[...]... through the hoop Introduction It was early January 1998, and Tamarra, my stepdaughter, and I had just finished practice with the Northeast High School girls’ basketball team Before leaving the school we decided to hang around to watch the middle school boys’ team play The game was being played in the gymnasium at Northeast High School It had been arranged by administrators at the high school and middle school. .. live the American dream of a “good life” through basketball Such hoop dreams have consumed the lives of many young men, including basketball prodigies like William Gates and Arthur Agee, whose lives and careers were the subject of the highly acclaimed 1994 documentary Hoop Dreams Unlike Hoop Dreams’s story of two elite players, Living Through the Hoop focuses on how average players like the Northeast... mobility In chapter 7, The Dirty Trick,” I tie the book’s implicit and explicit themes together to reveal the complicity that coaches, parents, schools, and mass media share in driving the young men into the saturated arena of athletics I then expose the central byproduct that the Knights experience from their participation in boys’ high school basketball Finally, I expand the scope of the book to encompass... that I proceed to explore the almost spiritual bond between the men and young men of Northeast and the sociocultural significance of basketball and athletics more generally —to those who live, play, and watch hoop 1 A Look Through the Hoop Mama, just go back up in the stands This is between me and my coach! I was anxious as we passed through the metal detector and entered the gymnasium Not only was... Forest County came out of the huddle, they set up with a player at half court and the other three players close to the basket Our defenders covered the players close to the basket to prevent the easy pass inside A Look Through the Hoop 13 All the players for both teams were in position My stomach began to churn as the referee handed the ball to the Raider standing out of bounds As the Forest County player... Rockgate and went to William Ford Middle School, one of two feeder schools for Northeast High School William Ford Middle was about twenty minutes from the high school, and the other feeder school, Northeast Middle, was just five blocks away Consequently, William Ford Middle was not as socially or athletically connected to the high school as Northeast Middle Harry was concerned that his middle school team... your damn press breaker and protect the ball,” Benson commanded “When we get down on our end we going to hold the ball and run spread We’ll get the ball to Clifton for the last shot.” The boys nodded silently and then returned to the court Clifton stepped out of bounds and threw the ball in to Larique Larique waited for the defense to clear, and then he began dribbling the ball up the court 10-9-8-7 seconds... Finally, Living Through the Hoop could not have been completed without the young and adult men whose lives were its subject Although I cannot thank them individually for all they have done, I am grateful to them for sharing their time, love for the game of basketball, and intimate aspects of their lives They have taught us much about sport, society, and self Preface It was the fourth quarter and we... Through the Hoop, ” I describe the social world of the Northeast Knights, painting a picture of a basketball team with players who are considered average within the broader context of high school basketball I provide an overview of the kinds of players that play for the Knights, the community and school contexts in which the young men play and live, and the relationships among coaches, players, and parents... to rear their children in these neighborhoods Despite the tension created by deviance at the high school, many students participated in, or were supportive of, the school s extracurricular academic and sports programs These programs were well established and provided a source of pride for the Northeast community The notoriety of the school for its athletic success is in no small part due to the accomplishments . alt="" Living Through the Hoop