Tyreke Evans

by E. James Beale

The Elite 24 is a high school basketball all-star game that gathers the top 24 players in the nation at historic Rucker Park in Harlem. Adam Yauch (MCA of the Beastie Boys) has completed a documentary about the 2006 edition of the game. It's called Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, and comes out this weekend. The game featured projected NBA lottery picks Michael Beasley and Kevin Love, as well as local phenom Tyreke Evans.

City Paper: Let's start with the movie. Are you happy with the way it came out?

Tyreke Evans: I've seen all the parts with me and the part about the actual game. ... It turned out a lot better than I thought it would.

CP: Do you feel Gunnin' showed off the real Tyreke Evans?

TE: No, they definitely didn't show off the real me ... It was my first time playing at the Rucker and I felt that I didn't play well at all. If they had done the documentary this year, or if they had followed the McDonald's game you would have been able to see more of the real me.

CP: Talk about playing at the Rucker.

TE: I was more nervous for that then I was playing in any of the other big games. Rucker was different because of all the NBA guys — Kobe and AI and them — who go out there to play.

CP: A lot of the movie deals with the hype machine and how much pressure is put on you. Does the hype bother you?

TE: On the court the hype doesn't bother me at all. I'm just going to go out there and play my game.