my hoops playing days
 

...................




I know this falls into the who cares category
but I felt I had to post it somewhere - so I'm expecting bashing and ignoring
I'm 100% cool with that

hoops leaves me with bittersweet memories

basketball was everything to me between ages 13 and 20
in the summers, in 90-100 degree heat, I was at the playgrounds for around 6 hours every single day

this was in the DC area - in and around DC - I learned a very lot from the black players. they were way ahead of the game

I was somewhat unusual because at just 5'9" - I couldn't dunk - because I couldn't palm the ball - but I could go about 6" over the rim. now - that is nothing - even for a player that size - the players have evolved so much - but back then it was impressive to many

I did very well in h.s. - 18 p.p.g. my junior year
I badly wanted to play major college ball
but I'm only 5'9" - and I only got recruited by small colleges
major colleges wanted 6'4" guards

I know, and everybody who knew me knew that I could have competed at that level - not saying I would have started or been a star

it still hurts that I didn't get that chance when I think about it, as I'm sure disappointments have hurt many other hoopsters

I ended up playing 2 years for a small college - one freshmen and one varsity
back then freshmen were not allowed to play varsity

the team and the program sucked and after 2 years I transferred and my playing days were over

my claim to fame:

even though we were a small college Pitt was on our schedule
I had a 3 point play on Billy Knight, an All American and ABA and NBA all star
the funny thing is: he didn't foul me - he didn't even touch me - just got close - but the ref called it

it isn't much to brag about but it's the best I have

I don't know what was in the schedule makers minds - but every year they seemed to enjoy watching us get crushed by Pitt and Penn State - it was humiliating - my high school team could have easily beaten my college team - it was a college of only 3,000 students



when I think of hoops, I think of all the great players I saw and played with, who were much better than me, who just couldn't get to the NBA - the NBA was Supermen

their careers were over at age 21 - kind of sad

but still, they were great
back then, playing pro ball overseas was not a big option like it is now


a good thing about hoops for me was that it sharpened my competitive juices - and that is what carried me into profitability as an AP in blackjack


the website sports-reference.com makes a separate web page for every NCAAB player - back in the day when I played it was all NCAA - there were no divisions - now they only do it for Division 1 players

so they made a web page about me with my unimpressive college stats

sometimes I look at that web page and I think of all the good times

and sometimes I look at that web page and I think to myself........"it was all just a waste of time"







note: the 2 greatest players I got to scrimmage with on DC area playgrounds:


Elgin Baylor and Austin Carr - both are from DC


and no, I'm not trying to say I was in their league
but I got to be on the same court with them


Baylor was overweight and wasn't really playing seriously

but Austin Carr was

he was totally unstoppable - he could score at will
might as well not even bother to try to stop him



*

That's way cool!
Congratulations!

You actually have a history!

This was an enjoyable read.
:ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

thanks Dave



*

i never knew this until today, but i heard on the news that Patrick Ewing is the head coach for Georgetown.. i somewhat lived through the year when Georgetown won the National Championship, and i had followed him in his high school career. he was a nice kid too.

yeah, Georgetown is struggling a little bit - they're 7-9 in their conference
but last night they upset no. 14 Villanova

Georgetown has high expectations for its basketball teams
they recently fired John Thompson's son for having losing records

but they love Ewing at Georgetown

he will probably survive even if he doesn't produce winners




John Thompson was another guy I knew a little bit from DC playgrounds
he's also from DC
I don't dispute he was a great coach
but I have nothing nice to say about him - his personality left a lot to be desired



*

Good to see another DC-area player. :ThmbUp:

I had kind of a crazy basketball life (kind of like my mental state, and life in general :lol:)

I'm 42yo, 6'9" and I've had an aortic dissection, and 3 open-heart surgeries. Also tough for me to type much without it being a looonggg story or a look-at-me thing.

Played on and off the court with some pros in the NFL and NBA and some guys who went to jail that were on that on that same level.


-share one crazy story - I was 16 or 17? and a guy saw me play and convinced me to get in his van and take a ride. I'm checking him out, and I don't have any money, and I'm not dealing with a weirdo... anyway turns out that the middle-aged gentleman is a janitor and an out-of-work youth coach, - and he drives me to David Falk. :D MJs agent. Kind of awkward, but I guess? a fun memory to have. Next thing I knew I was playing on a Jewish school. I was stupid and didn't like that I was getting the ball every play, and felt awkwardly tall. I had no 'game' in life at that time. Turned it down.

Have a lot of stories, some good some bad. :ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

Yea he had a good side and a bad side. Good coach.

We idolized Georgetown at that time in the '80s. ~1988 (9 years old?) I was getting on a 'Metro' train and Charles Smith (a popular point guard at that time) must have just got off the train or walked by. A crowd gathered, and was saying his name "Charles Smith!" and my stepfather grabbed me until the doors closed.

I was so upset, and my stepfather thought it was 'Little Charles", a local drug dealer :bang: :D.

fun stuff to look back on.

I was the same way with Baseball.

From 10-19 yr of age I played on some team, somewhere and a few all-star type traveling teams.

On one team I played in my 18 yr old summer we had a bad ass shortstop who several scouts came to see in our last game.

It was a barn burner right down to the last out.

I had the greatest game of my life. I hit a home run (very rare for me) out at 418 center field and turned multiple double plays (I played 2nd base) it was easy with a great shortstop.

I went 4-5 with 2 doubles on top of the home run. Hit a single and stole 2nd and 3rd base. They came to see him but saw me too.

I got invited with him to a St. Louis Cards tryout a month later. It was in Indianapolis. 2 hours from my home.

I lasted two hours. After two hours and timed wind sprints they posted a list of guys who were staying. Out of about 200 guys 40 stayed. I remember a guy who was there kind of helping out, ended up playing for the Cardinals. Tommy Herr. He was a 2nd basemen. I watched him run in sprints and field some balls and turn some double plays before they started with us regular guys. I knew I was toast after watching him. It was my first lesson in "class ratings"

My shortstop guy who didn't think to offer me a ride....... got sent home too.....his dad was pissed...:D

I think one good 'elbow' would put me in the hospital. Can't run or play now, but once in a while I will pick up a ball or a bat.

https://i.ibb.co/SwQYCMG/hoop-dreams.jpg

Sounds like you must have been a good hitter.

I would have sold my soul to Satan in a minute to be 6'9"............................(~:\


I think will enjoy this link
it's about playground basketball in DC
it's the best article on playground basketball I've ever seen
the author is a very gifted writer




https://www.washingtonpost.com/archi...-1e3451b0f710/




I hope all goes well for you with your medical issues


*

Great story, very well told!

Definitely not in the "who cares" category. :ThmbUp::ThmbUp:

thank you guy




*

Definitely glad I decided to read. :ThmbUp:


-jp

.