First up for Will is the Fifth Annual Stop the Violence Basketball Tournament on Saturday, May 25 at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem. The day starts with a free basketball clinic for all ages, and is followed by a basketball tournament for different age groups. The event will feature guest speakers, DJs, free ATR swag and more! We recently got a glimpse of the flyer. If you are in the area, mark this A.T.R. Project event on your calendar. Kudos to Will Kelly and his team for providing an amazing day of basketball for youth in the community.

Homicide is making history in Lebanon. In the last two weeks, ATR baller and veteran point guard Corey Williams tallied three triple-doubles for his team Bejjeh, setting an all-time Lebanese Basketball record with six for the season. (Previous record was three.) Homicide broke the record against Riyadi on April 16, putting up 17 points, 18 assist and 13 boards. Homicide’s 18 assists also set an all-time league record for most assists in a single game. Two days later, Williams grabbed his fifth triple-double in Bejjeh’s win over HOOPS Club, and last night Homicide grabbed his sixth against Amchit.  Just killer.  Congrats Corey!

ATR baller Corey “Homicide” Williams  is in the thick of playoffs right now, but he took some time to outline his favorite things about playing in Lebanon.

1) Big Bro George
My big brother George Williams is here! The universe works in mysterious ways. He lives in South Beach, Miami as a life-changing personal trainer and chef. He visited Lebanon for vacation, but during his visit was able to do some business, and now he has partnered with Les Mills Impact International –Beirut. George will be here for more than six months doing personal training. We’ve been having a grand time, as you can image. Check him out <a href=”www.georgewilltrain.com>www.georgewilltrain.com</a>.

2) The Z-Bay
After a long week of practice and games, my friends, teammate Harold Jamison, a.k.a Big H, and I have Sunday Sessions at Zaytouna Bay- Beirut to unwind, kick back and relax. The Z-Bay is a large, open waterfront promenade, with nice restaurants and shops. Our crew usually has brunch on the marina, and then drink wine and chill out the rest of the day. It’s beautiful.

3) Playoffs Baby!
Advancing to the second stage (top 8 teams) is huge for my team (Bejjeh). That was our no. 1 goal for the season. We were predicted to finish in last place, and I love it that we are still alive. Our team was a team put together in ten days before the season began. (That’s another story!) Believe me we are happy to be here, and prove it by competing hard every night. Either win, lose or draw our opponents are going to respect us.

‘

4) Extended family
As a world traveler, and as outgoing as I am, you meet a lot of people and are always making new friends. I have more friends internationally than locally back in NYC. Hey, it’s just the way my life is. And the one thing about making new friends is they have to be similar to you, which only means one thing – they damn sure know how to have a good time! Live it up!

ATR baller Corey “Homicide” Williams recently sent us some good news from across the globe! “Homicide” is currently playing in Lebanon, and his team, Bejjeh, advanced to the league playoffs. The eight playoff teams play 14 games (each opponent twice) and the top four teams with the best record move on. Two games into the playoffs, Bejjeh sits at 1-1. Earlier this week, Homicide led the team to an 80-78 overtime victory over Byblos, racking up 21 points, 7 assists, 7 boards and 5 steals. Bejjeh has three key matchups next week. Root for our boy Homicide and check league results here.

ATR baller and streetball legend Corey “Homicide” Williams is back in Lebanon this winter playing with his new team Bejjeh in the Lebanon Division A League. The veteran guard is having an All-Star season. Bejjeh’s top scorer, Williams is in league’s top 10 in points (7th best: 23) and leads the league in steals per game (2.9). Homicide was named Asia-basket.com Player of the Week last month when he recorded a triple-double of 26 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in Bejjeh’s 78-75 victory over Anibal on Dec. 9.

From Homicide: My whole experience here in Lebanon has been a great one, and of course, I’m a rock star anywhere I go. I continue to live my fantasy life. I love, absolutely love, what I do. I play with a chip on my shoulder. I play as if I have something to prove every time I step on the court, and that’s because I do. The team is winning games and doing well. The unity is getting stronger. Our main goal is to make the playoffs, and then we’ll go from there.

Bejjeh is in a close playoff run. The team is in seventh place right now, and only the top eight make the playoffs. We’re sure Homicide will keep us posted.

