Hoop Dreams Page #14

I enjoyed my four years.

I mean, we had our run-ins, and, uh -

- Who had run-ins?

- Me and you.

- We did?

- Yeah. Like that time

you made me run 75 stairs.

- I never f-

- You never forgot that.

Never.

See, you should have been

happy and enthusiastic

about doing your punishment.

But someday

you're gonna learn that, uh...

everything that was done

was for your benefit.

So that you can come

back four years from now

and say, "Coach, you were right.

"Everything that happened

at St. Joe's helped me a lot...

and as a result I got a degree. '"

That's what I'm hoping for.

I'm going into communication...

so when you start asking for a donation,

I'll know the right way to turn you down.

I'm sure you'll never turn us down.

Ah.

I never really felt

that he bought into the system.

He was never convinced what he was

doing was the right thing to do.

But overall he had a good career-

not a great career.

It's never good-bye.

Could've been different

if the injury didn't occur.

But it did occur.

- And that was the big difference.

- I'm proud of what you did.

- Okay.

- I expect you to do a lot better.

I don't want this to be the-

- Yeah.

- You know, the highlight of your career.

You've got a lot of

bigger and better things to do.

I'll see you later.

Good luck.

Well...

another one walks out the door,

and another one comes in the door.

That's what it's all about.

It came through for me.

- Got the score I needed.

- All right.

And, hey...

I'm eligible.

You know, this is one

of the greatest feelings

in the world. That's about it.

I mean -

After five attempts,

William's composite score of 17.5...

is rounded up to 18...

and he can finally accept a scholarship

to play at Marquette.

I think my mom...

all through high school

really, really was proud of me.

She said, "Everybody's throwing

their dreams into you...

but you got to throw

your own dreams into yourself. '"

When I gave her the diploma

after the graduation...

she was, like,

"This is it, one of my proudest moments. '"

My baby graduated.

Curtis always wanted to go to Marquette...

and his grades weren't

good enough for him to go...

and now it's like

he got the grades, you know?

Excuse me, Curtis.

You gonna give anybody else a chance?

What two countries

are we competing with for world trade?

Before Arthur can graduate,

he must pass summer school.

And for the first time in three years,

Shannon isn't there with him.

The other country, of course, we said-

he thought he could sell drugs

and don't get caught, you know.

But he found out the hard way.

And I told him, while

he was doing all that -

I wasn't hanging with Shannon then.

I was like, man, "Shannon,

you should stop, man.

Stop doing that stuff."

We always said we weren't

gonna never do no stuff like that.

We were just gonna go on

and graduate and go on to college.

But, you know, he had to be the one.

One week before his graduation,

Arthur is robbed at gunpoint.

At first I thought he was gonna shoot me

because I didn't have no money.

'Cause he kept asking me, "You got -

You got some money. Where your wallet at?"

Be like, "What you driving

a car like this for?"

I was, like, "I ain't got no wallet."

And then, you know,

he grabbed me and stuff, and I was-

and I was about to panic and stuff,

and I just calmed down.

I sit down and had a long

talk with him and his sister.

Someone pulled a pistol on her

right down the street from the house.

I said, "Do you all

understand what is going on

out here in these streets today?'"

Even with me, when I was out there -

you know, out there strung out -

you know, I looked for somebody

that seemed like they had something.

Hmm. After this, I -

I - I'm ready.

I'm ready to leave.

'Cause there ain't no -

Everybody up here going to jail

or-or either in drugs.

Or dead.

James Davis.

Arthur Agee.

Please hold your applause

so everyone can hear.

Christine Bowman.

Erica Byrd.

Sandra Crockett.

I never thought he would

get to the place where he's at now.

Arthur's self-esteem

was really drained from St. Joseph's.

I said, "Well, you are somebody.

"No matter where you go,

it's what you have in your heart...

that you're gonna go somewhere. '"

Come on.

Move out of the way, boy.

Everybody out there, there's gonna be

a party tonight. There's

gonna be a party tonight.

You know it.

These flame-broiled burgers -

It's scary, man. I'm telling you.

I'm telling you the truth.

Scary generation, man.

- I thought you might

hit me in my head, fool.

- I didn't hit you in your head.

To my son.

I hope you pursue all your dreams

and your desires...

that you have within you.

I love you very much.

- Ooh, that is so nice.

- Whatever.

Oh, no.!

God, we thank you

for this day, Lord.

And we ask you to

go with junior, Lord.

And we thank you, Lord. Go with him

as he try to better his education, Lord.

And we thank you for him

for coming this far.

We came this far by faith, Lord.

And we ask you, Father,

when he get in college, Lord...

to keep him, Lord-

keep him protected.

We thank you for him, Jesus.

- In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

- Amen.

Oh, you can cry like a river, girl.

You're crying so bad,

I won't even make fun of you.

Oh, God.

- I'm gonna miss you.

- I'll miss you too.

I want you to be good, okay?

And don't, uh, get mixed up in

none of that old stuff that, uh, you know.

I done told you what to do.

Don't get no alcohol, no wine coolers.

None of that stuff.

Bye-bye.

I just hope he stay in there.

That's what worries me most.

Once he get in the door,

I want him to stay in there for four years.

Think he gonna make it?

You do?

I think he gonna make it.

Well, I hope so anyway.

When I was young-When I was little,

that's all I used to think about-the NBA.

If I set my mind, I can - I can go.

I can st - I can go.

Get in good college. I can go.

But if I don't, you know, I ain't gonna be

no drug dealer, you know...

cry about it,

come back and, you know...

stick up gas stations

or nothing like that, you know.

Probably go into comedian or architecture,

something like that.

You don't think that

you'll have the kind of

tough times like your

dad's been through?

No.

I can't say-I can't say that I will.

I can't say that I don't. I don't know.

Four years ago, that's all

I used to dream about

was playing in the NBA.

I don't really dream about it

like that anymore.

You know, even though...

I love playing basketball, but, you know...

I want to do other things

with my life too.

- Say, "hi, Daddy. '"

- Hi, Daddy.

- "how you doing?'"

- How you doing?

- Say, "I love you. '"

- I love you.

If I had to stop playing basketball

right now, I think I'd still be happy.

- I think I would.

- Thank you, Daddy.

- Where'd Daddy get to?

- Uh, Marquette.

Marquette?

That's why when

somebody say, you know...

"When you get to the NBA,

don't forget about me,

'"and all that stuff...

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