Jackie Robinson once said, “I’m not concerned with your liking or disliking me…All I ask is that you respect me as a human being.” Philip James Bailey, the English poet, gave it to us like this, “Respect is what we owe; love, what we give.” Then the big homie Laurence Sterne, the Irish novelist, put it where the goats could get it when he spit, “Respect for ourselves guides our morals, respect for others guides our manners.”
Well playas…if respect for others guides our manners. Then these fake media-types continuin’ to act like the No.1 team in the state, Warren Central, who is 31-0 isn’t the biggest story in the state have no respect for others. Why? Because they’ve got no manners. Manners means that you acknowledge the team from your OWN city that won the semi-state beatin’ the eventual Mr. Basketball in his own backyard first. Then give him his props. Not the other way around.
Yeah, I know that Seymour wasn’t New Albany’s home court but they’d played there three weeks in a row. Romeo Langford is the REAL DEAL playboy but the story in Indianapolis was Warren Central bein’ 31-0 and doin’ the impossible.
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! They’ve won EVERY ball game on their schedule with a team full of dudes that know how to play with together. They don’t have the major D1 hoopers that you would expect a team that’s 31-0 in the state of Indiana to have.
They don’t have basketball coaches from Michigan State, Duke, North Carolina, Kansas etc. knockin’ down the doors to recruit them. They’ve got a bunch of cats that are hungry that want to win. They’ve been battle tested not just on the court but in life.
These cats are from the FAR EAST SIDE of Indianapolis bruh! They’ve seen it all! Did you really think that they were goin’ to go down to Seymour and fold because there were 8,100 people in the buildin’? Did you really think that down the stretch of that game on Saturday that they would fall apart because Romeo Langford was on the floor? Really?
These kids have seen it all bruh! They’ve experienced death and murder of friends and family all too often. They’ve had to overcome all types of foolishness just to get on the court. The coaches and administrators over there aren’t just showin’ up to teach, coach and check grades. They’re playin’ all types of roles in these kids lives.
You’d be surprised at the amount of work that goes on even before they show up for practice. This ain’t the suburbs where EVERYBODY has a support system. Warren Central IS the support system for most of these kids.
So the real story is the fact that these children have been able to overcome life and still be the best at what they do.
THEY ARE 31-0!!!!! Not because they can hoop but because they believe in themselves and each other. Life has taught them that givin’ up ISN’T an option. Anybody showin’ up to play these dudes should be afraid of the resilience that they have. This AIN’T about basketball. This is about life.
Every kid on that team is destined to become a success in life if they keep doin’ what they’re doin’ now. Why? Because they’ve figured out what it takes to compete and stay focused on the goal. Most kids from tough environments that don’t make it lose focus and get distracted. When a boy shows up 31-0 he’s cracked the code and is well on his way to fulfillin’ his life’s dreams.
Most of you media-types are coverin’ the teams and the games. I’m coverin’ a life experience. There’s a difference. I could care less who wins these games bruh. I’m more concerned with the life lessons bein’ taught through the game. More importantly, I want to see these kids become adults that used the game to change their lives.
This isn’t about metrics it’s about givin’ kids that NOBODY cares about a platform to be appreciated on. And please don’t tell me that you care so much about Romeo Langford because you only care about whether he’s doin’ to IU or not. If he tells you guys in another week or so that he’s not goin’ you’ll turn on him like you’ve done all of the rest of the superstar players from Indiana that decided to go elsewhere.
So stop frontin’ and tell the truth. I can see a hustle gettin’ out of the car down the street with a hoodie on. Why? Because I’m from G.I. and when I was a kid everybody around this state looked down on the G and that motivated us to become the best we could possibly be. We used the scarlet letter “H” for hood to our advantage. And keep in mind playa, everybody from the hood isn’t poor. Catch that one on your way home.
The fact that the Warren Central Girl’s hoop team just won the Class 4A State Title last month and now their boyz are on the cusp of winnin’ the Class 4A Boys Title IS the story in and of itself. Some kids from the FAR EAST SIDE makin’ good on a promise to force a boy to respect them for life is the story. The FACT that they’ve overcome life is the story. You can keep basketball. Don’t worry about writin’ the story playboy. I just did. Now you can stop me when I start lyin’!
Playas Thesaurus:
1) Spit: verb – to say
2) Dun: noun – the person in question, dude, guy, etc. It’s whoever I’m talkin’ about and its non-gender specific.
3) Put it where the goats can get it: verb phrase – to make it as elementary as possible. To put it at ground level so everyone can understand it.
4) Ole boy: noun – the person that I’m currently talkin’ about.
5) G.I.: noun – Gary, Indiana
The G is excluded from the endings of all words because the G is near and dear to my heart because I’m from “The G” which is Gary, Indiana. So I only use the G when I’m talkin’ about “The G!”
The caption under the photo isn’t real but its real talk!
Love every but if this! Well spoken! #proudalumni #proudWCstaff
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