BallUp Houston - The Game

Last week, I showed a few highlights from the BallUp open tryout held across the street from the Houston Rockets' Toyota Center. Today, I'll show you some highlights from the game. If you remember from the previous blog post, ten lucky, local hoopers competed for the chance to play the BallUp team. Well, those ten nine lucky local hoopers got destroyed by Team BallUp. Team Houston started with ten players but one got unceremoniously benched after accidentally injuring a BallUp player, The Bone Collector. 

Hofheinz Pavilion, once home to Phi Slama Jama, was jumping and ready for the on court 5th of July fireworks. It was not disappointed. Team BallUp opened the game with back to back backdoor alley-oops and they never looked back. Despite being coached by the swag legend, Nick Young, Team Houston would never take the lead. Streetball favorites The Professor, Air Up There, Sik Wit It and AO put on a show. Bone Collector got hurt after a guy from Team Houston slipped on a floor decal and into him. Bone Collector then watched the replay on an iPad in the locker room.

Shout out to Tracy Murray and his 50 point game. If you've ever wondered what Tracy Murray is up to these days, he's coaching Team BallUp! 

BallUp Houston - Open Run

BallUp is a streetball tour with an official team that goes from city to city giving fans a show with high flying alley-oops and ankle breaking crossovers that often embarrass courageous defenders. In the morning, an open tryout is held for the locals to compile a team of ten to compete against the BallUp squad. In the evening, the ten locals try to hold their own and not get run out of the gym in their own city.

On a Sunday in early July, BallUp came to Houston and sought out talent at Root Memorial Park across the street from the Toyota Center. About 75-100 guys showed up, registered, went through drills and played games to show who was best. A handful of players showed how well they could shoot, how high they could jump and how terrible their game was right at the beginning of the tryout.

After a couple of hours, the final ten were chosen and a match up with the BallUp team was looming in the very near future. Here are a few of the highlights. Shout out to SwaggyP who coached the H-Tine team.

Dr. Michael Gonzalez for the Houston Chronicle

Dr. Michael Gonzalez is the director and part of a team of doctors involved with the ETHAN program. ETHAN is Houston's answer to busy emergency rooms and unnecessary ambulance runs. It's a program that allows people who call 911 to have a video conference with an actual doctor to determine if they need an ambulance trip to the ER or just an appointment to the nearest clinic. I'll let you read more about it here. Shout out to Houston Fire Station 8!