First AAU basketball team in MN reflects on the family formed 40 years ago
MINNEAPOLIS — Sitting inside the Minnesota History Center auditorium, John Baker, Dedric Henderson and Derek Reuben look back at their own history....from the early to mid 1980s when they were around 12 years old.
These 3 were all part of the McRae All Stars. The first AAU basketball team in Minnesota, named after McRae Park in South Minneapolis. The team was founded by head coach Ralph Crowder.
"He brought kids from North Side, Wisconsin, other cities. [He] brought us all together and we became family," said Reuben.
"He was just a stand up man that believed in us, and he took us all around the country," said Baker.
Thanks to community support and donations, Coach Crowder took these young boys to each coast, playing different teams across the U.S., and the McRae All Stars found a lot of success on the road.
"To actually win tournaments with over 100 teams, this small team from Minnesota, nobody thought we would win," said Baker.
"We were mesmerized just by traveling. We got to see some historic sites, but we also handled our business when we played," said Reuben.
While these boys were just playing the game they loved, they were simultaneously laying a blueprint for AAU, which would become a huge aspect of the sport.
"It makes me feel like we laid the foundation," said Henderson.
"Just to see how far AAU basketball has come along, it's amazing," said Reuben.
One club director benefiting from this blue print is J Schwartz of the East Metro Wave.
"Without that group pioneering the way, I probably wouldn't start East Metro Wave in 2017," said Schwartz.
East Metro Wave is based out of Cottage Grove serving both boys and girls basketball players. This club is one of nearly 40 others in the Twin Cities Metro that now exist because of what the McRae All Stars created.
"The innovation, the forethought, I know how much work it is to do that, I think it's absolutely amazing and we should thank that group for what they did for Minnesota basketball," said Schwartz.
While club founders, like Schwartz, are thanking these original players, the All-Stars thank Coach Crowder for believing in them back then.
"In the inner city streets it can be rough, growing up and the things that you see," said Henderson, "Going with the McRae All Stars and Mr. Crowder, he actually turned me in the right direction."
The Minnesota History Center is hosting a community discussion with the McRae All-Stars, this Saturday, February 17 from 2-4 p.m.
Tickets are only $7.
For more information on how you can snag tickets, click here.
