The Harlem Rens
Who were they? When did they play? Were they really that good? All these questions and more were answered once I watched the Kareem Adbul-Jabbar produced documentary film, "On The Shoulders of Giants" (2011).
I knew about the Harlem Globetrotters basketball organization, who actually were based in Chicago. I'd seen a traveling team out of New York City called the Harlem Diplomats when I was a kid. But I'd never heard of The Rens or the once popular Renaissance Hotel in Harlem, NY where they played games.
NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, a New York native, does an excellent job talking with former Rens players and opening a window for us to peek through to a past era of sports and segregation. Also included are interviews with Charles Barkley, Carmelo Anthony, Chuck D, Maya Angelou , Bob Costas, etc...
Like the research Kareem did for his book about the black WWII 761st Tank Battalion (Brothers in Arms), he shows how black men found a way to demonstrate their extraordinary abilities in spite of the white racist social structure of America at that time.
Though the documentary addresses segregation and racism, that wasn't its main focus. The highlight was the accomplishments of a basketball organization and its players. I learned about a basketball team whose style of play was a forerunner to the NBA style we see with today's Golden State Warriors. The Rens were a fast paced passing team with players who trusted each other and knew how to dominate in their system.
The documentary reveals the rivalry that took place between the Rens and Harlem Globetrotters. To think that the Globetrotters weren't from Harlem and only used the Black Mecca name to identify with black culture and sell tickets to white audiences, is a shock. Some, including the owner of the Rens, looked upon the Globetrotters as a clown act; a shuffling, jiving minstrel show that appealed to white audiences who were comfortable with the clowning "stepin fetchit" black stereotypes. He later learned the Globetrotters were more than just circus entertainment, they could play basketball.
I borrowed a copy of the documentary from my local library and encourage sports fans to check with their local libraries to see if it's available there. Watching it was a lesson in basketball and American history that I'm so glad to have discovered. Better late than never.
Keep on doing your thing Kareem, projecting light on American black history that illuminates the accomplishments of a segregated citizenry. You have proven to be a champion in the eyes of us who have benefited from watching your moves both on the court and off. Jazâ-ka-Llâh (“May God reward thee”)
Champion Harlem Rens
Nickname: ''Rens'', ''Harlem Rens'', ''Big R Five''
Location: Harlem, New York City
Manager: Robert ''Bob'' Douglas
Home Court: Renaissance Ballroom
Remembering Basketball's First All-Black Team
New York Renaissance
Globetrotter's weren't first B-ballers from Harlem
By JOHNATHON GAINES
Call & Post Contributor
The New York Renaissance, also known as the Harlem Renaissance Big Five or the Rens, was an all-Black professional basketball team founded in 1923 by Robert “Bob” Douglas, a few years before the Harlem Globetrotters.
The team played its first game on Nov. 3, 1923. The Rens got their name from the team’s playing venue – the Renaissance Casino ballroom in Harlem, N.Y. – where they dazzled fans with their innovative style of play. The Rens added grace and style to the game of American basketball.
The Rens were one of the few all-Black, traveling professional basketball teams of that era. Formed five-years before those most famous Globetrotters, the Rens provided African-American men with the opportunity to compete against White athletes on an equal footing.
The team played most of its games on the road, barnstorming across the country out of necessity because they were unable to join any professional leagues due to racial discrimination.
The Harlem Renaissance Big Five was one of the most successful all-Black professional basketball teams in the 1920s and 1930s. During the 1932-33 regular season, the Rens compiled a record of 112-8 and also won 88 consecutive games, a mark that has never been matched by a professional basketball team.
A high point was their 34-25 victory over the NBL champions Oshkosh All-Stars in 1939, in the World Basketball Tournament in Chicago, making the Rens the first all-Black team to win a championship game.
The team compiled a 2,588-539 record over its history.
They were disbanded in 1949 and inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame as a team in 1963.
The original Rens included Leon Monde, Hy Monte, Zack Anderson, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins and Frank Forbes. James “Pappy” Ricks, Hilton Slocum, Harold Mayers, Walter Saunders, George Fial and Eyre “Bruiser” Saitch were not founding players, but were among the early players to lace ’em up for a team that history seems to have overlooked.
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