Basketball and Life 2

By Herb Turetzky

As his beloved affair with the game of basketball, ingrained in him as a young boy growing up in the gritty Brownsville section of Brooklyn, grew into a life-long journey around the world, Herb Turetzky suddenly found himself returning to his roots, at the newly-opened Barclays Center, just ten subway stops on the IRT New Lots line from his boyhood home.

With the Brooklyn Nets' new home in his home borough, a short five-minute walk from his alma mater, Long Island University, and a thirty minute drive from his Bayside, Queens home, his almost fifty year Nets' career was rejuvenated, enabling Herb to envision continuing his amazing career while, at the same time, finding his memory of so many greats of the game rekindled.

This lifetime fascination, coupled with his long-standing relationships with close boyhood friends and even closer family members, including the recent birth of his first grandchild, have enabled Herb to put together this autobiographical collection of original poetry, a strongly suggested read for followers of basketball, Brooklyn, the historic Brownsville and those with a hearty admiration of family ties.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 24, 2016
• ISBN: 9781514453469

Herb Turetzky

Drawing from his youth, growing up in Brooklyn’s Brownsville neighborhood and getting an early introduction to the “City Game” of basketball at the Brownsville Boys Club, Herb Turetzky has been able to blend these two major influences on his life into a collection of poetry which, mixed with his closely-knit family relationships, has resulted in a “must read” for followers of each area. Using his love for the game to forge what has now become a six-decade career as Official Scorer for the New Jersey Nets of the NBA, Herb has managed to expand his experiences around the globe. His career with the Nets has reached the point where he has now worked in more than 1,100 consecutive games over the past 26 years and has been enshrined in the National Pro-Am City Leagues Hall of Fame, Brooklyn U.S.A. Basketball Hall of Fame, National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and, with the great Julius ‘Dr. J” Erving serving as his personal escort, the prestigious New York City Basketball Hall of Fame. With the strength and support of his wife of forty years, Jane, a New York City Special Education Health Coordinator, and their children Jennifer, a School Psychologist, and David, a former college basketball coach now embarking on a career as a High School Guidance Counselor, Herb hopes to continue his career with the Nets for at least two more years and join them at their under-construction Barclays Center home in his native borough of Brooklyn for the 2012 season. In so doing, Herb will have completed quite a circuitous career in professional basketball, beginning as a college senior at Brooklyn’s Long Island University and finishing up at the Barclays Center, perhaps a mile from LIU. It has been quite a journey and one you will feel you have shared by the time you finish this collection of poetry.

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Copyright © 2016 by Herb Turetzky.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 03/24/2016

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Dedication

Along with the ongoing support from my loving family, and the inspiration provided by the birth of my first grandchild, Jack, both my Nets’ and writing careers have received a jolt of enthusiasm from the people with whom I’ve worked and met at Brooklyn’s fantastic Barclays Center, one of the most vibrant venues in the world.

The youthful vim and vigor of the new members of the Nets’ Scorer’s Table crew, college staffers from nearby Long Island University and St. Francis College, reminds me nightly of the excitement my position provided me as a college senior at LIU. In addition, there’s been the incredible assistance, and encouragement, of the Barclays Center staff, especially the ushers, not only in their attention to me, but the positive manner in which they interact nightly with our fantastic fans, yet another reminder of the vitality of the residents of my Brooklyn.

And, speaking of our Brooklyn fans, how important is their dedication to our players, our franchise and our employees? The reverberating sound of their strong and frequent Brook-lyn, Brook-lyn chants literally sends shivers up and down my spine. To have so many of them greet and encourage me, on a nightly basis, to continue my career, is truly inspirational.

In short, this collection of my life’s experiences is dedicated to, simply, BROOKLYN. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Contents

Basketball

My Most Humble Start

Our Early Exposure To Basketball

A Boys Club Afternoon

The Green Satin Jacket

Jefferson H.s.

The Right Choice

The Game I Love

Basketball Memories

The Greatest?

Change Of The Big Man

Basketball’s Full Circle

A Great Career

Brooklyn’s Advantages

Barclays Center

The Interview

The Ball And The Wall

My Great Courtside Seat

Jack’s First Game

The Nets’ Big Win

Historic Recognition

David’s Dilemma

The Banner

The Most Treasured Award

It’s Official

Dare To Dream

Championship Rings In The Borough Of Kings

The Milestone Game

Life

Thanks, Mom

My Big Sister

The Special Visit

Partners For Life

The Pride Of Our Lives

A Special Son

Grandson Jack

The Three Of Us

The Boys

A Quick Lunch No More

Beginning Each Day

Jake At The Lake

Listing Of The Day

Our Pool Table

So Long, Old Friend

Cleaning House

Peace Of Mind

Our New Home, With A View

Thank You, My Friend

BASKETBALL

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My Most Humble Start

I remember the days as if just yesterday,

the very first time I was taught how to play.

The gym at the Boys Club seemed so great to me.

My