“Hoop Dreams” is about two inner city African American boys who are accepted into St. Joseph’s high school. St. Joseph’s is a school made of mostly suburban white students. William Gates and Arthur Agee are soon surrounded by people of different races, class and education. When we first meet them they are only 14 years old and both William and Arthur have dreams of being in the NBA. William lives with his older brother and single mother. His brother had dreams of being in the NBA when he was Williams’s age and now he is pinning his dreams on William. William goes to a basketball summer camp where he is surrounded by mostly white people. When he goes there his coach tells them that they want the best players and that it’s all about who can make them more money. When he goes to St. Josephs he realizes that everyone is more educated than he is. He starts out with a 4th grade reading level. Arthur lives with his mother and father. His father strongly believes that Arthur is going to make it in life and be in the NBA. Arthur lives in a little rougher neighborhood than William does. Arthur’s father also got addicted to crack cocaine and started to abuse Arthur’s mother. Arthur is also recruited into St. Joseph high school. Both Arthurs and William meet coach Pingatore at St. Joseph’s high school and he seems to believe in both of the boys and is willing to help them. William does better in basketball than Arthur and also adapts better to the school. He was improving his grades and basketball skills. Arthur wasn’t doing as good in basketball and his grades were slipping. He then was kicked out of the school and owed them $1,500. Arthur said “I've just never been around a lot of white people, but I can adjust” it was hard for both of them to be around rich white kids. Both families were struggling with money problems. Arthurs mom said she was happy to see that he made it to be 18, like it was unlikely for a child in their neighborhood to live to that age. They had a lot riding on their backs. They had to maintain good grades and be good at basketball or they would be worthless and kicked out. William faced a different problem because he got a knee injury. He was then unable to play. Arthur now attending college is living in a dorm where all but one of the black basketball players live. Since they can’t afford much they are all put in that house together. They bond together because of issues such as race, money and morals. William now graduating from St. Josephs tells Coach Pingatore what his plans are for college saying he wants to go into communications. Coach replies by saying when yoi ask for donations I’ll know the right way to turn you down. He didn’t believe that the two boys could be anything other than basketball players. This shows how race comes into play because the coach doesn’t have hopes for African American students unless it’s about basketball. Now, William is married with children and he is a leader of a church. His brother was shot down since the movie and is now dead. Arthur now has five different children with five different women. He also didn’t make his dreams of becoming a basketball player but he however played semiprofessional basketball. His father was also shot down and killed. Both made good money from Hoop Dreams but none of them has grown rich from the movie.
“Hoop Dreams” is about two inner city African American boys who are accepted into St. Joseph’s high school. St. Joseph’s is a school made of mostly suburban white students. William Gates and Arthur Agee are soon surrounded by people of different races, class and education.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first meet them they are only 14 years old and both William and Arthur have dreams of being in the NBA. William lives with his older brother and single mother. His brother had dreams of being in the NBA when he was Williams’s age and now he is pinning his dreams on William. William goes to a basketball summer camp where he is surrounded by mostly white people. When he goes there his coach tells them that they want the best players and that it’s all about who can make them more money. When he goes to St. Josephs he realizes that everyone is more educated than he is. He starts out with a 4th grade reading level.
Arthur lives with his mother and father. His father strongly believes that Arthur is going to make it in life and be in the NBA. Arthur lives in a little rougher neighborhood than William does. Arthur’s father also got addicted to crack cocaine and started to abuse Arthur’s mother. Arthur is also recruited into St. Joseph high school.
Both Arthurs and William meet coach Pingatore at St. Joseph’s high school and he seems to believe in both of the boys and is willing to help them. William does better in basketball than Arthur and also adapts better to the school. He was improving his grades and basketball skills. Arthur wasn’t doing as good in basketball and his grades were slipping. He then was kicked out of the school and owed them $1,500. Arthur said “I've just never been around a lot of white people, but I can adjust” it was hard for both of them to be around rich white kids. Both families were struggling with money problems. Arthurs mom said she was happy to see that he made it to be 18, like it was unlikely for a child in their neighborhood to live to that age. They had a lot riding on their backs. They had to maintain good grades and be good at basketball or they would be worthless and kicked out. William faced a different problem because he got a knee injury. He was then unable to play.
Arthur now attending college is living in a dorm where all but one of the black basketball players live. Since they can’t afford much they are all put in that house together. They bond together because of issues such as race, money and morals. William now graduating from St. Josephs tells Coach Pingatore what his plans are for college saying he wants to go into communications. Coach replies by saying when yoi ask for donations I’ll know the right way to turn you down. He didn’t believe that the two boys could be anything other than basketball players. This shows how race comes into play because the coach doesn’t have hopes for African American students unless it’s about basketball.
Now, William is married with children and he is a leader of a church. His brother was shot down since the movie and is now dead. Arthur now has five different children with five different women. He also didn’t make his dreams of becoming a basketball player but he however played semiprofessional basketball. His father was also shot down and killed. Both made good money from Hoop Dreams but none of them has grown rich from the movie.