How I Used Data to Decode the Hidden Power of Chicago’s Streetball Culture — And Why It Matters More Than NBA Draft Picks

The Court Beneath the Concrete

I grew up shooting around steel hoops in Englewood, where the game wasn’t taught in gym class — it was carved into the pavement by fathers who never got paid. No scouts came. No contracts were signed. Just sweat, grit, and a midnight rhythm that shaped generations.

I still remember watching my uncle play at the 87th & Prairie courts at 2 a.m., barefoot on cracked asphalt, while his shoes screamed louder than any NBA draft pick. He didn’t need a jersey to be seen. He needed respect.

Data Doesn’t Ignore Gravity

As a Northwestern Stats grad with an ENTJ mind and a blood-and-bile temperament, I built three predictive models for streetball talent — because no one else would measure what happens when your back is against the wall.

My charts aren’t about points per game. They’re about pressure zones: how many kids from block clubs get passed down through systems designed by people who can see — and who gets left behind.

We tracked rebound rates not as stats, but as survival metrics. We mapped how Black boys overcame systemic exclusion by turning alleyways into professional pipelines.

The Real MVP Isn’t Drafted

When ESPN asked me why I write about #SheBall instead of #NBADraft? I said: Because her shot doesn’t come from a highlight reel — it comes from midnight practices under flickering streetlights.

I don’t analyze players. I analyze potential. And potential doesn’t show up on draft boards. It shows up when the lights go out. And someone remembers.