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HOOP DREAMS (TV)

Summary

This documentary focuses on the lives of two friends and high school basketball stars in Chicago, William Gates and Arthur Agee, who dream of becoming professional players one day. The two players' personal, athletic, and academic lives are chronicled during four years of high school. Highlights include the following, among others: Arthur's introduction to Earl Smith, an unofficial talent scout who knew Arthur was a great raw talent; Arthur's tryout with legendary coach Gene Pingatore at St. Joseph's Catholic School, the alma mater of NBA All-Star Isaiah Thomas; Arthur's surprise by Thomas's appearance at the tryout; support that William received from his mother, Emma, and his older brother, Curtis, for his life-long dream; Arthur and William's three-hour commute to St. Joseph's during their freshman year; the way Arthur landed the starting point guard position on the freshman team; his opinion on the major difference between St. Joseph's and other schools; the way William won a starting position on the varsity team, which is ranked first in the state, earning him early invitations to colleges; their struggle to balance basketball with academics; the freshman team's second-place ranking and the varsity squad possible competition in championships; William's poor performance in the super-sectional finals, damaging St. Joseph's chances, until the third quarter; improvements in William's grades and a tuition increase in his sophomore year; Encyclopedia Britannica's financial gift to William; the struggle for Arthur's family to pay half the tuition; his father Bo's loss of employment, forcing Arthur to leave St. Joseph's mid-semester; his enrollment at Marshall Metro High School and loss of a semester of credits; his experience playing off-the-bench on Marshall's junior varsity team; the way Arthur's mother, Sheila, lost her job and his father left the family after twenty years of marriage; William's stellar performance during the season; an easy shot that William missed, costing St. Joseph's the game; the return of Arthur's father, who is strung out on drugs; William's collection of letters from colleges during his junior year; the knee injury that William incurred during practice, and the consequences for him; Arthur's position on the Marshall varsity team under coach Luther Bedford; Sheila Agee's decision to go on welfare; William's experiences with slow knee rehabilitation and becoming a father at the same time; the way his grades dropped since the injury; his ACT scores, which may be too low to earn a college scholarship; the way Arthur suffered through Marshall's worst season in twenty years; the reason William played in the season's last home game, despite the pain; two free throws in the sectional finals that William missed, costing the team the game; William's handling of the surgery, performed by the Chicago Bulls' team doctor; the return of Arthur's father after his jail time and drug rehabilitation; the reason Arthur may not graduate on time, despite going to summer school twice; William's performance at the prestigious Nike All-American Camp under the watchful eyes of a large group of college coaches; the way his knee buckled while playing his best game; the flow of college recruitment letters for William; his recruitment visit with Kevin O'Neill, head basketball coach at Marquette University; William's decision to sign the official letter of intent to attend Marquette; the way Arthur's family was cut off public aid after his eighteenth birthday; the change in Marshall's season since Arthur has been carrying the team; how he won a game for Marshall against a strong Chicago team; how William has been leading St. Joseph's all season, and coach Gene Pingatore's belief that they are not ready for playoffs; Arthur's failing grades in Spanish and science, two classes he must pass in order to graduate; the graduation of Arthur's mother from nursing assistant school, earning the highest grade in her class; Arthur's star status on Marshall's team; the way junior college coaches have been scouting Arthur; St. Joseph's loss of the first round of the playoffs and its impact on William, especially since he was benched at the start of the game for arriving late; Arthur's attempt to console William after the devastating loss; Arthur's playoff run and the junior college coaches watching him play; the way Marshall beat the odds, advanced to the city semi-finals, and faced the best public school in the city; Marshall's victory at the city finals and advancement to the Elite Eight Championship; a chat between William and Arthur after the city final game; Marquette's concerns that William will not receive the required score on his ACT exam to enter college; how, after a bout of nervousness, the Marshall team rode Arthur's performance to a first-round victory; Arthur's tremendous first half, his problems with the second half, and the way he fouled out of the game; how Arthur was named to the All-Tournament Team despite the loss; Arthur's decision to sign a letter of intent to play for Mineral Area Junior College in Missouri; William's thoughts about his career at St. Joseph's after winning the 1991 season MVP at the award presentation dinner; William's relief upon receiving a score on the ACT exam that makes him eligble to play basketball at Marquette; Arthur's graduation from high school after attending summer school for the third time; both players' feelings about leaving home to start college and pursue their dreams of playing professional basketball; and comments from unofficial scout Earl Smith on the ethics of early recruitment programs. Includes cameos by filmmaker Spike Lee and University of Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight.

Cataloging of this program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 1997.

Details

  • NETWORK: PBS
  • DATE: November 15, 1995 8:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 2:55:40
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: T:42842
  • GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Basketball; Blacks - Social conditions; Sports; African-American Collection - News/Talk
  • SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1995
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Gordon Quinn … Executive Producer
  • Catherine Allan … Executive Producer
  • Frederick Marx … Producer
  • Peter Gilbert … Producer
  • Steve James … Producer, Director
  • Laura Hoffman … Researcher
  • Bill Siegel … Researcher
  • Ben Sidran … Music by
  • Steve James … Narrator
  • Arthur Agee
  • Bo Agee
  • Sheila Agee
  • Luther Bedford
  • Alvin Bibbs
  • Dennis Doyle
  • Frank DuBois
  • Curtis Gates
  • Emma Gates
  • William Gates
  • Myron Gordon
  • Tim Gray
  • Shannon Johnson
  • Bobby Knight
  • Spike Lee
  • Kevin O'Neill
  • Gene Pingatore
  • Earl Smith
  • Isiah Thomas
  • Clarence Webb
  • Stan Wilson
  • Derrick Zimmerman