Director to discuss shooting ‘Hoop Dreams’

A movie star will be at the Missouri Theatre tonight.

But he’s not an actor. He once aspired to play in the NBA.

William Gates was one of two main subjects of the classic documentary “Hoop Dreams.”

Gates is still astounded with the nature of his fame.

“Who gets to be famous by being themselves?” he asked Thursday.

Steve James, who was the director of the film, said he is still surprised by the number of youth who have seen the film in their schools and television networks such as ESPN Classic and PBS.

“It’s a touchstone film,” James said. “You got to have seen it.”

Gates, James and producer Peter Gilbert will be special guests at a screening of the film, which was originally distributed by Fine Line Features, at 6:30 tonight at the Missouri Theatre. They will answer questions after the movie.

While Gates did not end up in the NBA, he has discovered a different path.

Gates now devotes himself to the Living Faith Community Center in Chicago, where he preaches the gospel as a senior pastor. The center also runs an after-school program for 350 youth from Chicago’s Cabrini-Green neighborhood. Its doors are open from 2:30 to 9 p.m. every day as Gates and his colleagues try to get the youth ready to compete in the world.

“It’s a tall task,” he said, “but we’re excited about it.”

Although Gates is immersed in the community center, he said he welcomes any opportunity to revisit the time that shaped and molded him.

“I had a great ride,” he said, “and to revisit that and know that the movie’s still appreciated — man, I’m all for that.”

“Hoop Dreams” chronicles Gates and Arthur Agee, two Chicago high school basketball stars, over almost three gripping hours. James, Gilbert and Frederick Marx documented every facet of the boys’ struggles and triumphs over five years. The film documents not only their crossover dribbles and missed free throws, but also their hours dealing with algebra and family problems.

The story captivated critics and audiences in 1994. Robert Ebert named it the best film of the 1990s. It grossed about $8 million, which made it the highest-grossing documentary before Michael Moore dominated the screen with “Bowling for Columbine.”

“It is the gold standard of documentaries,” said Paul Sturtz, program director of Ragtag Cinema, which is showing the film in conjunction with the 25th anniversary of the Sundance Film Festival.

Gates grew up tweaking his basketball moves on the Chicago playgrounds. His talents caught the eye of St. Joseph High School, a private Catholic school in the Chicago suburbs. Gates was compared to the school’s superstar alumnus, Isiah Thomas, but a severe knee injury damaged his promising Division-I offers. The film ends with Gates playing college basketball at Marquette University, not Duke or Indiana.

But his story did not end there.

“When the credits roll,” Gates said, “(Arthur and I) were still living the same life.”

After graduating from Marquette, Gates did not abandon his ultimate goal. He worked out with Michael Jordan during Jordan’s initial comeback in 2001. Gates shared the court with players like Elton Brand and Corey Maggette.

His story enraptured the players, who would gather around Gates with their children as he imparted his story.

But Gates was also in awe of the younger athletes, who were so much faster, quicker and stronger.

“Man, am I that old?” he asked himself.

He eventually faced the same fate he suffered in high school. His broken foot sidelined his prospects.

Gates shared the screen with Agee, who is developing a clothing line called “Hoop Dreams.” The two only get together several times a year, but the bond they formed during the film is as unbreakable as a backboard.

“We catch each other up on what’s going on,” he said, “and it’s like we experienced that whole piece together.”

Athletic success now rests with Gates’s four children, Alicia, William Jr., Jalon and Marques.

William Jr., and Jalon play for their school basketball teams. Although Gates does not pressure his boys to step on the court, he wants them to succeed greatly like any father.

“I’m taking one out of Earl Woods’s book,” he said. “I’m trying to raise me some Tigers too.”