Flatlands

Around the time Nelson started coaching in Milwaukee, halfway across the country, St. John's University in Queens started tracking a highly skilled sixth grader from Brooklyn named Chris Mullin.

Chris Mullin grew up on Troy Avenue in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Flatlands.

It's rows upon rows of compact brick single family homes, cement walkways, brick porches, bay windows, and at the Mullen's house, a hoop at the base of the driveway where the neighborhood kids would play.

30 years later, when his family no longer owned the house and he lived on the opposite side of the country, Mullen said, quote, part of me goes there every day.

I grew up in the part of Brooklyn that's very Caribbean.

Even though Brooklyn is, is so popular right now, it's a area that most people don't know, Flatlands.

Um, there's no trains.

It's only buses, and so it's, it's quite hard to get to.

So what are you looking for, for those who will become part of the fencing academy?

Number one is being from the targeted, like a targeted neighborhood.

That's my number one goal, to engage people from East Flatbush, Flatbush, Canarsie, East New York, Flatlands, some Brownsville.

Number two, I'm l- I'm looking for commitment, which is hard.