The Black Team's Derrick Jackson (4). cuts along the baseline during opening-day play in Bo Duke's 45-and-over 3-on-3 League action Saturday at the Griffin High School gum. Defending on the play is the Red Team's Larry Barkley (0). (John Sullivan/Daily News)
The Red Team's Samuel Dickson (2) goes up for a shot Saturday at the Griffin Christian High School gymnasium. Defending on the play is the Black Team's Derrick Jackson (4). (John Sullivan/Daily News)
This time he has started his own 45-and-over league.
"The guys said they wanted to play some ball, so I told them to go and get their shoes out of the closet," Duke said of a league which played its season-opening games Saturday morning at the Griffin Christian High School gymnasium on the grounds of Griffin First Assembly of God Church.
The eight-week league has been modified to the 45-and-over set: All games are half court, all play is three-on-three and all games are on Saturday between 10 a.m. and noon.
Other changes are also noticeable, too.
Players are more likely to take a little longer to get up off the court then they used to if they're knocked down. The officiating is also a little less intense. And as one player shot back to Duke when Duke asked where he was rushing off to after the game, "To go play golf!"
Still, for most of these die hards, its all comes back to basketball for an hour or two every Saturday morning. While there has always been some degree of interest in basketball for the 45-and-over set locally in the past, Duke said he really didn't know what to expect when he started registration.
He was surprised, even shocked a little, when at the end of registration the league was eight teams large.
"Ain't that amazing — we even have players 59, 60 years old," he said.
Not bad for the league's inaugural season.
"We're doing some good things over here at Griffin Christian," he added.
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