One of the most important things to our organization is helping show young players how to take their passion, drive and dedication for the game and apply those skills to other areas of their lives. One of the ways we achieve this is through the ATR Project and our three Ambassadors: Tavio Hobson, Will Kelly and Chuck Torres.

The A.T.R. Project was in full swing the past couple of weeks. ATR hooked up its three A.T.R. Project ambassadors and their young basketball players with a college hoops game experience in their respective cities as a reward for good academic performance. Will Kelly and his NYC-based Hoops By The River team traveled to Queens to watch St. Johns take on South Carolina on Nov. 29. Tavio Hobson’s A+Plus group in Seattle checked out University of Washington matchup again Cal St. Fullerton on Dec. 2. And LA-based Chuck Torres and Better Through Basketball kids hit up the USC game against Minnesota last week. All participants were treated to a group meal, free ATR gear and prime seats for the Division 1 games. For many kids, the A.T.R. Project visit marked their first college game day experience.

ATR’s brand manager Cesar Vizcarrondo recalls young Ramon Puentes of the Better Through Basketball program being in awe of the USC team. “He was in disbelief of how big and fast the players were,” Vizcarrondo said. “Ramon turned to me and said, ‘I know now that I gotta work really hard now to play in college.’ It’s moments like that define the ATR Project.”
Founded in 2010, the A.T.R. Project is a youth leadership and development program. The Project supports local leaders who help show young players how to take their passion, drive and dedication for the game and apply those skills to other areas of their lives – including education and community service. Read more about the ATR Project and the three ambassadors here.

Earlier this year, Above the Rim traveled to SoCal, the birthplace of the brand, to capture imagery for the brand’s One City at a Time Campaign. We nabbed famed Brooklyn-based photographer Steven Counts to shoot our ATR athletes in some serious action sequences. Will Bynum, Corey “Homicide” Williams and a handful of ATR team ballers were photographed at Venice High School’s indoor court and on the busy street courts of Venice Beach. Trust us, there wasn’t a dull moment at that location.

Check the behind the scenes video from the big day, and a few of the sick images we captured along the way.

Tonight, Above the Rim x FLüD celebrate the release of the limited-edition ATR PTN watch, a collaborative effort that merges the two brands and cultures of streetball and streetwear. With ATR’s “One City At A Time” campaign in full swing, the joint initiative comes at the perfect time.

“At FLüD, we take pride on only collaborating with brands that fit the ethos of our company – authenticity above all,” said Doug Cohen, CEO of FLüD. “Each of our collaborators has to be authentic in their vision and products, and Above the Rim brings just that when it comes to basketball. Back in the 90s, we all wore ATR playing ball, so to be able to collaborate with the brand now in 2012 is amazing. We are proud to introduce the ATR PTN. As authentic as it gets, this timepiece is #thefludway.”

The limited edition ATR PTN watch is an interpretation of FLüD’s classic “Pantone” silhouette that ties into ATR’s current campaign “One City at a Time.” The watch features a cityscape and ATR logo printed on the dial, a minimalistic circular face, all pieced together by a white band.

ATR’s “One City At A Time” campaign has hit Seattle, Los Angeles, Houston, Puerto Rico, and New York City, including the sponsorship of the L.E.S Express Basketball Tournament in Soho, to hold basketball clinics and reach out to the local communities. Having this watch commemorate what ATR has done this summer is like free throw after an and-one.

“The collaboration with FLüD is the perfect way to capture and celebrate a great year for Above the Rim,” said Eric Dreyer, VP of Brand Management for Collective Licensing International, the company that manages ATR. “We were able to visit and support so many great basketball communities across the country. We look forward to sharing the ATR story with additional cities in 2013.”

Both brands will celebrate tonight at W.i.P. Nightclub from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. VIP guests will receive their own edition of the ATR PTN watch, along with a limited edition ATR tee. A limited number of watches will be sold at Community 54 in NYC, Succezz in Chicago and Secret Society in Westchester. The suggested retail price of the watch is $60.

Above the Rim street baller Corey “Homicide” Williams kills it on the courts, and now is killin’ it at the film festivals too. Last Friday, “Doin’ It In the Park,” a NYC pick-up basketball documentary, scored the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the Urban World Film Festival. Big ups to Corey and the rest of the crew from the film for their award.