Triumph over Tragedy

Respect

"Ignorant and mad young...wanted to be the one..."

Raekwon - Can It Be All So Simple

I covered the Sixers/Celtics game last week for an interview with Kevin Garnett, and two things dawned on me...KG is one of the best players in the league, and Rasheed Wallace is back wearing number 30 again.

Back to the Basics

Watching 'Sheed play for the C's was interesting. The main reason why is because I'm not a Boston fan, however I had a feeling of joy watching him play. Wallace has been one of my favorite players since his days at Simon Gratz H.S.

His passion, intelligence, and dexterity make him a tough opponent. He has worn #30 for years, and it wasn't until a trade from Portland to Atlanta that he switched up, and then again while a member of the Detroit Pistons. The more things change the more they stay the same, and seeing that number in a Celtics jersey made me think of Len Bias.

Bias was drafted by Boston in 1986, and a few days later he died from drug use. He was one of the best players in college basketball history and had he suited up and played, 30 would have been his jersey of choice.

After the game I caught up with Head Coach Doc Rivers, and Rasheed Wallace...here is the final score on our conversation:

AG: Len Bias would have worn the number 30 had he played with the Celtics, your thoughts coach?

Doc Rivers: I didn't know that...with Rasheed picking that same number...I don't think that was intended, but it is interesting, and its great, and we're all for that.

AG: Talk about 'Sheed and what he brings to the team:

Doc Rivers: He's great for our team...you can see that. He gives us fight, he gives us energy, he's been terrific!

AG: Talk about Len Bias:

Wallace: He would have worn 30, and I remember watching him play down in the ACC with Maryland...smashing Carolina, smashing [Georgia] Tech...you know its unfortunate what happened to him. I think he would have been, definitely a trend setter as far as power forwards go in this league, you know he would have set that bar, and its unfortunate what happened.

AG: Talk about the number:

Wallace: Definitely it's cool to share the number, but I don't think about it like that...I think about it more from my point of view, wearing it in high school, where it all started at.

Photo: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images

They Reminisce Over You

Life after death

25th and Diamond - North Philly

The final season

"I reminisce for a spell, or shall I say think back, 22 years ago to keep it on track. The birth of a child on the 8th of October, a toast...when my granddaddy became sober...count all the fingers and toes, now I suppose you hope the little black boy grows..."

CL Smooth - T.R.O.Y.

I tape segments for BET News once a week in DC. This past Thursday, I extended an invitation to my friend from Temple University to tag along with me. He had never been to the nation’s capital before so I figured it would be a good experience for him. On our trip back to Philadelphia (after a trip to Chick-fil-A), we were talking about basketball, and I mentioned Hank Gathers. His face was expressionless, so I then asked if he knew who Len Bias was. This time was no different, his disposition stayed the same. I then took a moment to drive from 19th and Norris Streets, over to 25th and Diamond, to teach him about two of the greatest basketball players to ever play the game. I remember my brother dedicating a reverse lay-up to Len Bias in 1986, and when Gathers died four years later, I can recall watching one of my middle school classmates cry during roll call. I’ll never forget that moment, as I didn’t know either of these men personally, but through what they have achieved with a basketball, I was able to have a connection with them. Hank was from North Philly, and even though he played collegially on the west coast, we knew who he was, and what he meant not only to the sport, but also to our community.

Eric “Hank” Gathers is and forever will be the game of basketball, the game that he helped to make great. He was born in North Philadelphia and raised along the long shadows cast down by the Ramon Rozen Housing Projects; he learned the nuances of life from his mother Lucille. However it was at 25th and Diamond streets where he would experience the lessons of sports. Be it outside or within the legendary confines the Moreland Recreation Center, games were played and a young Eric Gathers became the man-child everyone knew and loved named HANK.

Many players have honed their skills at the Moreland Rec. Essentially its basketball holy ground having hosted the likes of Wilt Chamberlain, Guy Rogers, Hal Lear, Sonny Hill, Gathers, and his childhood friend Dawn Staley. He gave his all to his family and to his craft. Ultimately he gave his life, as the 94-foot court was not only his sanctuary but also as his final resting place.

We were blessed to have him for 22-years, and the titles of father, son, brother, cousin, uncle, high school champion, high school MVP, and Collegiate Player of the Year, cannot even begin to describe him. Hank is remembered for love, ambition, and numerous amounts of very great things that he had and accomplished. A 50-foot mural of him, now adorns the former Moreland Rec. Center, as it was renamed the Hank Gathers Center. He is survived by his family, friends, the entire North Philadelphia, and all those who play the game.

Photos:  Sports Illustrated

                 AXG