The Day: A New Nets Coach, Block-Rockin' Soccer and History in Fort Greene Park

Standing in Fort Greene Park, the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument memorializes the American prisoners who died in British vessels in the East River during the Revolutionary War. (Photo by Francisco Daum)

Good morning, Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

Hoping for a more up-tempo, pass-oriented Brooklyn Nets offense next season? The team’s new head coach, former NBA all-star Jason Kidd, wants the same, the New York Daily News reported. To do that, Kidd said he’s looking for veteran coaches to assist him on the bench next season at a press conference at Barclays Center yesterday. No word if Kidd plans to sit in on Brooklynettes auditions at Long Island University Brooklyn tomorrow.

Here are three more events happening this weekend in the nabe:

Local nonprofit Young Rock Soccer Academy and Hip Tot Music Fest join forces to host the Brooklyn Bridge Cup, a thirty-team youth soccer tournament, this Saturday and Sunday at Brooklyn Technical High School on Clermont Avenue. Saturday’s schedule includes a block party with food trucks, music and other family activities; players from New York City’s two professional men’s soccer teams, the Cosmos and the Red Bulls, will also attend. On Sunday, all eyes turn towards the battle for the cup.
If a bit of botany suits you more than an athletic extravaganza, the Fort Greene Park Conservancy holds its weekly volunteer event in the park’s Revolutionary War garden on Saturday from noon to 2 p.m. Email Garden Manager Daly Clement at daly@fortgreenepark.org to lend a hand.
The Conservancy also hosts a Walt Whitman-themed walking tour on Sunday from 1 to 3 p.m. Greg Trupiano, the Artistic Director of the Walt Whitman Project, will discuss the poet’s role in the establishment of Fort Greene Park, as well as episodes in its early history. The tour begins at the park’s Visitors Center; no RSVP required.