Hoops

       I was sitting on the stoop in front of the Grant when Paul comes by with Lenny and Joni. They got these tickets for the Nassau Coliseum. I was still thinking about Cal playing pro ball, and the truth was I wanted to tell someone. Not that I wanted someone to know about it so bad, but I just wanted to talk about it to somebody so   I could get it straight in my own mind. Then I had this thought that really knocked me out. I would take Mary-Ann over to see Cal, then maybe I would tell her, if she liked him. I went over to Paul's place and knocked on the door, and Freddie, Paul's brother, opened it."Mary-Ann home?" Yeah," he said. I went up stairs and got on the bed and started blowing in her ear. First she pulled the cover up over her ear, but I just pulled it away and started blowing in her ear again. I told her I wanted her to meet Cal.

Hoops

           We hit Lincoln Center with our bags and stuff and were looking around for Cal, and this white guy comes over and asks us were we the Alvin Ailey Dancers. "Yep," Ox said, "but only now we ain't going to be dancing in no alleys no more." The guy looked at Ox like he was crazy. We went over to Ninth Avenue and a school called Haaren. I had heard that Haaren had a pretty tough squad, but i had never been in  the place.We went into the visitors' locker room, and Cal told us to change.The locker room was pretty nice, too. "Hey, coach, where do we put our valuables?" Breeze asked. This guy, Matt Lee, got a strong ox and put it on the table and said that he'd lock it up until we had finished for the day. We didn't work any plays, we didn't work out any strategy, nothing. Just simple stuff like going after loose balls. Cal had us going after loose balls so much that anytime a ball would fall to the ground five guys would want to jump on it.

Hoops

          We got forms to sign and bring back the next day for the tournament. I haven't hung out with the guys in a long time or played basketball for awhile. Then one day Cal comes over I don't know who told him where I was staying unless Paul told him. I had to ask why he came over and he asked me why i wasn't on the basketball squad. Why the heck would you care. Well I would hate to see a guy as good as you throw something away it all away. I have no clue what came over me but I tried to grab him and he twisted my arm and put me against the wall. "You wanna try that again" Cal said. "Do me a favor and just get out of here" I said. Then he split. I was really mad. I wanted to punch something so bad I could taste it. So I remember the Johnnie Walker under the bed I was going to get so drunk i couldn't remember my own name. When I went under the bed to grab some i found out that it was all gone from Harrison. I picked up an ashtray and threw at the wall as hard as I could.

Hoops

         The next morning Harrison had me cleaning the rooms with him and listning to alot of guff about how hard he had it when he was my age. He wanted to know where I kept my stash from the booze truck. I told him don't worry about it he gave me a weird look.So I went to Mary-Ann's house I've know her and her brother Paul for mostly all my life. Later I went back over to the Grant to get my sneakers. I heard we were looking for some players for some kind of tournament. I went to the gym and theres a bunch of guys hanging around. Paul and Ox were there watching some guys play five-two for quarters. When I get there this west Indian cat tells everybody to get together. "Okay, you guys are in the tournament." There are sixty-four teams in this tournament."Sixty-four teams!" Ox said. Ox is huge he is about six seven and weighs about two twenty and hes tough.

Hoops

         My name is Lonnie Jackson im 17 years old and I love basketball. I live in Harlem New York. I live in a hotel which i also work in. I was bored so I went outside and went to play basketball in the park. I started shooting and I found this guy who was laying on the court so I kicked him and told him to get up. He pulled a blade out and put it in my face and he started singing 'I really hate you cause your feets to big'. So I just said 'leave' and he left. I shot hoops until I couldn't shoot any more. Then i went to the track and ran laps until the sky started turning gray.