APEX — About once a month at Dribble and Swish, a gym that sits a short distance east of the Chatham and Wake county line, basketball puts on a mask.

Instead of being a single event between two teams, the sport presents itself as a card of 1-on-1, 2-on-2, 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 matchups. The game is reduced to a half court bordered by yellow caution tape, and in the two corners where mid court and the sidelines meet, players receive coaching and rest. The spectators, consisting of a range of ages, personalities and backgrounds, crowd the playing area for a close-up view of the action. Sportsmanship is optional, and trash talk is expected.

Like a combat sport.

By the design of event host Underrated Network United, participants are battling for pride and the chance to put their name in a spotlight it once had or never had the opportunity to bask in.

UNU is in that same fight for itself as it’s bringing something that Chatham County has never seen before.

“I know it’s a lot of talented guys where we’re from,” UNU founder and co-CEO Kadarus Rone, a Chatham County native, said. “But we just never really had a bigger outlet to push us and get us out there.”

For Rone and UNU co-CEO Ti Pinnix, bringing the 1-on-1 basketball scene close to their hometown was a product of their shared and separate past experiences.

Rone and Pinnix were high school teammates at Northwood in the 2010s. The former went on to play college football at Winston-Salem State University and played semi pro basketball in North Carolina.

“I was an NFL Draft Diamond in 2019,” Rone said. “So, I know what it feels like to really have a work ethic, and I’ve seen what it feels like to feel like you’re ready, but you’re not all the way there once you see other guys that put in more work than you have.”

After high school, Pinnix received his Associate of Arts from Central Piedmont Community College and became an entrepreneur. He remained on the basketball court by joining North Carolina’s growing 1-on-1 basketball scene with The Grease Factory, a Charlotte-based showcase basketball organization, and The Next Chapter.

While Pinnix was making a name for himself in the 1-on-1 competitions, Rone had only experienced it from afar.

“I just never actually got the chance to see it until like December,” Rone said. “I (had) been watching it on YouTube and Instagram and stuff like that. But I (had) never actually got to an actual event. So, I went and saw Ti play, supporting him up in Charlotte, and I saw what it could be down here in Chatham County and stuff like that. So, I was just like, man, we need to bring that to the city because there’s a lot of kids that love watching it, and there’s a lot of kids that want to get involved in the 1v1, 2v2, 3v3 or just have an outlet and network to network with different players.”

Shortly after Rone went to check out Pinnix, the two put the plan in motion.

“We got on the phone,” Rone said. “We were just putting our minds together with different ideas, brainstorming. And I’m just asking him questions because like I said, he’s been on the scene longer than I have.”

Making the plan a reality took the assistance of others. Christian Farrell, a former Northwood teammate of Rone and Pinnix and the director of basketball operations at Dribble and Swish, helped the pair secure a place to play.

Rone and Pinnix also turned to Jason Thomas, their former AAU coach who also helped raise Pinnix. Thomas is a referee for the UNU events and fills other roles when needed.

“It’s a family deal, man,” Thomas said.

Said Thomas, “When this thing started here, we had a couple of different people coming in. And you know, some of these games, there’s some money on the table for them. There’s pride. There’s a lot of things on this. There’s sponsors, and so I decided that we were going to step in, myself and another guy, and try to put a little more order to it. My main goal here now is reffing and whatever Ti and Kadarus says go.”

UNU hosted its first event, For the Love of the City, in April.

“It brought the city out,” Rone said. “Different generations were in the building from the older people to the younger kids and my age, and you know, just teenagers. Everybody was in there, and they were having so much fun.”

Said Rone, “It shocked both of us for real just to see that many people in there just to watch 1v1, 2v3, 3v3 basketball.”

Since then, UNU has hosted events about once a month, including matchups against other 1-on-1 organizations like The Zoo, which is based in Durham, and The Bakery, which is based in Virginia. Some of those matchups featured players that have competed in college or professionally overseas.

“It’s not like a pushover thing,” Thomas said. “It’s not like hey, let’s just grab a couple of guys and go do this. When you step on that court with these guys, you better be on another level because you’re getting dunked on, you’re getting laughed at. Catilin Clark became famous for shooting that 3 from the logo. You got guys shooting free throws from the logo in these events. It’s a great thing, man.”

The players, especially those that compete under UNU, come with their own origin stories and motivations.

For Charles Hope, a former Northwood basketball player who goes by the name C Hope and recently had a son, getting into the 1-on-1 scene has reignited a beloved fire.

“If it wasn’t or Kadarus and Ti talking me into playing again, I probably would’ve never picked up another basketball,” Hope said. “They honestly motivated me to want to try it back out, and I’m glad I did it because it’s been one of the best things that’s happened to me.”

Dillon Goldston, another UNU member who goes by the nickname Glo and is from the Chatham County area, didn’t get a chance to compete in high school. His dad kept him off the court due to trouble in and outside of the classroom. Basketball is Goldston’s “happy place” and his “getaway”, and now he gets to show what that looks like.

“I’ve got to show what the people didn’t see when I was in high school,” Goldston said. “It was kind of like, I owe myself. I gotta do it out here.”

There’s also a bigger name in Paige Smith, a former UNC Wilmington guard who began her college career in the NJCAA. Smith played 21 games and averaged 8.7 points (UNCW’s third leading scorer) for the Seahawks last year before being sentenced to probation for drug charges. She was randomly invited to an UNU event by her then 2-on-2 teammate, and has since been featured on more cards.

“I guess the people liked what they saw,” Smith said. “So I got invited back.”

UNU is a way for Smith to remain involved with basketball and stay ready for her next opportunity, which she thinks will be another college.

“This is high level basketball,” Smith said. “It takes a certain type of player to even say, ‘Yes, I want to play,’ in this type of atmosphere.”

UNU is keeping the ball bouncing for those who love the sport, but it’s also an example of how it’s never too late to make a name for yourself.