2024 The Pound Invitational Top Performers
On Saturday, June 15, the inaugural “The Pound Invitational” was held at the newly renovated Yosemite Park in Greenburgh, NY. It was a beautiful day for some outdoor hoops in Westchester County. The event was created by Greenburgh’s Fred Bowers and his partners: D’andre Tilford, Jaleel Barr, David Slater and Malik White.
This crew is a staple within the Westchester streetball scene. They initially drew acclaim for their play on the court. They made a championship run at the 2022 Ferris World Ball event in White Plains, NY. They’ve also competed at a high level at the Dyckman events in Harlem under the team name “Earn Your Leisure”.
In hosting The Pound, they are attempting to give back and stoke the flame of resurgence of “914 Basketball”.
There was some great action on the court with some the best players in the Tri-State area participating. The boys’ game gave a chance for some well-heralded RTB profilees to shine, such as:
Tavien Tyler (2025) 5’6 point guard, Mt Vernon High. The explosive dynamo was named the event’s MVP after scoring 25 points.
Anderson Diaz (2027) 6’1 guard, St.Raymond High. The freshman phenom and recent Fordham University offeree splashed in 16 points.
Parrish Edmond (2025) 6’4 guard, Notre Dame-Fairfield High (CT) - The recent Bryant University offeree dropped in from the Nutmeg State to put up 24 points.
Santana Sinvilcin (2024) 6’5 wing, Frederick Gunn School (CT) - Fresh off of his NEPSAC boarding school graduation, the Daemen University commit also dropped in 24 points.
Taj Walters (2025) 6’5 wing, Greenwich Country Day (CT) - Walters continued his streak of top summer performances. Recently garnering Top Performer recognitions at both Dyckman and Manhattan Sports summer ball events (and a growing list of D1 offers), the NEPSAC stud scored 15.
Eric Woodberry (2024) 6’1 guard, Woodlands High - The 2023-24 Section 1, Class B Champion and Player of the Year, and New York First Team All State selection also shined on the outdoor surface.
For the girls game, the standouts were:
Journey Atkins (2026) 5’8 guard, Monsignor Scanlan High - The sophomore sensation in both the CHSAA and for the NY Gauchos on the AAU circuit showcased her bright future and grabbed MVP honors with a 22 point run.
Ashari Emuze (2026) 5’7 guard, Woodlands High - Emuze stepped away from her NY Gauchos action to show why she was a 2023-24 Section 1 All Section selection and is receiving D1 interest with a 25 point performance.
India Newman (2024) 5’8 guard, Monsignor Scanlan High - This multisport talent showed why colleges are trying lure her into the hoops uniform with a nice all around performance.
“The Pound Invitational” not only featured some of the best players in the area, but also the best media personnel and arguably the best emcee in streetball “Cha-Ching” on the mic. It was an overall great event, and the organizing crew look forward to doing it annually going forward.
This summer be on the lookout for Bowers and his partners’ street ball team, now called “The Pound”, as they work to win another championship at Ferris World Ball and in their runs at Dyckman and the Watson Classic.
Photo credit: David Cordova