Watched Hoop Dreams yesterday

[jeffk]

Great film. The "scout" had pretty good eye. He saw a 8th kid playing in the playground who did eventually play Division 1 basketball.

They made it seem like the knee injury was the main reason Gates didn't excel. Probably having a kid in 11th grade was pretty energy draining as well as all the other stuff going on his life.

The producers did a very good job but were lucky with the kids they selected too. Both had good stories.

Both kids were in 9th grade and were at around 4th or 5th grade level. Inner city Chicago schools were doing shitty job.

Arthur Agee's dad buying drugs on film the producers showing it....that must have hurt Agee. No one wants their parent to be seen as a loser.

I heard his dad was shot and killed and William's brother was killed too.

What a mess. Basketball did change these kid's lives.

 

[Organic Damage]

Man this has been in my queue forEVER.

Why couldn't it have been half the running time?

 

[MaureenCretis]

Agee sr. was such a tool. "I couldda played in the NBA". Of course you could, mate - an obvious winner like yourself could have been a legend in the sport.

 

[MaureenCretis]

Man this has been in my queue forEVER.

Why couldn't it have been half the running time?

Worth watching if you haven't seen it yet. One of the better sports documentaries out there.

 

[jeffk]

It is on youtube. You can do a search and it will pop up.

 

[jeffk]

William's brother looked like a great athlete but it was not too surprising growing up like he did that he would have a problem with authority figures and discipline. The coach had seen guys like him before and it must suck to see potential wasted like that. He could have gotten a degree and had a better life. And he realized it himself but it was too late.