COLE IT A COMEBACK

IN 1998, SPIKE LEE produced what is widely recognized as the greatest basketball movie of all time: He Got Game. Many in the hoops world speculate that the film drew its inspiration from a real-life New York City prospect who just three years earlier was touted as the No. 1 ranked PG in America, Stephon Marbury of Brooklyn’s Abraham Lincoln HS, Class of ’95.

Having the film set in The Big Apple was fitting, as the city had become widely touted for producing prep talent on a regular basis—particularly at the point guard position.

Before Marbury, NYC birthed greats like Bob Cousy, Pearl Washington, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Kenny Anderson, Kenny Smith, Lenny Wilkens and Mark Jackson. He Got Game simply served as another reminder that New York was at the top of the food chain when it came to talent. But the past couple of decades were a different story.

“BEING THE NO. 1 POINT GUARD