I had a chance to kick it with Abdiel "Panama" Marin from the Palace Hotel today...Most players in the league call him "The Dread"...I'm not sure if they call him that because of his physical play or because of his choice of hair style [Locks]. Here's how it went down.
Pointguard: How long have your been playing with The Palace?
Abdiel Marin: I've been playing with the hotel for seven years, and since I've been there we've been to the playoffs almost every year.
PG: Who are some of the outstanding players on your club?
Abdiel Marin: We've got some good players, like Anthony Arias, and Ray Anys...
PG: Where did you learn to play and who did you watch in your hood?
AM: I learned to play in Panama, that's where I grew up...I grew up in Colon, Panama, right next to the canal...I started playing basketball when I was nine years old and eventually I played on the Junior National Team there...I grew up watching Rolando Blackman [Dallas Mavs, NY Knicks] I met him when I was younger. He played in the NBA, he was great! But the player that I grew up with that was another great Panamanian player was Leroy Jackson! He never made it to the NBA but he was a great scorer in Panama and he played at Oregon State and then he played professional ball overseas. He was a great player, a good friend of mines & a great shooter...he played the two.
PG: Did you play college ball?
AM: Yeah, I played at Rockland Community College in the '90's and then I played at Colorado State and then Colorado Christian University.
PG: Now for the tough questions. Who are the best four or five teams in the Hotel League right now?
AM: I would have to say The Palace, The Harvard Club, The Millennium Broadway, The Hilton...{pause}...and let me see...The Ritz Carlton.
PG: The Palace is one of the few teams to beat the Harvard Club in the last couple of years. How were you [your team] able to accomplish that?
AM: Well, when everyone on our team is there, they can't just focus on me. We've had some drama with a protest and things like that. But when everybody is there we have a good team. That game we played great defense. It was a close game we won by two or three points and I scored something like 26 points. It was a close game.
PG: NYDLBALL.com thanks "Panama" for his time and we wish The Palace another playoff run at the end of this Hotel League season. Peace and Defense.
