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Partly Cloudy Professional scouts eye talent at 5am Brotherhood's Nassau Coliseum championship
A different kind of Pro-Am league
The 5am Brotherhood, a co-ed professional-amateur basketball league in Long Island, recently held their season championship at the Nassau Coliseum.
This season's top two seeds, Team Legacy and The Avengers, battled it out in front of a crowd of nearly 100 fans in person, with over 300 more watching from home on the league’s livestream, where they stream every game of the season, all-star activities, and the play-offs.
After a beautiful rendition of the national anthem by Angela Raccuglia, the game tipped off and the battle between the two best teams in the league began.
The Avengers, led by league MVP and Seton Hall Basketball alumni, Johnny Garcia, completed their perfect season and remained undefeated and coming out on top in a close game that ended 45-42 — capturing the title at the coliseum on Friday, April 5.
The game, like every game, featured the hilarious commentary from Long Island sports announcer, “Wavy” Walker. With his signature style of sports commentary, he kept the crowd actively engaged in the game and the players war-ready.
The league, which features both recreational level players as well players who have professional experience, can get competitive and showcases some great basketball talent from across both counties.
In fact, one of the players on Team Legacy, Julian Swann, had professional scouts from the Tri-State Admirals of The Basketball League, a professional basketball league based in North America, come to the championship game at the coliseum — where he was then offered a professional basketball contract with the club.
“Something that I started as a good mental health thing, just playing basketball at 5 am, turned into creating a great league where people from all over New York City and Long Island now all come together and play in the league and support the league,” said John Peloso, chief executive officer of the 5am Brotherhood league.
If you’re interested in joining the league as a free agent or signing up a team, please visit @5amBrotherhood on Instagram and send them a DM for more information.
