Hoop Dreams Quotes

William Gates: That's why when somebody say, "when you get to the NBA, don't forget about me", and that stuff. Well, I should've said to them, "if I don't make it, don't you forget about me."

William Gates: When I first went to St. Jo's, I really did eat, sleep, and drink basketball. That was all I did. But, it became more of a job than a sport to play.

Announcer: And now in his seventh All Star appearance, Isiah Thomas!

Self - Television Sports Commentator: My mother, God bless her, she's always said in America you can make something of your life.

Spike Lee: You have to realize... that nobody cares about you. You're black. You're a young male. All you're supposed to do is deal drugs and mug women. The only reason why you're here... you can make their team win. If their team wins, these schools get a lot of money. This whole thing is revolving around money.

William Gates: When I had some real problems, I couldn't go to none of them about it. You know, was havin' some problems with Catherine's family and my family and I said, you know, "Coach Pingatore, you know, they finally been gettin' on me about, you know, I'm not doin' this and I'm not doin' that," And the only thing Coach Pingatore said, "Write 'em off." That was ll he told me. And I was like, what kind of advise is that?

William Gates: Four years ago, that's all I used to dream about was playing in the NBA. I don't really dream about it like that anymore. You , know, even though I love playing basketball, but, you know, I want to do other things with my life, too... If I had to stop playing basketball right now, I think I'd still be happy. I think I would.

William Gates: That's something I dream and think about all the time, you know, playin' in the NBA.

Self - Arthur's Mother: He *dreams* about it. He look at those basketball commercials where they be advertising these Nike shoes and he'll tell - he'll tell his little smaller brother, "Joe, Joe, that's me."

Arthur Agee: I never been to a school way out before and I will be going to a school with different kids, different races.

Self - William's Brother: All these basketball dreams I had have gone. All I see, all my dreams is in him now. I want him to make it so bad, I don't know what to do.

Self - William's Mother: If he wants to play basketball and stuff, that was always okay. But, I was gonna make *sure* that all of 'em got through High School. A High School diploma was *very* important to me.

Self - Arthur's Father: I coulda been a good college player. I, mostly likely, I would've made it to the pros, you know. But, you know, once I had my son, I knew then somethin' was good was gonna come out of it. I think the talent was gonna be passed on.

Self - Arthur's Father: I just want Arthur to have *more*, you know, have a better life than what I had. I don't want him to experience the bad things that I went through in life, you know.

Arthur Agee: I just never been around a lot of white people before and it was different, because, at a black school, you know, I can associate with the people that was, you know, you know, they talk the way, I talk. It's a little hard, but, I - I can adjust to it.

Self - William's Brother: I'm used to everybody in the neighborhood lovin' me and knowin' how good I've been playin'. It just seemed like people looked up at Curtis Gates when I was the King of basketball. But, now, I'm just a regular ole guy on the street, now.

Self - High School Guidance Counselor: Comparing Marshall High School to St. Joseph, I don't think that there is any comparison. People can afford to send their children there. They can afford to put money into the school. Once they walk in those doors, they walk in there to get that diploma and to go onto college. Whereas, our students, if they get out of High School, a lot of them, it's an accomplishment.

Self - William's Brother: I know a whole lot about basketball. I guess, in so many words, I feel like I'm a pro at that in my mind.

Self - Arthur's Mother: You know, I say, "Man, you may not make it to the NBA." And he said, "Don't be keep on tellin' me things like that. That's just like showin' me you don't have - you don't have any trust in what I do." I said, "I do. But, don't just keep, you know, puttin' all - everything into this." He said, "Well, ain't nobody gonna take my dream away from me. That's what I wanna be and that's what I'm gonna do."

Self - Arthur's Mother: It's your dream. What can we do?

