Rookie challenge starts All-Star action

Nine hotshot freshmen, led by Memphis’ O. J. Mayo and Chicago’s Derrick Rose, are out to snap the sophomores’ six-game win streak dating back to 2003 in the Rookie Challenge that starts the three-day live coverage of the NBA All-Star Weekend on C/S 9 and BTV at 10 a.m. tomorrow.

The format pitting rookies and sophomores was introduced in 2000 with the first-year players winning two of the first three games before the second-year cagers began to dominate.

This year, more than ever before, the rookies are in a solid position to get back on the winning track. Mayo is averaging 19.1 points for the Grizzlies and Rose, 16.7 for the Bulls as the freshmen will rely on the two crackerjack gunslingers to put one over the sophs. Others in the rookies cast are Miami’s Michael Beasley, Portland’s Rudy Fernandez, Memphis’ Marc Gasol, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Eric Gordon, New Jersey’s Brook Lopez, Portland’s Greg Oden and Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook.

The sophomores are Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, Houston’s Aaron Brooks and Luis Scola, New York’s Wilson Chandler, Atlanta’s Al Horford, Detroit’s Rodney Stuckey, the Los Angeles Clippers’ Al Thornton and Philadelphia’s Thaddeus Young.

The rookies and sophomores will wear a fan-designed uniform produced by official outfitter Adidas for the first time in the event’s history. Tim Ahmed, 18, won a design contest and his desert-themed entry (appropriate for host Phoenix) will be immortalized on the jerseys to be worn by the players in the Rookie Challenge. Ahmed is a first year student at Baruch College in Manhattan.

Orlando’s Dwight Howard will be the sophomores’ assistant coach and Miami’s Dwyane Wade will be his counterpart on the rookies bench.

The game will be played in two 20-minute halves with the foul-out rule waived. The penalty situation is in effect after 10 team fouls or after the second foul in the last two minutes of each half. A two-minute overtime will be played in the event of a tie within regulation. To speed up the action, running time will be used but the clock will stop after each field goal conversion in the last minute of each half.

Three seven-footers are listed in the rookies’ lineup – Gasol, Lopez and Oden – while the tallest sophomore is the 6-10 Horford. Leading the charge for the second-year stars is Durant, averaging 24.8 points for the Thunder this season. By the way, Durant will join Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Mayo in a three-way HORSE contest to be staged on an outdoor court during the All-Star Saturday festivities before the Rookie Challenge. It will be the first HORSE competition ever in an All-Star Weekend.

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The C/S 9 and BTV live exclusive coverage of the NBA All-Star extravaganza continues on Sunday, starting at 9 a.m., with the All-Star Saturday Night events featuring the Slam Dunk competition, the Three-Point Shootout, the Skills Challenge and the Shooting Stars contest.

In the Skills Challenge, Cleveland’s Mo Williams was brought in to replace injured Jameer Nelson and will dispute the title with San Antonio’s Tony Parker, New Jersey’s Devin Harris and Rose.

The object of the Skills Challenge is to complete an obstacle course in the quickest time. There are dribbling, passing and shooting stations on the course with referees looking to make sure basic ball-handling rules are not violated. It starts with a layup then the course moves into a slalom through three criss-cross obstacles (where the cross-over dribble will be tested) before reaching the chest-pass station. The next obstacle is the bounce pass station followed by a shooting station where a player has five attempts to stick in a 20-footer. The outlet pass station is next then there’s the speed dribble course and a final shot is taken. Last year, Utah’s Deron Williams set a record time of 25.5 seconds.

Parker participated in the Skills Challenge in 2003 and finished with a worst-ever time of 45.5 seconds after missing all five 20-foot attempts from top of the key. He’s making a comeback after five years and Eva Longoria’s French husband is favored to upstage the three first-timers in the event where guards take the spotlight.

The climax of the weekend festivities is the All-Star Game which will be aired live on C/S 9 and BTV starting 9 a.m. this Monday.

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To make your All-Star Weekend experience more memorable, join our exclusive NBA promo contest and win big prizes, not available locally in stores.

Just answer these three questions and send in the correct answers on a slip of paper to the Philippine Star, R. Oca and Railroad Streets, Port Area. Address your entry to the Philippine Star NBA All-Star Contest. Deadline is Monday, Feb. 16, 5 p.m. Each entry must be accompanied by an original clipping of a STAR front page masthead taken from any issue dated Feb. 11-13. Don’t forget to write your name, address, age, occupation (if student, what year, course, school) and telephone number.

The first question is – Who was the NBA All-Star Game MVP last year? The second question is – What team does defending Slam Dunk champion Dwight Howard play for in the NBA? The third question is – Who won the Three-Point Shootout in the NBA All-Star Weekend in New Orleans last year?

Write your answers in one entry and send right now to the Star office.

We’ll pick 20 winners. We’re giving away 20 2009 All-Star Weekend mouse and mousepad kits from NBA Asia, Ltd., four NBA watches from La Estrella del Norte, two Spalding Never-Flat indoor-outdoor basketballs from Proline Sports Center, four PC NBA2K9 DVD ROM games from 2K Sports and 10 NBA pillows (choice of Boston Celtics or Los Angeles Lakers) and 10 NBA notebooks (choice of Steve Nash, Tracy McGrady or LeBron James on the cover) from Tuesday Licensing and Entertainment.

We detailed the distribution of prizes for each winner in last Wednesday’s column. The first prize package consists of an All-Star mouse and mousepad, a Spalding Never-Flat basketball, an NBA logo watch (in hardcourt orange and metal), a PC NBA2K9 DVD ROM game, an NBA pillow and an NBA notebook. That’s quite a haul and you’ll get the chance to win it only through the Philippine STAR.

We’ll announce the winners in this column next Wednesday and the lucky readers may start claiming their prizes the very same day. For details, phone Babes Angat at Tel. 527-6007.