Silver and Certo take the 2-on-2 basketball crown

Every year, the Chaminade students in the Global Economic Leadership class host a day called the “Chaminade Winter Promenade”. Students transform into entrepreneurs as they form companies that will sell products at the Promenade. Products range from athletic competitions to paninis made fresh on the spot. My fellow Los Angeles Times journalist, Conner Hoyt, and I hosted a 2-on-2 basketball games for the students. It cost $6 to enter and the team that posted the best record received a free Kobe Bryant jersey and Elgin Baylor jersey, plus bragging rights over their fellow peers. 

Teams came out with members ranging from Chaminade athletes to our ASB President Alex Mansour, but the team that stood out right from the beginning was former Chaminade varsity basketball player Nicky Certo, and JV basketball superstar, Mike Silver. Mike informed people before he started playing, “If you are coming in here to escape the rain, don’t, my shots about to be wetter than the sky.” He wasn’t lying either. Silver and Certo beat up on their early opponents.

As the games went on, the competition got tougher. Seniors Anthony Scuito and Michael Mancini were playing fantastic after a disappointing first loss. Scuito and Mancini then meet up in a game against Silver and Certo, and this game looked like it would be a key decider in who would walk out champions.  

The match up went back and forth, and late in the game, it was all knotted up. Both teams played defense that was reminiscent of the 1964 Boston Celtics. 

Fans yelled as the clock counted down, “10, 9, 8, 7!” All of the sudden, Certo swiped the ball away, dribbled it out, and sent a beautiful pass to Silver. 

“5, 4, 3, 2!”

With a second left on the clock, Silver became Michael Jordan, while his defenders became Craig Ehlo, and drained the game winner that would crown Certo and him as the kings of Chaminade’s Winter Promenade 2-on-2 Basketball. 

—Alec Neimand

Follow on Twitter @LaTimesNeimand