Essay topic:

For my Hoop Dreams essay, I will focus on how William and Arthur are caught up in the many unfortunate broken promises related to achieving the infamous American Dream. I will focus on each of their goals, and how they were potentially misled by authority figure.

Convoy discussion post:

I thought that the discussion was very entertaining and educational, especially since I am interested in working in the sports industry in some capacity, as sports are and will always continue to be my biggest  passion.  I obviously want to work for not only the experience, but for good to great compensation as well, and I know that those jobs exist.  I look forward to more group discussions, as all the guest speakers so far have been quite informative about what happens in the world of the business of sports and recruiting in sports.

Free reading book post:

In my book so far, a woman from the Norwegian police force is sent to Hong Kong to fetch a man who has gone off the gris, since catching an infamous serial as an officer of the crime force in Norway.  From where I left off in my book, it seems like the man is going to take the job offer to catch the new serial killer that is on the loose.

Discussion questions for Hoop Dreams:

1.  Why do you think Arthur and William do not make more of an effort to see each other after Arthur transfers from St. Joseph?
2.  Who do you think is a better coach and why, between the Marshall and St. Joseph head coaches?
3.  Do you think Arthur can succeed in his less than ideal school environment?

Free read choice:  

I picked "The Leopard" written by Jo Nesbo as my free read book.

Hoop Dreams homework question:

Recruiting in basketball is completely cutthroat, even at the high school level, as depicted by the head coach giving a scholarship to the better player, while letting the lesser player be kicked out of school.

1.  Why do you think this atrocity is allowed, and do you think it is possible for this process to be changed?
2.  Do you think high schools or Division 1 universities should have a policy that does not let unqualified students attend their respective schools, no matter how exceptional they are in terms of athletic ability?
3.  Do you think that Curtis' experiences as a highly touted high school basketball player helps or hurts Arthur? (pp.92-93)
4.  Do you think that St Joseph is too harsh on William and Arthur, as they make them mop the floors each to day to help them make up for their lack of tuition payments?
5.  Why do you think Big Earl disappears when Arthur does not make the varsity team?
6.

First post for Hoop Dreams:

Although I saw part of the "Hoop Dreams", I did not remember any of it today when reading the book. I really enjoyed the film, and am now thoroughly enjoying the book.  I really like how the author is writing the book from two point of views, one view describing William Gates and the other Arthur Agee.  Thus allows the reader to see the many obstacles both of these boys had to overcome to reach their goal of playing for their dream school, St. Joseph.  I am excited to see how this book develops and if Arthur will join William as a standout player on the varsity basketball team as they progress through their high school careers in their quest for a state championship, a feat that even Isiah Thomas did not accomplish before his long and famed NBA career.

Goals for second semester:

I have a few goals that if achieved, will no doubt allow me to feel confident when I first set foot on whatever college campus.  First, I want to to rid of the wordiness that is sometimes prevalent in my essays.  This wordiness takes away from the overall flow of the essay as a whole.  Second, I want to be able to write an introduction that is less broad, but still captures the reader's attention without giving away the bulk of the essay.  Finally, I want to be able to write a conclusion that sums up my essay, is creative, but does not simply restate my thesis in the introduction.

While I do plan to relax a little bit in terms of hard studying, I do plan to keep up my level of work in which I exemplified during the first semester.  Over the break, I read a book that really caught my interest titled “Foul Trouble.”  This book, written by John Feinstein, is about two friends who are exceptional high school basketball players.  One named Danny is ranked 93^rd in the nation, while the other is the top recruit in the nation.  The book shows all the dangers that lurk for highly sought after high school athletes, as it is quite tempting to take the offers of insane amounts of money that would violate the rules of the NCAA.  I thoroughly ejoyed this book and look forward to reading more and more as the semester progresses.  I am also excited about the new independence I will receive when it comes to essays.  I think this will allow me to write about the topics I think can best display my knowledge.  I am also looking forward to reading the book “Hoop Dreams,” as I have heard good things about it.