HOOPS IN THE SUN GROUP, LLC PARTNERS UP WITH THE AMERICAN LIVER FOUNDATION

NEW YORK, NY (April 1, 2008) - Hoops in the Sun Group, LLC. and the American Liver Foundation have come to a partnership agreement for the 2008 season, where portion of the sponsorship proceeds will be donated to the foundation.

"Having a partnership with the American Liver Foundation is a wonderful thing for the entire Hoops in the Sun organization," said Randy Cruz, CEO of Hoops in the Sun Group, LLC. "With my father, Joe 'Pops' Cruz, passing away in August 2004 due to a liver disease, my brother and I wanted to give back to an organization that dealt with liver diseases and what better organization than the American Liver Foundation. We just want to help out and make a difference and maybe with our help and donating some of our sponsorship proceeds to the organization, it could benefit those lives that are affected with liver diseases. It feels great to be involved in this partnership and we all look forward in partnering up for many years to come."

The American Liver Foundation was created in 1976 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD). This organization of scientists and healthcare professionals was concerned with the rising incidence of liver disease and the lack of awareness among both the general public and the medical community. The mission, the programs and the services provided by ALF complement the great work of AASLD.

The American Liver Foundation is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for liver health promotion and disease prevention. We provide research, education and advocacy for those affected liver-related diseases, including hepatitis.

"We are so excited at the prospect of working with an organization like Hoops in the Sun," said Gina Parziale, Executive Director of the American Liver Foundation (ALF)Greater New York Chapter. "Liver Disease affects one in 10 Americans, no matter who you are or where you live so prevention is key. Educating our youth about healthy living through exercise programs such as Hoops in the Sun, as well as bringing diverse cultures together while doing so, is important in every community and ALF is glad to be a part of it!"

Hoops In The Sun Group, LLC. (H.I.T.S.) is a community - based basketball program held at Orchard Beach in Bronx, NYC that provides a recreational activity for adults and youth and an entertainment activity for beach-going spectators of all ages.
H.I.T.S. aspires to do more than just provide an opportunity for the community to be involved in sports. It provides an annual family-oriented summer-long event at an attractive venue in which members of diverse communities and various age groups can positively interact. Hoops In The Sun Roundball Classic @ Orchard Beach in the Bronx, New York - where according to the New York Daily News, over 700,000 people will visit the beach during the summer weekends. Hoops in the Sun is the only summer-long "beachside" basketball league in the city.

The mission of Hoops in the Sun Group, LLC. is to utilize sporting events, specifically basketball, to unite members of diverse communities throughout the Tr-State Area (NY, NJ, Conn.) and exhibit positive adult leadership as a constructive model for our youth.

THE MEN OF 1,000 POINTS? CADIZ, YOUNG, PHILLIP AND SATTERFIELD ON PACE TO BECOME FIRST 1,000 POINT SCORERS IN HITS HISTORY

On March 21, 2008, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers scored 29 points against the Toronto Raptors, taking him past Brad Daugherty's all-time Cavaliers scoring record of 10,389 points and it only took him five years to do it.

So that got me thinking…Hoops in the Sun has been around since 2000 (9 years) and knowing that there isn’t an 82 game regular season like the NBA, has any player in the league reached 1,000 points?

Going through the books of years past, four gentlemen are in close territory of accomplishing this never done before feat.

Those four gentlemen are…

Will Cadiz, famously known by his AKA "Silence of the Lambs", may embark on something that has never been done at Hoops in the Sun; and that's being the first player to score 1,000 points in the nine year history of the league.
Cadiz has played in every season since the league’s inception in 2000, and has tallied up 927 points in his eight year Hoops in the Sun career. The “Tim Duncan of Streetball”, is most notably known for his quick left handed jumpshot and maybe, just maybe, two inch vertical leap. Hoops in the Sun Hall of Famer, two-time Hoops in the Sun MVP, two-time regular season scoring champion and five-time All-Star, Cadiz just need 73 points to become the first 1,000 point scorer in league history. He undoubtedly has the most logical chance of doing it, but three other guys may have a say in that.

Rasaun Young, famously known by his AKA “Crabby”, known for his veteran savvy, leadership and getting it done when it counts, entered the league in 2002. Since then, he has won two-championships (2005, 2006), championship game MVP in 2006, named to the All-Star team five times, a regular season scoring champion in 2003 and was named to the Hoops in the Sun Hall of Fame in 2006. Young has tallied up 830 points in his six year tenure at Hoops in the Sun and it only 170 points away from 1,000 points. He’s scored 170 points in two prior seasons (2002, 2003) so scoring another 170 points should be familiar territory to Crabby.

Darren Phillip, famously known by his AKA “Primal Fear”, known for possibly being one of the best big men in New York City streetball history, entered the league back in 2001. His HITS resume speaks for itself. Coming off a championship in his first season, he has been named to the All-Star team six times, led the league in rebounding in 2005, one of only a few players to average 20 points and 10 rebounds in the same season, a Hoops in the Sun Hall of Famer in 2006, 2005 All-Star Game MVP and not to mention, has scored 785 points in his seven year career at Hoops in the Sun. The Primal one would need 215 points in the 2008 season to reach 1,000 points. In order for him to achieve this, he’ll have to become the main focal point of the offense as he was back earlier on in his HITS career.

Kenny Satterfield, famously known by his AKA “Serious Satellite”, who just in three seasons, has accumulated 673 points Wow is an understatement. Satterfield’s HITS resume is a laundry list. He was named the 2007 All-Star Game MVP, he’s a two-time regular season MVP (2006, 2007), two-time scoring champion (2006, 2007), has averaged 40 plus points in two consecutive seasons, holds the HITS record for most points in a game (62, 2006) and a three-time All-Star. Satterfield, who may be on pace for averaging 40 points per game for a historical third year in a row, can become the first 1,000 point scorer in HITS history by dropping 327 points in the 2008 season, which means he'll have to score at least 37 points in all of the nine games to do so. Possible? Yes. Likely? Maybe not. But he did score 316 points in the 2007 season...what's another 11 points added to that right?

These four men have a combined nineteen All-Star appearances, four regular season MVP’s, two All-Star game MVP’s, five scoring titles, three championships and 3,216 points

Is it possible for these players to become 1,000 point scorers in the same season? Probably not. But you never know what could happen in the league. You may see Satterfield score more than 40 in every game, or you could see Cadiz reach the 1,000 point mark before the All-Star break. You never know at Hoops in the Sun, and that's the beauty of it.

HITS VAULT: SMUSH PARKER IN HITS SLAM DUNK CONTEST 2003

I personally thought I was the only one with footage of the 2003 Slam Dunk Contest. But when I looked on Youtube tonight and typed in Smush Parker, this video came up. I was surprised to see it on here, and was also surprised that the video was short. Personally, this was one of the greatest dunk contests we've had, but unfortunately, you won't see everything in this video. This was Smush's first season at Hoops in the Sun, winning the 2003 Slam Dunk Contest, 2003 MVP and picking up a championship along the way with G.C.D.

HITS ALUMNI SMUSH PARKER MAKES WAY BACK TO HOLLYWOOD WITH L.A. CLIPPERS

Smush Parker, a Hoops in the Sun alum, playing with 2003 champions G.C.D., Pops 5 in 2005-2006, signs with the L.A. Clippers last week after being released by the Miami Heat.

JOE & RANDY CRUZ: NY POST - JULY 2007

">HITS Article

HITS VAULT: MIKE PETERSON'S SLAM DUNK OVER GOLF CART (2 Angles) - JULY 2006

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