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July 29, 2000 For John "Rookie" Wright, this has been a good year. He was the undisputed winner of the NYC Big Blue Championships held in June. Today, he came to Queens to regain his crown as the King of the Court. Dominating his opponents, Rookie demonstrated why he is the man to beat in any Big Blue competition. The King of the Courts is the St. Albans Handball Association's premiere event, and perhaps the most prestigious Big Blue tournament around. Rookie won in 1998, but was defeated last year in the semi-finals by Ray Lopez, who went on to take the crown. This year Rookie was unstoppable. Most of the crowd expected another showdown in the semi-finals between Rookie and Ray, but Ray was eliminated by Power Babb in the quarter finals 21-15. Spectators were treated to intense play and great shots in perhaps the most competitive match of the tournament. Power was pumped up and looked quite impressive but Rookie was on his game. He had it all working; speed, power, and shot placement. With all his weapons in place, Rookie was able to hold Power to 11 points against his 21. Rookie then went on to defeat Emmitt Fitzpatrick in the final's 25-14. For Emmitt, it was the third year in a row that he was declared "the Prince," going into, but not winning the finals. Dwight Worley SAHA president described Rookie in terms often used for prize fighting. "Rookie just keeps coming at them," he said. "His tremendous power, speed and incredible stamina grinds down his opponents. They can't help but get discouraged. They play a great volley, throwing all they have at him, but he just takes it and keeps firing it back." The King of the Court Pyramid (top 15 players) follows:
For additional information about the St. Albans Handball Association and information about any events, contact 917-808-0410 or e-mail SAHAASSOC@aol.com
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