‘Showtime’ at the Nassau Coliseum

Somebody tell the Long Island Nets to move over — there is a new basketball team taking over the Nassau Coliseum and they are called “Showtime.”

Showtime, a basketball team in the 5 am Brotherhood’s men’s league, which just concluded its second season, held this season’s championship game on the same floor that the Nets play on at the coliseum.

“It was a great experience getting to play inside the coliseum with my brothers,” said Chris Bryant, a Showtime player from Roosevelt who played a major part in their win over the opposing team, Mobb Deep 35-32. “When I first walked in, I was just hit with a feeling of gratefulness,” he explained, “but I was also trying to keep my composure since there was still a game to be played, it was definitely an unforgettable moment and a great way to end the year.”

The 5 am Brotherhood usually plays their games in Port Jefferson, but through his connections, league CEO, John Peloso, was able to secure the coliseum and even got each team their own locker room.

For only being the second season we had so far, this just shows us that the sky’s the limit,” said Peloso, “there will be so much this league and community will do, and I think this experience opened the doors to so much more for this league and everyone involved.”

Dominique Williams, CEO of Skillmatic, a personal training and basketball development program for individuals and teams based in Freeport and one of the game’s sponsors, couldn’t believe the turnout that the game ensued — selling over 130 tickets with as many in attendance.

“This experience was more rewarding than anything,” Williams said, “the fact that we went from almost a hole in the wall situation, literally renting gym space out of our own pockets, to now playing a championship game at a very nice and well-known facility like the Nassau Coliseum.”

“Playing in front of such a large crowd made the experience even better, especially seeing so many familiar faces out there, we were all excited to play in front of our friends and families,” said Bryant. “I believe this game was a huge moment for everyone involved, the league, the players, and it even created a great experience for the