there’s a certain standard you’re held up to.”
And so the three – Diarra, Gray, Murray – will be on display this coming weekend and a whole lot of New York City will be watching its guys, making sure they are working up to that standard.
“It’s going to be everything,” Murray said. “And it’s not like we’ve only got one game out there. We’ve got two games back-to-back. I know for a fact there’s going to be a lot of people there. A lot. The atmosphere, the environment, it’s going to be great.
“I mean, it’s New York City.”
Stephen Nalbandian
Sports Information Director
Putnam Science Academy
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