Arthur Agee

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Agee in his SlamBall days, c. 2003
Agee in his SlamBall days, c. 2003

Arthur "Man" Agee, Jr. (born October 22, 1972) was one of two Chicago-area high school basketball players whose lives were chronicled in the 1994 documentary, Hoop Dreams.

Agee is the second child and first son of Arthur "Bo" Agee Sr. and Sheila Agee. During his younger years he lived in a north side Chicago area near where the other star of Hoop Dreams, William Gates, lived. By the time the movie began filming, the Agees had moved to the West Garfield Park neighborhood, which would remain Agee's home until his graduation. Upon graduation from grammar school in 1987, he was discovered by part-time, unofficial talent scout Earl Smith. Smith convinced the Agees to send Arthur to St. Joseph's High School, a private, predominantly white suburban school. St. Joseph's is the same school that Arthur's childhood hero, Isiah Thomas, attended. Because the school was an hour and half from his home, Arthur had to wake up at around 5:30 AM each morning and take the train and buses to reach his destination.[1] Early on in his high school career, when his parents were unable to keep up with the school's payments, Agee was forced to leave St. Joseph's and instead attend John Marshall High School, an inner-city school. In his senior year, he helped the Marshall Commandos win the 1991 Public League Championship and finish third for the State Championship. Agee's high school was defeated by Manual High School (Peoria, Illinois) that was led by future NBA player Howard Nathan.

After graduating from Marshall, Agee starred at Mineral Area Junior College and went on to play for two years at Arkansas State (on a scholarship). He is a member of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity.

Although he never achieved his dream of playing in the National Basketball Association, Agee played in the IBA[[1]], and also played professional slamball. In 1996 Agee turned down a contract with the CBA's Connecticut Pride to take a role in the film Passing Glory.[2]

Today, Agee teaches the "Hoop Dreams" Curriculum, which encourages children to follow their dreams and get their education. He speaks at various public schools throughout the country each year.[2] In addition, he recently launched a 'Hoop Dreams' clothing line (slogan: Control Your Destiny).[3]

In 2004, his father, Arthur "Bo" Agee Sr., was murdered by gunshot in an alleyway while attempting to run from at least one robber.[4]

[edit] External links

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ ArthurAgee.com biography
  2. ^ ArthurAgee.com
  3. ^ Looking Back At Broken 'Dreams' (washingtonpost.com)
  4. ^ Father Of "Hoop Dreams" Star Slain