Hoop Dreams made #26 on my favorite movies of the '90s list, but I think I only watched it the one time (twice at most) since its length and somewhat depressing nature didn't exactly lend itself to repeated viewings. But it was a great film as far as I can remember and quite moving. I certainly hoped that the young stars of the documentary - William Gates and Arthur Agee -- were able to find success in their lives in the years after high school, when their "hoop dreams" failed them - Gates with a serious knee injury and Agee without quite enough talent to get a college scholarship. Unfortunately, a Chicago Tribune feature on the duo some 14 years after the film was released doesn't exactly paint a rosy picture. Gates has been more successful, serving as a minister in the Cabrini section of Chicago, where he lives with his wife and four children, the oldest of which is a teenager himself (as Gates was at the start of filming in 1989). Agee doesn't have a steady job and is unmarried, but lives with his girlfriend in Bartlett, a northwest suburb of Chicago, and their 8-month old son. He also has four other children with four other women, who each live with their mother. Agee played basketball longer -- getting an offer for a CBA contract as late as 1996, but has not embarked on any kind of steady career since then. His latest effort involves selling "Hoop Dreams" merchandise. Two other important characters from the film -- Gates's brother Curtis and Agee's father Bo were both murdered in recent years, the former in 2001, the latter in 2004. In trials for their murders, suspects were eventually acquitted. It's definitely a sad ending, and a sadly realistic one, chronically the lives of great young athletes who are among the 99% unable to fulfill their dreams of professional sports contracts, many from inner-city backgrounds where pro sports seem like the only chance of escape. In this case, neither young man has "escaped," although both -- especially Gates -- seem happy with their lives and perhaps don't see any need to escape anymore. Hell, I never escaped New Jersey and I'm not complaining about it. Anyway, read the articles linked above if you're interested. Very compelling stuff.
Agee from the film...
Gates greeting his parishioners...
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