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Crown League shining in Toronto despite few stars

Nike

It’s past 10 o'clock on a Friday night in July at a downtown Toronto gymnasium. The venue, packed earlier in the evening, is half-empty and getting emptier by the minute as the third and final game of the Nike Crown League schedule winds down. It's turned into a blowout. Fans stream toward Kerr Hall's exits while photographers hurriedly pack up their gear.

Then, in the game's final moments, Jalyn Pennie - an Ajax, Ontario native who played for Cal State L.A. last season - catches a pass in the low post, hangs in the air, and unleashes a ferocious dunk over his defender. Pennie's teammates run onto the court to celebrate. Fans sitting courtside leap to their feet as if they've just witnessed one of the greatest moments in basketball history.

As the buzz subsides, Drew Ebanks of the Canadian blog On Point Basketball stalks the sidelines asking if anyone has the thunderous dunk on video. Unfortunately, nobody captured the moment.

That exchange seems to pinpoint exactly where Crown League stands in its fourth year as a summer pro-am league. While it's caught fire in Toronto - and is getting hotter every year - it remains a hidden gem in the North American hoops landscape.

Duane Watson, league commissioner and an expert on the Toronto basketball scene, is starting to hear more people asking about the league, even those who don’t follow basketball closely; it's becoming an event. Shortly before tip-off last Friday night, Watson answered calls and checked his text messages. He’s the guy to message on game day to get into Crown League, but unlike other leagues of its ilk, there isn’t some exclusive guest list - in fact, entry is free. All you need to do is sign up on Nike’s website to reserve a spot.

Game operations are Watson’s main responsibility on Fridays, though his duties also include meeting the demands of the players on the six teams and getting the rosters sorted. Above all, Watson is focused on improving the Crown League's on-court product.

"If the ball is good, people will want to come," Watson told theScore. "I'm trying to push to get more players to come out. We've done a good job of getting high-end Canadian players to show up, but we haven't seen all the Canadians in the NBA on this court."

(Photo courtesy: Nike Crown League)

In terms of name recognition, Crown League doesn't boast a who's who of pro-am hoops. The Week 3 slate featured Myck Kabongo, a Texas alum who plays professionally in France; former NBA center Joel Anthony; Dylan Ennis - who spent time at Rice, Villanova, and Oregon, and now plays in Spain; recent Team Canada three-on-three basketball winner Tramar Sutherland; and ex-Raptors 905 players Negus-Webster Chan and Andre Washington. Buzz suggested that former Toronto Raptors first-round pick Bruno Caboclo would show up; he played in the last game but didn't exactly set the gym on fire.

While you won't see Andrew Wiggins going head to head against R.J. Barrett, Watson believes Crown League has a bigger purpose than providing a platform for stars.

"We always talk about how Toronto has all this talent," Watson said. "But no one sees these guys when they go to the United States, or to a prep school. This is an opportunity to see that talent."

The fascinating pool of players at Crown League includes established pros, journeymen, local high school kids, and NCAA players. Danilo Djuricic, a Toronto-area native who just finished his first season at Harvard, says it offers him a chance to improve.

"For me, it's great competition," Djuricic said. "I can play against pros here and go back to college and be a step ahead of some of the guys who might not have gotten that experience."

(Photo courtesy: Getty Images)

Djuricic was part of the U-19 Canadian squad that defeated the USA en route to a gold medal last summer. At Team Canada's national training center, 6Man head coach (and former Seattle SuperSonics draft pick) Denham Brown reached out and asked him to join Brown's Crown League team. Djuricic grew up in Brampton, and appreciates getting in some offseason game action so close to home.

"I have some friends and family I recognized in the crowd," he said. "It was great to see people I haven't seen in awhile. It's an amazing opportunity for everyone, and it's right here in Toronto."

Djuricic, 19, hopes to reach the pros while remaining a presence internationally. His 29-year-old teammate Richard Amardi is experiencing a very different career arc.

The Scarborough native has played professionally in Canada's National Basketball League and appeared in 12 games for Raptors 905 last season. When Pennie unleashed his huge Crown League dunk, Amardi was the first teammate to rush off the bench and chest-bump him.

Nike noticed his energy and magnetic presence, and crafted an entire ad highlighting one peculiar element of his backstory: Several years ago, Amardi decided to quit basketball and get a day job. A year after his first stint in Crown League, he showed up at Kerr Hall as a security officer.

"The decision to walk away was easy at the time because it came out of anger," Amardi said.

Other players recognized him, however, and after a few months, Amardi got back to the game. "It was a void," he said, "and you can't fill that void with anything else except basketball."

Hearing Amardi talk about his athletic career reveals the scars he picked up along the way. At Crown League, he's taking a leadership role with younger players who have yet to travel that path.

(Photo courtesy: Nike Crown League)

"My goal is to see these guys go as far as they can," Amardi said. "I didn't have anybody like that to educate me. I ain't going to let nobody in this city go through that. When you step outside, you’re on somebody else's playing field. I want to make sure these kids have all the tools they have so they’re not taken advantage of."

Amardi’s experiences might have made him more jaded about professional basketball, but Watson sees him as an example of how Crown League can benefit players who perform well. Jay Triano and Roy Rana were among the coaches in attendance during last summer's Crown League, and in August, Amardi made Canada's roster for the FIBA AmeriCup in Argentina.

"I think a guy like Richard Amardi, he would have never gotten a shot at the national team if he didn't get a chance to showcase himself here," Watson said.

While Crown League strives to build the foundation for a successful pro-am league that can survive long-term, it's already become a community hub. Spend a few hours in Kerr Hall and you'll see plenty of fans, players, and coaches talking, as well as exchanging pleasantries with people they haven’t seen before. The makeup of the crowd reflects the diversity of Toronto.

"People come to be seen, people come to hang out, people come to catch up with people," Watson said. "Especially with the city, and the violence going on right now, I think it's important to have this community space."

From an entertainment standpoint, Crown League is top-notch. A DJ keeps music flowing throughout the games, there's an emcee, and the layout of the gym - with Crown League posters plastered on the walls and Nike’s Just Do It decor adorning the baseline - appeals to anyone looking for a spectacular Instagram photo.

(Photo courtesy: Nike Crown League)

Even with a solid infrastructure in place and an entertaining, still-evolving product, a Drew League-type moment could help Crown League step fully into the spotlight - perhaps Vince Carter putting on a show for a nostalgic crowd, or DeMar DeRozan dropping 40 points in a surprise appearance.

"If the ball is good, people are going to watch regardless," Watson said. "As an event, I think it's great, but I don't think we quite have the best players yet. You want it so it's any night you walk in, where you're like, 'Oh man, this guy was here.'"

While Crown League awaits its defining moment, Watson and Amardi have been in Toronto long enough to understand that having a pro-am in the city is an accomplishment in itself.

"The basketball scene is growing tremendously," Amardi said. "When I was coming up, it wasn't like that - it was just you, your friends, and you play basketball in your neighborhood. There was nothing where guys had any aspirations to go anywhere with it. There are more people that have become successful playing basketball. It changes the dynamic."

Alex Wong is an NBA freelance writer whose work has appeared in GQ, The New Yorker, Vice Sports, and Complex, among other publications. Find him on Twitter @steven_lebron.

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