Step into a world, it’s not a KRS-One song, it’s a movement. It’s love, it’s the brainchild of this incredibly dope coach, trainer, real one named Josh Lozano.
How dope is he E-Woods? Josh so dope I should tell the great George Raveling to give this man Josh an EYBL contract. Josh will never let you down, he’s a Kuya (which means brother in Tagalog) to all he befriends. 100.
I know G-Raveling, head of all Nike grassroots, and in 2004 George let me come down to Michael Jordan’s camp to chill with Chris Paul. My guy Marlon Morton of Westchester boys basketball fam had invited me.
Raveling stood beside Martin Luther King as King eloquently spoke his “I have a dream speech.” If you’ve been to George’s house, you’d know that George has that very MLK speech on display on his house.
Josh? My Kuya? He displays that I-have-a-dream speech in his heart every day for the kids in the way he greets them. Kids love him as much as I feel I’m loved by him and me, E-Woods, I’m just a simple Elementary School teacher and a writer that can put a couple words together.
Josh attended De La Salle High School in Northern California and he used to coach high school boys ball at Cerritos High. Now he coaches the We-R-1 AAU basketball team and is an expert of experts on the girls AAU scene where he gets much respect.
You can often find him at the MAP Sports Facility in Garden Grove or at the Seal Beach AIM complex. He cares so much for girls basketball, has grown it so much, that Josh hosts these fantastically competitive runs for the ages there.
Way better than an EYBL circuit game, his runs host 30 of the best players that California has to offer. Girls even have dunk competitions after the runs, like my dear friends Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall.
I have a brand called “Kick Game Crazy”, you can’t buy it, I just give to those I love and respect. Seeing these women wear my brand, it brings me E-Woods pride to see kids wear the gear I give them via SLAM and KGC shorts fosho!
Kiki and Rayah, headed to Stanford and USC respectively, duel at We Run every week. They are two 6 foot 5 DUNKING machines like 1970’s Darryl Dawkins putting down “Chocolate Thunder.”
Doubt my words? Peep my girl Jineen from Ball is Life. She films their dunk-offs all the time! Where else will you find that? Only at We Run. 100.
You have women JC players there, NAIA players, D2 there, girl high schoolers of different abilities trying to prove themselves. That’s what makes it truly MAGICAL, the chance to prove yourself vs. the best, chasing the precious, defend yo rep.
These games are like what K.Dot says in the rap song HUMBLE:
“My left stroke just went viral Right stroke put lil' baby in a spiral.”
Some may hate on these games, but as Josh always tells me, “It’s all love E-Woods!” My girl Chloe Briggs, this top 5 soph for the ages plays there, UNLV commit Alyssa Durazo-Frescas of Mater Dei too. Ashley Chea of Flintridge Prep and Team Taurasi, Jazzy of La Jolla Country Day fame also.
Elite high major prospect Destiny Agubata. Michelle Duchemin of Windward, committed to CSUN. The talent makes your head spin: big time.
Real ones behind the camera lens like AC of Beach City Hoops, shout out to our fam at Long Poly! NC fixing photo shots, more media coverage than an NCAA final 4 game it seems, fye, fye, fye at We Run.
That’s Josh Lozano for you. He reminds me of my guy Baron Davis, OG Crossroads, Bruin, NBA baller supreme. So guess what? I just had to lace Josh up a SLAM jersey, crown him that “mentor” like I did Baron, B-Diddy in 05’, because Josh is true to kids in his heart and in his soul.
My guy Scoop Jackson of SLAM magazine fame would love Josh if he were to ever meet him. So that blue jersey, #8, with We Run on the back of the uniform, Josh earned that!
Other real ones I’ve given the SLAM jersey to are legends in the world of hoop like Keion Kindred of Air West fame (he’s J-Harden’s trainer), Olin Simplis of Wasserman NBA pro agency, Kevin Kiernan of Mater Dei fame, and Alicia Komaki of Sierra Canyon.
What’s the Point is E-Woods?
Josh? He on his way to being Mt. Rushmore status because he’s grinding, helping, giving his whole heart to the training game, to the loving basketball game.
Josh 20 is years younger than me, and a dude that I look up to. Me and Josh were chillin with my guy Etop Udo-Ema of Compton Magic who I’ve known since 2002. I could see Josh having that kind of epic career like Etop on the girl’s side.
Josh can do whatever he wants, barely hitting age 30, dude is the Takeover and I support him. Maybe you should support a guy who gives his life to kids. He’s not about the politics, he’s about the kids no doubt.
Some ask me, E-Woods, why do you travel to see these AAU events, to see guys like Josh? Why go see the Bound Tournaments? Why go to so many hoop events in this age of possibly catching Covid-19 bro so many ask me?
Some remind me I have asthma, that I’m at high risk for Covid-19. I could pass away easily if I caught a case. Yes I tell them, I pray to the Lord to protect me. He does, and I watch, mesmerized by all the action.
I go to see Josh, I go to meet great kids like Bella of Cal Storm, meet her dad Mike Schmidt at We Run to feel alive. Josh makes people feel alive in the way he greets you warmly, his caring manner, his expert handling of the game.
He’s worth coming out for, he’s just a dope guy that’s so deserving of a dope story to tell his journey. He went to Long Beach State where my guy James Ennis of the Orlando Magic played.
If Josh and James ever played 1 on 1? Dunk city because I got dunked on by James before. But I did meet James at the rim once and blocked him. Lol
All kidding aside. The We Run games are freaking out of this freaking world, like out of your mind. Your cranium gonna melt your cortex from top to bottom, no doubt.
90s rapper KRS-One, tell the reader how We Run gets down because my man Josh has a mad waiting list kids hoping to play there on the weekly:
“You gots to go with a name you can quickly trust I'm not sayin' I'm number one, uhh I'm sorry, I lied I'm number one, two, three, four and five.”
Lexi Mead of King High, Cal Storm? Chocolate crossover baby, step step, to yo grill. Hannah Stines of Cal Storm, her step back J and separation is too nice, she looking PAC-12 material indeed.
Londynn Jones of Sparks fame and Corona Centennial fame who attends We Run? She is AI Allen Iverson, future college basketball takeover.
In a world that needs great, next, next level hoop, We Run is it, like my guy Jason Crowe who I was telling about these runs. Jason runs The Truth AAU boys team.
Josh is like Double P. Who is Double P you ask? That’s Paul Pierce, #34 The Truth from Inglewood. I did a story on Paul in 05’. Paul is fam fo’ life, like Josh is my fam fo’ life.
To my friends and readers, that is what’s up with Josh Lozano and We Run. 100.
