Stephen Edelson for Asbury Park Press | The patch of land near the entrance to Ocean County Park sits less than two miles from the Lakewood Community Center, where J.R. Smith first picked up a basketball as a 5-year-old.
Twenty-three years later, the Knicks guard made one smooth pass at the golf ball after another, launching short iron shots to one of three greens that will make up the First Tee of Monmouth & Ocean Counties facility, with the J.R. Smith Foundation signing on as the naming sponsor for the project.
“I’ve been given a great opportunity because of what I’ve done on the basketball court, and it’s put me in these situations where I can help with things like this,” said Smith, an avid golfer. “A lot of the guys I grew up with are still in the area and have kids, and as parents we all want our kids to be able to do stuff that we haven’t experienced.” Continue Reading »
