It’s 1993 and Stephon Marbury and the Lincoln Rail Splitters are getting ready for a big road game at New Utrecht. At the time, many basketball observers felt that Utrecht’s big center Kareem Lewis could be a factor in beating their Brooklyn rival.

There was even talk that Lewis and the Utes could win the PSAL that year. They had reached the semis the previous March before eventual champ Walton eliminated them. Maybe they shouldn’t have ever considered it because of what happened that cold December winter day.

Me and a few buddies had made the trip across the Verrazano once I got out of school to check out this big game. Like many, we were expecting to see a very competitive HS basketball game between the two schools. However, little did we realize what we and the rest of the observers at the packed old gym would be in store for that memorable day.

Bobby Hartstein’s Railsplitters were really good. They had been to the PSAL championship earlier that year only to lose to Walton in a tight game at Madison Square Garden with a broken hearted Marbury crying afterwards limping off the floor due to a fractured hip. I was in attendance for it. Back then, Coney Island’s Finest actually cared about winning championships. It’s amazing sometimes how things turn out. Especially with how it’s gone for Starbury in a Knick uniform.

Marbury was determined to bring the PSAL title back to Lincoln off the Ocean Parkway exit which ironically enough sat directly across from where my grandparents lived. So that was always pretty damn cool cause I’d be able to stop in their apartment and visit and have a nice meal afterwards.

That place for me as a kid was like a second home. My grandma always took me to the beach growing up and we’d frequently go to the supermarket and pickup fresh peaches and plums. The best!

Lincoln wasn’t just a one-man show that season. In our debut entry a week ago, we documented Marbury’s much overlooked cousin Jamel Thomas, who started at power forward and went onto a splendid four-year career at Providence becoming an All-Big East selection before going overseas after the NBA didn’t workout.

Thomas always had a nice inside game for an undersized 6-6 frame. He’d frequently battle bigger bodies and win his fair share due to a hard work ethic. He could score down in the low post and get his share of rebounds. He also was a solid defender. That day, he drew the tough assignment of the bigger Lewis but was up to the challenge bodying him up and keeping the New Utrecht senior center out of the paint.

If there also was an area he had improved, it was his ability to step out and make the open jump shot from 16-17 feet. That was on display the following season during Lincoln’s run to a PSAL title in 1994-95.

New Utrecht was an old barn where the baskets actually hung attached to old wires giving it a nostalgic feel. The atmosphere was great because you had seats facing the end basket on top of the action as well as balcony seats where fans could also stand and enjoy the game as well. Not surprisingly, the place was filled completely up. These were two Brooklyn teams who had made the Final Four back in March 1993. Many expected the schools to be at 33rd and Seventh for possibly a championship. Could this be a possible preview?

That’s what perked our curiosity. Being from Staten Island, the basketball wasn’t bad but the quality just couldn’t compete with what these schools offered. In terms of talent and athletic ability, it was no comparison. Even if solid programs such as Curtis and St. Peter’s ruled our borough, they weren’t on that level.

Like any kids growing up, we wanted to see the best players in the city. I don’t think I ever viewed it as, ‘Wow. He could one day be an NBA star.’ More like it was something to do. B-ball ruled! There was always something cool about checking out those type of games in a wild environment. I went to my share of games at Fordham during that time.

Being a travel basketball player out here helped. We had a very good team which won a couple of championships and competed at the Maccabiah Games. You always knew there were better players though. Especially at the HS level. I will say I played with some very smart players and the experience was just awesome much as it was running cross country at McKee/Staten Island Tech.

The level of excitement was always there no matter the sport. I loved running at both Clove Lakes and Van Cortlandt Park but the best was traveling to Penn or Brown. It was freaking kick ass. Kind of like some of our basketball trips which included Syracuse, Connecticut and Springfield, Massachusetts to see the Basketball Hall of Fame. It didn’t matter what your role was because you felt part of something special.

That’s what T-E-A-M sports are all about.

Back to the game. Well, as you probably figured out by now, it wasn’t much of a contest as Thomas won the inside battle against Lewis who never found a rhythm. With the Railsplitters building a double digit lead, there was plenty of trash being dished out by Marbury. You could see how much the game meant to him and his teammates who would wind up making a statement blowing the doors off Utrecht in their own building.

With Thomas fairing well and Marbury having a stellar game in which he did whatever he wanted (score, dish, etc.), it felt pretty anti-climatic late in the fourth quarter. That’s when his cousin gave him the signal on an out of bounds play underneath the Utrecht basket on the opposite end. They were up by about 25. So the game was well at hand.

One of the things I liked about Thomas’ game is that he also was an underrated passer. He took out the ball frequently and made good passes finding open ‘mates. Here, he just put his index finger up which I noticed and thought was strange. Next thing I knew, a streaking Marbury went from about the free throw line taking off like Air Jordan catching a perfect lob and jamming it home for the exclamation point. As I described earlier, these were old baskets which were attached. So, the impact was unreal as it just shook all over.

Of course, everyone in the gym ate it up going, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!”

It was that freaking awesome. Maybe the much anticipated Lincoln-New Utrecht match-up didn’t live up to the hype but at the very least, Marbury and Thomas gave everyone in the place that day something to remember. To those who are into YouTube, etc., you didn’t need a camera or a camcorder. If you witnessed it live, it stuck with you. I can still see the fresh image clear as day like it just happened.

That’s what made going to that particular game so special.

Next: Part III of the untold saga