It has been a very long time since I watched a program as compelling as ESPN’s “The Fab Five.” I thought it was well done, riveting, refreshing and extremely thought provoking. It was impossible to walk away upon its conclusion and not have an opinion one way or another. Since the documentary aired, it has continued to maintain its momentum both on the internet and sports talk programs primarily because of the comments that Jalen Rose made in saying that he felt as if, during his playing days at Michigan, Duke only recruited black players that he considered to be Uncle Toms.
Naturally, if you are black and went to Duke during the time in which Jalen eluded to, you feel insulted. That’s the case we have with former Blue Devil, Grant Hill. Earlier in the week, Grant penned an elaborate retort to Rose’s claim in the New York Times. So that it cannot be taken out of context, I think it’s important to include Grant’s entire response here:
I am a fan, friend and longtime competitor of the Fab Five. I have competed against Jalen Rose and Chris Webber since the age of 13. At Michigan, the Fab Five represented a cultural phenomenon that impacted the country in a permanent and positive way. The very idea of the Fab Five elicited pride and promise in much the same way the Georgetown teams did in the mid-1980s when I was in high school and idolized them. Their journey from youthful icons to successful men today is a road map for so many young, black men (and women) who saw their journey through the powerful documentary, “The Fab Five.”
It was a sad and somewhat pathetic turn of events, therefore, to see friends narrating this interesting documentary about their moment in time and calling me a bitch and worse, calling all black players at Duke “Uncle Toms” and, to some degree, disparaging my parents for their education, work ethic and commitment to each other and to me. I should have guessed there was something regrettable in the documentary when I received a Twitter apology from Jalen before its premiere. I am aware Jalen has gone to some length to explain his remarks about my family in numerous interviews, so I believe he has some admiration for them.
In his garbled but sweeping comment that Duke recruits only “black players that were ‘Uncle Toms,’ ” Jalen seems to change the usual meaning of those very vitriolic words into his own meaning, i.e., blacks from two-parent, middle-class families. He leaves us all guessing exactly what he believes today.
I am beyond fortunate to have two parents who are still working well into their 60s. They received great educations and use them every day. My parents taught me a personal ethic I try to live by and pass on to my children.
I come from a strong legacy of black Americans. My namesake, Henry Hill, my father’s father, was a day laborer in Baltimore. He could not read or write until he was taught to do so by my grandmother. His first present to my dad was a set of encyclopedias, which I now have. He wanted his only child, my father, to have a good education, so he made numerous sacrifices to see that he got an education, including attending Yale.
This is part of our great tradition as black Americans. We aspire for the best or better for our children and work hard to make that happen for them. Jalen’s mother is part of our great black tradition and made the same sacrifices for him.
My teammates at Duke — all of them, black and white — were a band of brothers who came together to play at the highest level for the best coach in basketball. I know most of the black players who preceded and followed me at Duke. They all contribute to our tradition of excellence on the court.
It is insulting and ignorant to suggest that men like Johnny Dawkins (coach at Stanford), Tommy Amaker (coach at Harvard), Billy King (general manager of the Nets), Tony Lang (coach of the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins in Japan), Thomas Hill (small-business owner in Texas), Jeff Capel (former coach at Oklahoma and Virginia Commonwealth), Kenny Blakeney (assistant coach at Harvard), Jay Williams (ESPN analyst), Shane Battier (Memphis Grizzlies) and Chris Duhon (Orlando Magic) ever sold out their race.
To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous. All of us are extremely proud of the current Duke team, especially Nolan Smith. He was raised by his mother, plays in memory of his late father and carries himself with the pride and confidence that they instilled in him.
The sacrifice, the effort, the education and the friendships I experienced in my four years are cherished. The many Duke graduates I have met around the world are also my “family,” and they are a special group of people. A good education is a privilege.
Just as Jalen has founded a charter school in Michigan, we are expected to use our education to help others, to improve life for those who need our assistance and to use the excellent education we have received to better the world.
