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Amseshem "OJay" Henderson The winner of the New York qualifying Red Bull King of the Rock, Henderson, who played his college ball at SUNY New Paltz, pro- phetically declared himself a winner shortly after being one of the first players to arrive at the Lincoln Playground court in Harlem.
"I'm winning today," said Henderson. "Mark my words."
He wasn't lying. The Queens native torched the competition to grab the cash prize and a trip to Alcatraz, not surprising considering his basketball skills have earned him appearances on Spike TV's Pros vs. Joes and Ball Up Streetball of Fox Sports Network.
And when he's not lighting up opponents on the streetball court, Henderson works for the entertainment blog Pow-TV.net, traveling around the world and catching up with celebrities like Gucci Mane, Diddy and Rick Ross.
Jerrell Strickland The 26-year-old from Brooklyn said he'd been thinking about win- ning King of the Rock ever since he saw the television commercial for the event. The key to winning it?
"My mindset? My mind was in Alcatraz already," said Strickland. "You can do anything you want if you believe."
After playing two years of college ball at TCI in Manhattan, Strick- land went to Bacone College in Muskogee, Okla. Despite falling to Henderson in the final game in Harlem, Strickland can still make some noise in Alcatraz, and he's hoping that will help him get noticed enough to land a job playing pro ball overseas.
Rocco Rubino After playing college basketball at New York's St. Francis College and Hunter College, the 21-year-old is eying Italy as a destination for his professional career to begin. Rubino, who has been coaching
high school ball the last few years, saw himself advance to the final four in New York's King of the Rock qualifier.
Next up, the smooth operator from Brooklyn is waiting to gain Italian citizenship and a passport.
"I'm aspiring to play professional," said Rubino. "I've been trying to get my Italian passport to play overseas. As long as you can trace your bloodline, you can play in Italy as a native."
For more information or to find a qualifier near you, visit www.redbullusa.com/kingoftherock.
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