Street ball sensations shined. Pick-up game regulars gave it their all. Former college stars showed they still had it. And seasoned overseas professional players demonstrated why they were pros at the Aurora Cavalry professional basketball team tryouts Nov. 12 at the Montclair Recreation Center in Aurora.

Oh yeah; one out-of-shape basketball junkie journalist— me — chased a re-ignited hoop dream one last time.

There were slams — plenty of slams — and there were blunders, bloopers and a few players who were baffled by what a three-man weave drill was.
I discovered that a month and a half of training wasn’t nearly enough. After a defensive drill, my legs already felt like spaghetti. This wasn’t a good sign.

The International Basketball League, which the Cavalry will play in, is an extremely fast league. The scoring average per team in the league’s inaugural season last year was 127 points per game. That’s also due in part to the league’s 22-second shot clock.

With all that in mind, coaches emphasized getting the ball up the court quickly as possible and scoring as quickly as possible. There was no mercy for the tired.

“Some of you guys are going to be leaving here pretty early with your $50 T-shirt,” Cavalry head coach Dejon Jernagin said.

I wasn’t the only one suffering. After a few minutes of scrimmaging, a few players found themselves “talking trash” so to speak, or rather, losing their lunch in the nearest garbage can.

Sixty-five players paid $55 to try and earn one of 15 roster spots. Twenty-five players advanced to the next round of tryouts, which takes place Dec. 10. The Cavalry’s season begins March 28 at Gateway High School.
For some, the tryout was just an opportunity to keep in shape and play against some of the best players in Colorado. Kwasinda Curtis, of Aurora, graduated from Montbello High School in 1997. He went on to play at the University of Texas Pan American and then played professionally in Cambrai, France, last year.

“I just came to work out and have a good time,” he said.
For others, the tryout was just another step in turning their life around. Patrick Crawford, 31, moved to Denver from Chicago and played one season at Metropolitan State College of Denver in 1994. The move to Colorado, along with basketball provided an escape from street life for Crawford.

“Living in Chicago, there was always something going on with gangs and drugs. I wanted to better my life and that’s why I came to Colorado,” he said.

Crawford was impressed with the level of play and how many players came out for the tryouts.

“This is really something good. There’s a lot of people out there playing hard,” he said.

With the number of players that attended the tryouts, there wasn’t a whole lot of scrimmage time for everyone. Players had just a few minutes to dazzle the Cavalry coaching staff before the lunchtime “cuts” were made.

In my time — what amounted to three whole minutes — I was stunned. I’ve played in men’s rec leagues in the last few years and thought they were fairly competitive, but they were nothing like this.

I was amazed to hear Jernagin hollering that he wanted more speed on the floor. These guys were lightning fast to me. Oh yeah, that “coughing-up blood” feeling was definitely in full effect. Defensively, I had a huge challenge to contend with — a hulking, approximately 6-foot-5-inchplayer that was built like a brick wall. Hey! Why do I have to guard the “Charles Barkley clone”?

Even though my time on the hardwood was brief, I did have the honor of playing alongside a guy I watched quite a bit at the University of Colorado, former Buffs standout Nick Mohr.

Mohr, a 1998 Columbine High School grad and 2002 CU grad, played a few seasons professionally in Germany before returning to Colorado to work making custom Harley Davidson motorcycles. While playing overseas no longer interests him, Mohr, who lives in Littleton, would like to play professionally with a team in the states.

“I just want to be able to play again at a decent level. I’m still young enough that I can still play at a competitive level. At the right place at the right time, something can always happen for you,” he said. “I’m not saying the IBL is a stepping stone to the NBA, but it could open up doors to other opportunities.”

Team president and co-owner Dirk Speyer said more players turned out than expected. He was impressed with the athleticism on the court.
“I know that the level of talent we have in this gym right now, we will not have a problem fielding a team that compete at a very high level in the league,” he said.