THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, May 6, 1996 TAG: 9605060148
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: James C. Black
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
There's dunking, blocking and trashing-talking. The ballers, hype artists and pranksters. But before the players get on the court and show their skills, the teams must let people know who they are.
At the Hoop-It-Up 3-on-3 tournament, you're likely to hear everything under the sun posing as a team's name.
Some titles are nice and safe, no strain on the brain: The Bulldogs, the Quad Squad, Fab 4, Below the Rim, The Unknown.
Others, however, are on a whole other level. Names as complex and dynamic as the moves the athletes display on the court.
The College Park Executioners, Trife Life, One-Inch Vertical, and The Young and the Breathless are just some of the 600-plus teams strutting their stuff at the Naval Station this weekend.
In fact, some names are so interesting that categorizing them is a must.
First, there are the names relating to body parts: Flamin' Hemorrhoids, Crackling Knees, In Your Face, Bum Ankle.
Then you have titles expressing extreme confidence (or a lack of): Refuse To Lose, Above the Rim, No Thrillz Just Skillz, The Beast From the East, One Can't Jump, Have Mercy, Underdogs.
Finally, there is a list of names that need some explanation: Sorry Private School Boys, The Last Minute, Don't Touch My Monkey, Double 09, Playa Hatas.
One of tournament director Tracy Halman's personal favorites came last year: the Four Bad Asses. The team was a group of 10-year-olds named by their fathers - the youths were not allowed to say the name. by CNB