well, the odds are against it, frankly. my hometown is a sweaty mississippi city—post-hurricane katrina population near 65,000—with a history as undeniable as the warm gulf waves that wash over its white-sand beaches. confederate president Jefferson Davis chose the region for his post-civil war home more than 130 years ago; a black man was lynched there on a bridge in 1922; barely one-fifth of the residents have a college degree; and the median income is nearly 20 percent less than the rest of the country.
the black proletariat of the city know it, most famously, for its railroad tracks which separate the haves from the have-nots. tree canopies hang like teardrops over shotgun houses, and crumpled concrete sidewalks are littered with drug dealers and all sorts of “unsavory types” in the neighborhoods we called “home.”
so our escape was usually via television, mostly: yea, we wanted to “be like mike,” but he was too distant to be any kind of realizable dream for us. however, as a freshman at Gulfport High, i remember how palpable the excitement was for our own MJ, both a local legend and national “star.” his hope was more proximate than michael jordan’s; he was someone we knew as a kid athletic prodigy, the great hope for young black youths in a city where hope was scarce. those who saw him develop from a youth basketball standout and into a high school star marveled at his abilities. he’d score 30, 40, 50 points a night, set all sorts of records, lead his team to championships, and he became the best high school basketball player in mississippi—arguably the best in the state’s history.
later, he would leave Gulport High and go on to LSU, becoming the highest scoring freshman of all-time in the NCAA (963 points) before turning pro with a seeming bright future ahead…we all followed his career; he was our pride and joy…he still is, in many ways…the only person who depicted for us that “escape” was possible…who is he? well, we knew him as Chris Jackson, then. His name now, though, is Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf….who is he? well, he’s the muslim-convert-greatest-basketball-player that you’ll probably never know…
can anything good come from Gulfport? i can’t answer that with certitude, but you certainly helped us to believe that something could, Mahmoud…and though i now reside on the east coast, i recall quite vividly your inspiration…
doubtless, though, there will be one who will read this and say “yeah, of course, CVT, you’d think he was that good; you’re biased.” well, when you get a moment, look for yourself at some footage from his college and erratic NBA career.
at LSU:
in just 10 secs — of one of the “sickest” moves you’ll ever see:
can anything good come from Gulfport? yeah, the greatest athlete that you’ll never know…
(for the latest info on Mamoud Abdul-Rauf [Chris Jackson] you may follow this link.)
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April 6, 2008 at 11:09 pm
[...] publicly introspective: random thoughts, dilatory dialogues wrote an interesting post today on can anything good come from Gulfport?Here’s a quick excerpt” well, when you get a moment, look for yourself at some footage from his college and erratic NBA career…. [...]