HEN SHE TALKS about why her company, And1, a shoe and athletic clothing marketer, signed Latrell Sprewell as spokesman, Errin Cecil-Smith comes back to the same succinct point: "He’s got crazy game."

Sprewell does have crazy game – and an image that’s a perfect fit for an upstart sneaker company like And1. Sprewell’s rebellious, bad-boy attitude is what And1 wants kids to associate with its sneakers and clothing. Everything about Sprewell that might drive parents crazy makes him so valuable in tapping the valuable teen market.

"For And1, his negatives didn’t exist," says Cecil-Smith, marketing director for And1. "Everything that cast a bad light on him was a positive."

And1 is a Philadelphia-based company founded in 1993 that is targeting the teenage market, epitomized by what Cecil-Smith describes as "the hardcore ballplayer." This means marketing a young, hip brand to the tastes of 12-to 17-year olds.

In March 1999, And1 signed Sprewell to a multiyear deal for an undisclosed amount. The challenge then, Cecil-Smith says, was how to best exploit Spree’s notoriety to appeal to And1’s teenage target audience. "We were sitting around and we said, ‘We need Spree talking to the camera,’" she remembers.

Sprewell is one of many athletes who turn to image makers in times of crisis. Kathleen Hessert, the director of Sports Media Challenge, a sports-marketing firm in Charlotte, N.C., says it is important for athletes hit by bad publicity to approach the situation genuinely. "You apologize and move on," she says. "You need to shut up, lay low and do what you’re paid to do."

PREWELL'S SUCCESS on the court meant he could exploit his perceived personal negatives as marketing positives. The "American Dream" ad campaign sought to capture Sprewell’s controversial image and tie it to the And1 brand. Television commercials began running just as the Knicks and Sprewell were beginning their march through last year's playoffs. Cecil-Smith says And1 wanted to use the popularity Sprewell cultivated in New York to appeal to other urban markets. "New Yorkers, as they are wont to do, embrace winners," she says. "Spree was shaking things up."

The televised ad features Sprewell with his Afro blown out and a hairstylist braiding his cornrows. Sprewell talks to the camera about his image and a heavy guitar version of "The Star Spangled Banner" plays in the background. "I’ve made mistakes, but I don’t let them keep me down," he says. "Some people say I’m what’s wrong with sports; I say I’m the American Dream."

Cecil-Smith says the commercial's success can be measure in increased shoe sales. In the months of the ad campaign, And1’s "sell-through" rate – the ratio of shoes sold to shoes stocked – rose 7 percent.

Without a doubt, Cecil-Smith says, Sprewell’s redemption in New York – and as a marketing tool – was made possible on the court. "The fact that he can pick himself up and become a winner in a city where it is nearly impossible makes him the American dream," she says.