NEW YORK, January 25, 2007 -- It is the Finals. A contestant stands in Madison Square Garden, lights pouring down on him; the camera glares and all eyes are on the great stage. As Stephon Marbury, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and other Garden legends and visiting luminaries watch, the moment of truth approaches. This is not a description of someone calmly hitting game-winning free-throws, however. Yesterday the Garden hosted a different, though no less fierce, competition – the 4th annual Knicks Poetry Slam Finals.

Developed by Karin Bucholz, Vice-President of Community Relations and Fan Development for the New York Knicks, and with the generous support of Stephon Marbury and the Hymowitz Foundation, the Knicks Poetry Slam gives high school students the chance to compete for prizes and get training in poetry and performance from the experts at Urban Word. With their support, as well as the immense promotional efforts of Cherry Martinez and Power 105.1, and the energy and charm of MC Mike E., the event had its largest turnout in history. The Knicks Poetry Slam has come a long way from its humble beginnings: four years ago, 20 kids performed in a bookstore in Harlem. Last night saw twenty finalists aged 14-19, chosen from 400 contestants, perform in the Madison Square Garden Theater.

As Stephon Marbury said at the event, "everybody has a story…and the most important thing is expression." These students clearly understood the importance of expression as they bared their soul for all to see at the Poetry Slam. Performing in front of Marbury, a panel of judges that included Cherry Martinez from Power 105.1, Knicks greats, Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Cal Ramsey, Liberty legend, Kym Hampton, Knicks City Dancer, Amy, representatives from Urban Word and poet and performer Scot Anthony Robinson, the poets spoke of topics ranging from rape and incest to racism and injustice to love, sneakers and video games. Sometimes singing, occasionally whispering and often screaming their words, these high school students brought the same passion and energy to their performance as is usually reserved for games on the Garden floor.

The five winners, chosen last night, all won scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, along with a laptop and printer. In fifth place, with a poem in which he proclaimed his desire to use his words to grow and help his family, came Joell Ortiz. "Poets are the voice of God, transcendent upon the earth," wrote Ortiz. He went on to proclaim, "my goal in life is to be positive and productive, a gentleman and a scholar. And as I grow older I try to mold my siblings in that persona." The fourth place winner, Aileen Velazquez, compared the passion people feel for their sneakers to her love for writing, saying that "sneakers can be thought of as small poems." Latosha Belten, the third-place winner, wrote that "God is in me" as she proclaimed the power of her words. The passionate Jasmine Nicole Mans won the second-place prize with her poem decrying the injustices of a world where we use 3rd-grade test scores to determine how many jail cells to build. Finally, the winner of the competition, Carvens Lissaint, was rewarded for his poem "I had a Dream." With a stirring and energetic performance, Lissaint referred to the power of his words, shouting, "my lyrics must bring venom ‘cause they sting when I tell ‘em." His poem recalled the difficult past of our country, the brutality of the Civil Rights struggle and the heroes of that era, like the Little Rock 9.

All the winners, as well as the other contestants, were absolutely inspiring, to the audience and to themselves. At times, the MC was rendered speechless by the power of the spoken words. "Only one word comes to mind – brave," said MC Mike E after one such poem. Five winners were chosen last night, but perhaps the real victors are future New York City students. Performer Gabriel Polanca says he intends to go back to teach at his school after he gets his degree. "I want to give back some of what I got out of this experience. Maybe I can teach poetry in my high school," he said. The supporters of the Knicks Poetry Slam could ask for no greater legacy.