Issues In Hoop Dreams

The documentary Hoop Dreams tells of two young athletes, Arthur Agee and William Gates, as they navigate high school intending to become professional basketball players and possibly making it into the NBA. While originally both teenagers are enthusiastic about playing basketball for a living, viewing it as the most fun thing in the world, numerous challenges and setbacks make them realize that becoming a basketball star is much more complex and difficult than they could have ever imagined. Despite facing severe financial issues and injuries, as well as struggling to earn good grades in the classroom, both Arthur and William refuse to give up in the face of adversity, and persist in their dreams to resolve these obstacles and become successful

His family lived in extreme poverty, with his mother, Sheila Agee, having to work hard in multiple jobs to raise Arthur and his siblings on meager money. At one point, the welfare of $350 a month that his family relied upon was cut after Sheila Agee missed an appointment, leading the entire family to have to spend multiple weeks without any gas or electricity. However, the largest financial setback that Arthur Agee faced was after he applied to St. Joseph’s High School, a school that he believed would propel him to become a basketball star, as his idol Isiah Thomas had been. After a few years of going to this school, Arthur was forced to drop out, as his family was unable to pay the fees required for tuition. St. Joseph’s also withheld Arthur’s transcript until his family paid the fees, further jeopardizing his high school career and his future as a basketball player. Despite these challenges, Arthur persevered and continued to pursue his education at Marshall High School. This wasn’t easy, however, as Arthur’s guidance counselor explains, “Once they walk in those doors (St. Joseph’s), they walk in there to get

After playing in the St. Joseph’s basketball team for several years, as well as receiving multiple scholarships to continue his education without any worry of the cost, William faced a knee injury during his junior year that severely damaged his reputation in the school, as he was no longer able to play for a large portion of the basketball season. This was a damaging blow to his basketball career, as William was forced to miss a number of important games that put both him and his school behind in the state rankings. As if this wasn’t enough, William also struggled outside of the basketball court, having difficulties with getting the minimum ACT score of 18 required for a scholarship at Marquette University. William refused to give up, however, taking and retaking the exam as well as utilizing help from tutors. After more than five failed attempts, he managed to score a 17.5 on the exam, which was rounded up to an 18, barely earning him the scholarship in time. William Gates eventually attended and graduated from Marquette University, pursuing a degree in communications while also playing in three of the school’s basketball seasons. Despite William’s successes, however, the challenges that he went through at St. Joseph’s would continue to shape his life. Gates recounts,