A highlight of my time at Duke was getting to know the great John Hope Franklin, James B. Duke Professor of History and the leading scholar of the last century on the total history of African-Americans in this country. His insights and perspectives contributed significantly to my overall development and helped me understand myself, my forefathers and my place in the world.
Ad ingenium faciendum, toward the building of character, is a phrase I recently heard. To me, it is the essence of an educational experience. Struggling, succeeding, trying again and having fun within a nurturing but competitive environment built character in all of us, including every black graduate of Duke.
My mother always says, “You can live without Chaucer and you can live without calculus, but you cannot make it in the wide, wide world without common sense.” As we get older, we understand the importance of these words. Adulthood is nothing but a series of choices: you can say yes or no, but you cannot avoid saying one or the other. In the end, those who are successful are those who adjust and adapt to the decisions they have made and make the best of them.
I caution my fabulous five friends to avoid stereotyping me and others they do not know in much the same way so many people stereotyped them back then for their appearance and swagger. I wish for you the restoration of the bond that made you friends, brothers and icons.
I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five.
Grant Henry Hill
Phoenix Suns
Duke ‘94
Grant was obviously hurt by Rose’s comments and I cannot say that I would feel differently if I were in Grant’s shoes. I’m happy he responded and frankly, I would’ve been disappointed if he did not. But I will say that I am somewhat surprised that so many people not named Grant Hill have taken the stance as if in the documentary, Jalen was giving his 2011 impression of his take on Duke’s recruiting practices. I think it’s worth reiterating that he was recalling his feelings as a 18-year old who spoke and thought with “no filter” at the time. Furthermore, Rose even stated that he was jealous of Grant because the household in which Hill grew up in was one Jalen could only dream of.
I have stated previously that I too feel that Duke recruits a certain type of player. I don’ t think that’s arguable. I never, however, insinuated that the black players were Uncle Toms or sellouts for attending Duke, because I don’t think that’s the case whatsoever. But Duke certainly is selective. I think it boils down to the fact that Duke recruits college talent as opposed to NBA talent. Coach K and those that run the university are interested in operating the most preeminent basketball program in the country without sacrificing what the school stands for: a sound education. They don’t recruit NBA talent because those players are likely to leave early, such as Elton Brand, which harms the reputation of the school. Sure, certain players from Duke eventually make it to the NBA but they don’t enter Duke league-ready as players do at other institutions such as Kentucky or North Carolina, which is why they end up staying in school for all four years. This is why it’s unlikely to see a player from Duke drafted first overall or be the best player in the NBA. I think their recruiting practices have more to do with that than anything else.
And you know what? That’s Duke’s right to operate this way. But in the same breath they should expect some recruits to question this because I’m sure Jalen and company aren’t the only ones to feel slighted.
Many black journalists have made it a point to state that being brought up in a two-parent, stable household that values education (similar to Grant’s household) does not diminish your “blackness.” I couldn’t agree more. Perhaps that wasn’t Jalen’s intent, but that’s the way it came across to many (even though he was speaking as an 18-year old).
I realized that Jalen’s Duke comments would garner a reaction, but I didn’t expect this or I would’ve asked him to expound more on it when I spoke with him after the pre-screening. I guess I didn’t expect this because I understood that when he mentioned Duke in the documentary it was under the guise that he was speaking as an 18 year old, not as a grown man today. Those Duke comments have unfortunately overshadowed an otherwise brilliant documentary. All of this being said, I’m sure Jalen would have no problem with his children attending Duke.
If you’re looking for your everyday, predictable basketball talk, then go somewhere else, because Kevin Burke of The Kevin Burke Project brings provocative, thought provoking content about basketball as only he can. Kevin also hosts The Hoop Doctors weekly podcast show, which you can subscribe to for free on iTunes. Follow Kevin on Twitter and Facebook
