Area Street Basketball Player Helped Team Hollywood Win

By John E. De Freitas
WI Sports Writer
Thursday, April 13, 2006

On April 8, members of Team Hollywood were on their way to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania to play exhibition basketball against the Knight Hoops team.

While Team Hollywood was being transported from BWI airport, team president Pete Adams realized that “Pretty Boy Jason” missed his flight out of Detroit. Adams made a number of phone calls to have a replacement player for the evening Celebrity Street Ball Session.

Tony Holbrook—“Tony the One”—who lives a few blocks from the Verizon Center in D.C., solved Adams’ problem when he confirmed he could join the team.

Team Hollywood defeated Knight Hoops 113-98 and late addition to the roster, “Tony the One,” brought back to D.C. the MVP and Best Offensive Player awards.

Holbrook said, “My mom answered the phone and when Pete asked if I was available I was ready to break the speed record to get to Baltimore to be with the team.”

Holbrook began playing basketball at age six. Since then his dream has been to play professional basketball. Growing up in a broken home he missed the role model of a father, however his mother did everything to help him become a respectable person in the community.

“It is hard when things do not go the way you want it to go. At an early age I had to make decisions on my own,” said Holbrook. When he was 12, his coach introduced him to boxing because of his quickness on the basketball court. He was very successful for his age and did very well in both basketball and boxing.

Offered a basketball scholarship to attend Archbishop Carroll High School in D.C., Holbrook was promised a full scholarship to Georgetown University. Problems with the law made him lose his scholarship at Carroll, which compromised the chance to play for Georgetown. By age nineteen, Holbrook was playing street ball and even played against Team Hollywood when they were in D.C.

Adams heard of Holbrook’s unfortunate circumstances and made him a regular player, touring with the team for three years. He now has a role on an ESPN street ball television series.

At 23, Holbrook still has a few dreams to fulfill. He wants to take care of his baby, attend college and play professional basketball. He feels that Caron Butler of the Wizards got that second chance in life and now it is his turn. He is ready to fulfill his dreams. His break with Team Hollywood was the ‘in’ he needed.

Photo By John E. De Freitas
Team Hollywood chat in the locker room in preparation to face Knight Hoops.

A touring celebrity basketball team, Team Hollywood does not only play basketball. Its players also serve as role models for younger people. Clay Johnson, who won an NBA championship ring with the Los Angeles Lakers, said, “There are youth in the community that never get to meet a professional basketball player in person or see a professional play. Team Hollywood provides that opportunity.”

Mentor/teacher Dawn Brotz said, “God wants us to lead people into their dreams and destiny. I want to do what I can to help them along that path, it is about the journey.”

Players for Team Hollywood include C-Nut, a national hip-hop rapper out of Dallas, Texas, who received national recognition from the 9-11 rap song “America;” Latino Heat from the ESPN street ball show; Pretty Boy Jason from the movie “Coach Carter;” Jeff Windchill,

a slam dunk champion and actor in the movie “Hoops;” Henry Abbott of “Gekko Blogs;” and Brandon Seldom Seen, a street ball player from Houston.

They used the afternoon exhibition game with Knight Hoops to provide entertainment and to inspire young people. The event was well attended by prominent members of the community, parents and many young people.

The Harrisburg Knight Hoops program is a voluntary faith-based program that equips young people with the tools to become productive in the community. The program’s policy is “No Group, No Hoop” which means members cannot play basketball unless they attend workshops. Positive male mentors are recruited from the area to participate in these workshops and conduct basketball games.

Mentors also spend time helping participants develop a life plan and identify their educational and vocational needs. Knight Hoops mentors include teachers, government workers and a number of police officers. The local police have endorsed the program and after the basketball game against Team Hollywood, made a number of presentations to members who have been successful in the program.