NFL
By: Zachary Draves
The year was 1994. A year in which Major League Baseball cancelled the World Series due to a players strike, Michael Jordan was taking a swing in the minor leagues, the saga of Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding fed the tabloid junkie in all of us, grunge icon Kurt Cobain died by suicide, a horrific earthquake struck Southern California, and football legend OJ Simpson was charged with double murder in what would later become the “Trial of the Century”.
Needless to say, it was a year where things seemed out of place, sensationalism dominated, and tragedy permeated.
Yet on the silver screen, a groundbreaking sports documentary not only revolutionized the genre but offered a picture of hope and resilience that won over millions of hearts as well as various awards, except an Oscar for no reason.
It was a film about the unrelenting pursuit of dreams, Hoop Dreams.
(Courtesy: Amazon.com)
Under the direction of Lee Davis and Steve James, they captured five years of footage on the respective journeys of Arthur Agee Jr and William Gates, two young black men from Chicago who aspired to be professional basketball players. Agee Jr came from the Cabrini–Green Projects on the Northside and Gates came from West Garfield Park on the Westside.
Both were recruited to play for the storied basketball program at St. Joseph High School in Westchester, a predominately white school that produced legends such as Isiah Thomas. The film touches upon the themes of family, scholarships, education, poverty, and race.
Agee Jr. and Gates dealt with all the pressures and stressors that came with wanting to rise above their circumstances, especially Gates who has just released a book called Hoop Dreams Fifth Quarter: “Dreams Don’t Die.
(Courtesy: Amazon.com)
In it he tells his side of the story in his own words and to unveil himself after years of living quietly with his family.
“My story in terms of Hoop Dreams, I was never really out there” he said to Team NBS in a zoom interview. “I shied away from the media attention. I went into raising of my family, but I felt there was a piece of me that wanted not my truth but the truth out there.”
He also makes it clear that his intentions are to share stories that the film didn’t share or elaborate further such as becoming a teen father during his junior year of high school.
“The movie didn’t really jump into that aspect of that,” he said. “It was challenging and tough and it took a lot of decisions making to see that through.”
The chapter in the book that tells that story is entitled A Boy, A Ball, and A Baby.
Gates was living in the shadow of his older brother Curtis, who wanted him to live out the pro basketball dreams he never attained. In the film, Curtis came across as domineering and overbearing, but to William there was much more to him than people know.
“He served as a father, a coach, a big brother, and a friend” he said.
Along with the struggles of being a teen parent, Gates was struggling to pass his ACTs in order to acquire an athletic scholarship. Then he suffered a serious knee injury that required surgery and a month’s long rehabilitation process.
He was still recruited by numerous colleges and attended a Nike basketball camp at Princeton University where he got to interact with the best high school players as well as see Dick Vitale and Spike Lee. Ultimately, he signed a letter of intent with Marquette University where he played in 80 games and scored 399 points from 1991-1995.
(Courtesy: John Biever/Sports Illustrated)
In the book, he outlines how the injury haunted him in terms of his potential and forced him to reexamine his love for basketball.
“One of the things I did want to touch on is the love for the game,” he said. “When I had my injury, I didn’t know how to recover. How do you go from being a top tier player and falling and having that level of uncertainty? For years I dealt with not being good enough.”
His one shot at potentially playing in the NBA came in 2001 when he was working out with Michael Jordan as he was coming back for the third time to play for the Washington Wizards. Gates was offered a tryout, but injured his foot.
That same year, his older brother Curtis was murdered, one day before 9/11.
His dreams of playing in the pros never materialized and he lost his greatest mentor. It was something that hurt Gates’ psyche. To this day, he still lives with a sense of anticipation of excitement of wanting to hit the hardwood, especially when the NBA season rolls around.
“My body turns up in October,” he said. “That meant it was conditioning season and you are getting ready for November. I find myself going to the gym more, because I am feeling like I am still preparing for something.”
As is the case with many athletes who navigate how to cultivate an identity outside of their sport, especially in light of injury, Gates found himself having to redefine who he was.
In his later years, he became a pastor at Living Faith Community Center in Cabrini–Green. He held that position until 2012 before relocating with his family to San Antonio, Texas.
“My days are not trying to get better, but how I can blend in,” he said. “How I can channel to show that I am still valuable? When I went back I didn’t how I would be viewed. Folks who have never had a serious injury, it might be difficult to understand as athletes what we put our bodies through.”
Nearly 30 years after the official release of the film, Gates remains tight with Arthur Agee Jr. They co-host a podcast entitled Hoop Dreams: The Podcast produced by the Vancouver based media company, the Unlearning Network.
(Courtesy: Kevin Couliau)
“That’s my dog”, said Gates. “We are bounded and brothers for life. We pick up right where we left off. We haven’t skipped a beat. The best and I to describe our relationship is that he is trying to get my feet off the ground and I’m trying to keep his feet on the ground.”
As for the book, Gates hopes that readers can take away from his inspirational story that no matter where anyone is at in life and if dreams are disrupted, there is always a 5th quarter. There is always a chance at rediscovery and that dreams can be redefined and redeemed.
“I hope it gives people the opportunity to know that there is a lot of things we need to figure out, he said. “Life does not come without trials. Just because you get derailed it is not an ending. At the end of the day, you can live the dream of success.”
He also adds “the 5th quarter for a lot of people is the best”.
Turns out when we think the final buzzer signals the end, there is additional time put back on the clock.