Self - Arthur's Mother: I was never raised on welfare. My mother and father both worked. We was cut off for three months. We was cut off completely with no income. So, therefore, do you know what happened? Our lights were cut off. Our gas were cut off. And we was sittin' in the dark. They had cut me off because I failed to meet an appointment. It hurt everybody in here. It changed everybody attitude, that you can have something today and it's gonna be gone tomorrow. So, you know what the system is sayin' to me? Do you know what it's sayin' to a lot of womens in my predicament? They don't care.

William Gates: It was just a big dream I done have.

William Gates: As soon as you don't tighten one screw, everything falls apart.

Self - High School Basketball Coach: He's a pretty smart kid. But, he does just enough to pass. Most of them that have come through here and have that type of attitude, usually ends up in the streets talkin' about they used to play for Marshall and if they'd a gone to class, they coulda gone to any school they wanted to, you know. This is just somebody standin' on a street corner talkin'. Tryin' to find a job and can't find a job, that kind of thing. And this is where he's headed, really.

William Gates: It was like my injury was makin' him look bad. I always felt that Curtis should not be livin' his dream through me.

Self - Arthur's Father: [singing] I've had my good days, I've seen some bad days, I've had my ups and downs, And, Lord, I've been turned around...

Self - Indiana University Head Basketball Coach: There aren't very many kids, at any level, including the NBA, that really understand what basketball is all about.

Juwan Howard: Hey, Mom.

Self - Arthur's Mother: He's a great kid. And some kids don't live to this age, you know. That's another thing to be proud about. That, you know, it's his eighteenth birthday, he lived and to get to see eighteen, that's good.

Self - High School Basketball Coach: Remember, think about the ballgame on the way to the game.

William Gates: Basketball is my ticket out of the ghetto.

Self - Arthur's Mother: You gave me that belief in myself. You really inspired me to go on. Not just stop right here, but, go further. And people told me I wasn't going to be anything.

Self - Talent Scout: I've got a bitter taste in my mouth about a lot of things that have happened. A lot of people accuse me of taking youngsters out in the city and taking them out to St. Jo High School and they ask what did I get out of the deal. A lot of racial slurs and so forth from my own people, about me, about what I did. I still felt and feel that I was doin' the right thing for that particular time. Sometimes I have second thoughts when I see the net results of what happened with youngsters.

Self - Arthur's Mother: We bein' the underdog, I'm glad we are; because, then, it just show you how you can come up - and then you can beat your opponent.

Self - High School Basketball Coach: He's got a little ways to go, but, he's gonna get there. Hopefully he's got his head screwed on pretty good, you know, and, now, you know, he's gonna be on his own to do whatever. Hopefully he'll do it right.

Arthur Agee: I just wanna go somewhere I'm gonna play. I can get the grades. I love basketball.

William Gates: Coach Pingatore had these dreams in head. He just wanted me to go the same route he took Isiah... Basketball was just like - he was possessed with it. You know, it was his life. And he wanted it to be everybody else's life too.

Self - High School Basketball Coach: You should have been happy and enthusiastic about doing your punishment. But, someday you're gonna learn, that everything that was done was for your benefit. So, you can come back four years from now and say, "Coach, you were right."

Self - High School Basketball Coach: Well, another one walks out the door, another one comes in the door. That's what its all about.

William Gates: I think my Mom, all through High School, really, really was proud of me. She said, "Everybody's throwin' their dreams into you; but, you got to throw you're own dreams into yourself."

Arthur Agee: I'm ready. I'm ready to leave. Cause, you know, everybody up here is goin' to jail or in them drugs - or dead.

Self - Arthur's Mother: [toast] To my son, I hope you pursue all your dreams and your desires that you have within you. Love you, very much.

ACT Tutor: If you're just out right guessing, if a monkey took this test, and you trained him just to do "b's" and "c's" - he probably would get more right than if he picked "a's" and "d's".

Self - William's Mother: You think he gonna make it? You do? I think he gonna make it. Oh, I hope so, anyway.

Arthur Agee: When I was young, when I was little, that's all I used to think about, the NBA.