Pat Da Rock in front of the busIf you’ve followed the ESPN “Streetball” show over the last few years, chances are you’ve seen Pat Da Rock do his thing: he’s the Maryland cat with the crazy handle who does stuff like this. After being voted off the show last season just short of cashing in on the contract, he’s back as a finalist on the Ball 4 Real tour, making his case to be on the traveling squad as B4R heads into its final stretch of the summer. I caught up with Pat following Ball 4 Real’s game in Buffalo.
Dime: How has the tour been for you as a contestant?
Pat Da Rock: Pretty good. The crowd’s been hype; I been doing pretty good personally. I’m taking it game-by-game. I think my chances are good, being that this is my second time.
Dime: How is it different being a contestant rather than a regular team member? Do you hang out with the other players?
Pat: Sometimes I go to cities and fans won’t recognize me. They’ll walk right by me, not even knowing I can play. But we hang out with the regular players — we go out to eat and to the mall. We cool; it’s not like we only meet up on game days.
Dime: What has been your favorite stop on the tour?
Pat: DC. That was a home game for me. The crowd was good. I pulled a few tricks and I got a dunk. Buffalo was crazy — we almost won. We had me and the other contestant, D.O., and Damone Brown from Syracuse [versus the Ball 4 Real team]. Buffalo was definitely the best team we had during the whole tour.
Dime: What has been the best city to hang out in?
Pat: Miami was fun, good fun. North Carolina was good, too.
Dime: New York is the grand finale (Aug. 25). Are you looking forward to that?
Pat: I’m definitely looking forward to playing in New York at the Garden. I’m looking forward to killin’ in that.
Dime: How do you feel now that the tour is winding down?
Pat: I’m not taking anything for granted; I’m enjoying it — every game, every city, every meal. I’m just trying to enjoy while it lasts.
Photos. Niheem Marcomeni
