As beautiful as the game of basketball is when all five guys on the court are working together in seamless harmony, there’s a certain level of excitement generated when an individual goes to work, breaks down someone off the dribble and attacks the rack with a purpose – to finish strong or pitch out to a teammate for a wide open jumper.

The National Basketball League has been blessed with some exceptional one on one talent over its more than 30 year history. Names such as Rocky Smith, Al Green, Steve Carfino, Dwayne McClain, Darryl McDonald, Bobby Locke, and more recently the likes of Corey ‘Homicide’ Williams, Gary Ervin and Adris Deleon have thrilled countless fans across the land with their blend of showmanship, athleticism and pre-eminent ball skills.

And then of course there’s the daddy of them all, the man who came to Australia in 1979 as a kid out of New York City via Wichita State University and brought in a level of excitement that hadn’t been seen before, a guy who ripped the league apart – despite his small stature – with unparalleled handles, unlimited range, and unshakeable confidence. As much as he was a team player, he was also a guy who could win games off his own bat.

He’s one of the true legends of the game, a Hall of Famer, the father of a man who will one day join him in the Hall. He’s the one and only Calvin ‘The Black Pearl’ Bruton – and he’s on a mission to not only help raise the profile of the sport in this country but also look to impart some of the extraordinary skills that so delighted fans in the 1980s and raised the level of play in this country exponentially.

And now, with the launch of his exciting new concept, the Bruton 2 on 2 tournament for young boys and girls in Australia and New Zealand, he seeks to again give back to the sport that he loves so much by giving a percentage of the profits to the Disadvantage and Indigenous Youth

Cal sees the tournament as a way to improve the level of play in Australia, by encouraging kids in an element of the game that hasn’t been at the forefront of the sport at an elite level for some years now – that 2 on 2 competition which is really a game within the game, both on offence and defence.

There’s no doubt the Bruton 2on2 tournament, the first of his kind, is an exciting concept.  Scouts from the Black Pearl Basketball Academy, which specialises in providing opportunities to underprivileged children, will be visiting the competition rounds and the finals to identify and recruit potential talent that may have gone otherwise unnoticed. These players – and they need not be the winners – may get the opportunity to be mentored and trained by the best in the business and hopefully eventually bolster the ranks of the NBL.