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Reggie Bates Ricky Williams 2005
A STORY OF TWO GOOD BALL PLAYERS AND ONE WONDERFUL BASKETBALL HAVEN
By Michael Kosman
(Chicago, Il.) In our streetball series this year, we discovered not only a wonderful oasis for what this form of basketball is really all about, but also a couple young men who play this game at a high level. Yet they are more importantly exceptional young men before they are exceptional basketball players. The oasis we speak of is known as Hayes Drive, located at 63rd. and Lake Shore Drive, and the players we speak of are Reggie Bates and Ricky Williams.
All the Chicago ballers know Hayes. Its right along the Drive at 63rd. nestled into spacious Jackson Park. There are two courts side by side, and all the Chicago ballerplayers know which one of these courts is for them. Court A, closest to the lake, is for the first-class top-quality players. Court B is mainly for those who dream of one day playing on court A. The charm of this system is that these players are all family, many having played here for years, just like their fathers and grandfathers did. They may not all be related, and sometimes they are not one `happy' family, as arguments and near donnybrooks are common, but they are family. Also what happens at Hayes stays at Hayes. They police themselves expertly as some of the finest basketball in the city unfolds around them. Reggie and Ricky, two Court A players, are part of it.
We first encountered these guys during the magical run of Hubbard High School in 2002-2003. What a special year that was for a school known much more for football than basketball. They nearly took the city of Chicago Public League championship that year, and in a memorable game defeated a Shannon Brown led Proviso East team to advance to the Illinois Super-Sectionals. They came so close to city and state championships.
Ricky and Reggie are two of the reasons we enjoy so much covering street ball. These are the stars we covered in high school, but getting up close and personal is really not a good thing to do with players while in season and under the guidance of coaches and a system. Throw that out during summer and that's a good thing; now we get the chance to showcase these guys the way we like and the way they deserve. Ricky and Reggie shared their dreams and disappointments, and desires and hopes with us. Plus gave us a cool looking photo or two to display!
Reggie at 20 is a year older that Ricky. They bonded as friends while attending Hubbard and now are inseparable. Reggie at 6'5" and 185 lbs. is the bigger more dominant inside presence yet athletic and smooth with a soft touch in a big body. Ricky at 5'10" and 168 lbs. is the guy with the fast feet and decent shot making ability no matter what he's doing or who's in his face.
Both these guys are talkers, and they talk a lot of sense. They talk with a zeal and fervor, not only about basketball but about life. Reggie is a historian when it comes to hoops in this town. He knows all the players from the past and where they've gone or are still at, and what they've done or probably will do. He spits out this information with the demeanor of a college professor, calm and confidant in his awareness of facts. Ricky has a more uninhibited approach to speaking, kind of a let it come out as the way it really is style. It's passionate and unforced, yet presented in a educated and mature fashion. He probably gets that from his father, Nate Jr. who is a renowned conditioning expert and a director of the Sports Heaven Enhancement Clinic in Chicago. "My father made me dedicated to shooting and showed me all the tricks of the trade", he recently said. " He showed me to shoot a thousand jump shots a day from different locations on the court and work me out mostly in the sand, so I could feel better when I got on the concrete".
Reggie is D1! He is attending Howard University, a historical and highly respected member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Last year in his freshman season he came off the bench and was one of the MEAC's top sixth man, averaging double digits in points scored. He will be concentrating plenty on academics this season and will balance that with his desire to start on and star for the Bison. He remembers a game in the Chicago Public League playoffs against Marshall which he scored 37pts. as one of his most cherished basketball memories.
Ricky will be beginning his college career at Calumet University this fall, a NAIA college just outside of Gary Indiana. That's where this point/shooting guard will begin to put those shooting skills on display. He knows a area of opportunity will be some aspects of his ball handling, but a resolute determination to correct that and a solid work ethic should overcome all. "If your not going to step on the court to play hard, than don't step out there at all", he states. Interesting- that's the same ethic of pride, determination, and commitment we see out of all the players on Hayes Drive. Bates and Williams personify that and you can bet they will take a lot of that with them to school.
