THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 11, 1995 TAG: 9502140495
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 90 lines
THERE ARE MORE than a few defining moments in ``Hoop Dreams,'' but one near the conclusion of the acclaimed documentary gets right to its heart.
``All my friends tell me, `Don't forget about me when you make it to the NBA,' '' says William Gates. ``I tell them, `If I don't make it, don't you forget about me.' ''
At one time, Gates and Arthur Agee never doubted that they would reach basketball's top rung. It was their ticket out of the ghetto. ``Hoop Dreams'' follows the Chicago prospects over 4 1/2 years, from the time when they are recruited by an exclusive Roman Catholic high school with a pedigreed basketball program to their freshman year in college.
Although it looks at a system that is often unfair and uncaring, the film is about more than basketball. It's a candid, often touching drama about the reality of the American Dream.
That point wasn't lost on Kenny Inge and Brian Bersticker.
``You can't put everything on basketball. You have to have something else,'' said Inge, an agile 6-foot-7 1/2-inch forward averaging 16 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots a game for Atlantic Shores Christian School, one of the top private schools in the state.
``I'm just like them (Gates and Agee) - I want to get to the NBA. But if I don't, it's all well as long as I get into school and get my education. My mom tells me to just play really hard, because if I don't do anything else, at least I'll have a free education.''
The 16-year-old junior visited U.Va. and Clemson University earlier this year.
Playing mostly as a reserve, Bersticker, a 6-9 sophomore center, is averaging 6.5 points and six rebounds in his first varsity season at Kempsville High. He won't visit any campuses until next year, but his coach already has received a letter from Duke.
``Basketball is a big part of life for me,'' he said. ``It's not just that I love to play; it's like if you have a lot of stress, you can always go out in the front yard and shoot hoops. It takes your mind off life.''
Both are soft-spoken young men. They gave ``Hoop Dreams'' points for authenticity, laughing at footage of players running wind sprints, getting chewed out by their coaches and sorting through stacks of recruiting letters. They also saw something in the mostly well-meaning intentions of Agee's and Gates' families and friends.
``People in the crowds are always telling you what to do,'' said Bersticker, 15. ``I mean, helpful hints you can catch once in a while.
``There's a lot of pressure; living up to others' expectations and stuff like that. If you don't, they'll just forget about you. You might have all the press for a couple of weeks, but if you have one off game, they just write you off.''
The story, though, takes some unexpected twists. Family crises arise. Agee is tossed out of St. Joseph's when his game is slow to develop; his parents are told it is because of overdue tuition. Injuries sidetrack Gates' career; still, he's invited to the Nike All-America camp attended by the nation's top college coaches. It is Agee, though, who realizes another shared dream - leading his underdog inner-city high school to the state tournament.
And both struggle in the classroom: On his fifth try, Gates scores high enough on his aptitude test to accept a scholarship to Marquette University. Agee enrolls at a junior college in rural Missouri.
Grades. Inge and Bersticker are asked almost daily if they are studying as hard as they practice.
``That's all the coaches ask: `How are the grades? How are the grades?' '' Bersticker said, laughing. ``There's an open relationship, I think, between coaches and the players. If a player has something wrong, he can go talk to the coach. At least, that's how I feel it is with my coach. I can tell him anything, even if I don't want anybody else to know. That's cool.''
``In my ninth-grade year, when I was playing JV, my grades weren't right, so I got pulled off the team,'' Inge said. ``I was about to die. Ever since then, when I transferred into Atlantic Shores, the teachers are always on me about keeping my grades up.''
Hampton Roads' high school basketball season ends in a couple of weeks. Atlantic Shores has a tournament in Delaware coming up and then will be playing in the state tournament. This summer, Inge will be traveling with his AAU team; attending a camp is a possibility.
It's a long way of saying he doesn't expect much of an off-season rest.
``I'll still be playing ball,'' he said. ``That's all I do: basketball, homework, sleep. That's it.'' MEMO: Staff writer Rich Radford contributed to this story. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by Peter D. Sundberg
Kenny Inge...Brian Bersticker...
Color photo
"Hoop Dreams" is playing at the Naro...
by CNB