I was in high school in the 90s in Richmond CA ...we were at the gym at Contra Costa College playing with GP, B Shaw and Hook.... at the time I only heard of Hook, he was out there going to work .... he was killing everyone and The boy was high as hell ..... literally and figuratively and it wasn’t cookies he was on. That shows how great he was!!!!
so true. the growing fad today is to debate over who was the greatest ballplayer. unfortunately we will never know because he probably missed his chance got hurt and has 9 to 5- if he's lucky. if not deceased- or worse. you need everything to go right and a support group to keep you grounded. prime example: allen iverson. just think- the world may never have seen him. it was pretty much touch and go for a little while there...
Watched hooked the legend of Demetrius hook Mitchell many years ago at my neighbor’s house and it was an amazing and fantastic story....glad hook still doing his thing and staying out of trouble...stay up and blessings hook..
Growing up in the Bay Area and being a street baller myself, I can tell you Hook was an absalute legend to us all! If you ever saw him in person then you would have at least a couple of stories to tell about something he did. We all knew about his problems and it was like a warning to us younger guys to make better choices but Hook really didnt have a choice and that very sad. I think no person was as much a insperation and a warning to me than Hook. I hope he's doing OK.
I remember Kenny Smith trying to play Hook. There was it a slam dunk contest and they called out all the contests Hook won. By that time Hook already wasn't the same and was missing his dunks. Kenny Smith the immature guy he was was laughing but somebody told him man you don't know.
There was a Eddie Murphy flick in the 80's called Trading Places that pretty much embodies everything that gives us a higher percentage for success in life nothing is fool proof but you want the percentages in your favor
lucky to meet this man and play against him in real life in California semi pro tourneys - he could ball - met him in California back in the late 90s - he was low key quiet but would shred cats up on the floor
Nah, I know he was talking into a Mic but he was holding Hooks's mic in a weird I'm trying to son you way lol. I'm sure he was just playing, but it was funny asl!
My dude, I just woke up in the middle of the night thinking of this guy and googled my ass off trying to find that old documentary. Finally remembered it was called “Hooked” and was about DJ. Then made my way back to your channel lol
Hook & earl manigult have the same sad story. “West coast meets east coast.. their basically two in the same” -UDI. No but this.. is maybe my favorite basketball movie honestly. The producers made a film and documentary for the ages. Very well put together & narrated. I’d say hooked, rebound: story of earl manigult & Hoosiers were my go to & top 3 hoop movies of all time
I’d love if you can do a stunted growth on Highschool Basketball 🏀 start Ridge McKeither from Danville, Virginia. The 2006 team from that area only lost 4 games.
Hook Mitchell was physical gifted as a youngster. We all know players that peaked way to early because they were more mature physically but fell off when the rest of their peers get older. Payton and Kidd has superior basketball IQ’s and knew how to lead a team. Hook was fun to watch and the guy who held court @ the local park or gym. It’s fun to think what could of been but he could of been just another decent player @ the next level. I watched some physically gifted players never get passed high school. This is just another example.
It’s crazy some of the best guys just simply fall off & don’t make it. Sure locks never even make it and have success in college. Defining or going against logic/odds & leaving people to scratch their heads.. played w a couple guys like that. In fact 2 bay legends I can think of one started over a 10yr nba vet at the same position sg/sf at a pac12 school.. as I am watching dude be an Avg nba off the bench role player clippers vs W’s at staples center in la I flashed back & wondered man.. what if? If I am considered a “f up” by some my peers in small no bball world town place even tho I dropped 30 on dude that was up for frosh pac12 poy in 8th grade then dude grew n was doing 360’s etc n step backs in 9th n I’m like damn.. my game ain’t evolved n I was much like that physical peak growth dude example poster above gave in the 8th.. but that same guy up for Pac12 frosh newcomer of year award. Dude that rode the pine behind him & came in as 7th 8th man as a frosh ended up playing 10yrs & dude really ain’t improve much since college ...it’s just dude I grew up playing gave up his dream got distracted fell out w the pac12 coach etc etc.. took 3yrs off of cbb tried 2 come back but I seen him getting fat & 1 time in the club 24/7 partying probably 2 much celebrating “making it” I suppose & living that life early spiking it on the 2/3 yard line ala lenny Cooke vibe from his documentary .. girls came in the picture.. I’m like wtf this dude doing at the club rn when he ought to be playing in pac12 rn... going from 12/game to 15 his soph yr in pac12 hoops & then entering the draft in 1 or 2yrs. So as I sit @ staples it was a trip to say damn.. I mean I knew I wasn’t matching my enormous small town hype but this dude was a top 50 natl dude that I dropped 30 on in the 8th & was top 3/4 incoming dude running for pac12 newcomer of the year to.. faded into obscurity & his backup that barely logged any mins cuz of him is playing Significant minutes in this nba I’m watching & got uno 12 to 15..& 8 to 10 rebounds.. and there was a better 6”6-6’8 2/3 man then both these examples that athletically talent wise was right there & some mags had nationally ranked higher then both in hs. Got a schooly to a big D1 school but that don’t matter cuz this fool b4 me tearing up as are the clips w Paul & Griffen on the just started klay & steph warriors. The point of all this is... Sometimes things in life make absolutely 0 sense & you can’t question them as it will drive you crazy.. u just gotta leave it as it is & say “that is the way it was destined to go, apparently”. No 1 coulda predicted this... ish is still surreal to me sitting courtside seeing this dude give us warriors the biz somewhat & a young W’s squad that little did We know would grow & own the clips & win a couple nba titles 4-6 years later.. life is such a trip like that sometimes. In conclusion I guess it’s like that saying goes that after my dream dried up I read on this guy (3yrs my jr & went to my hs & played in nfl) put on his social media page ... “ hard work always beats talent, when talent doesn’t always work hard”! Meaning everyone caught up with everyone and the “most sure nba lock”and in my personal narrative/scenario just like the Lenny Cook’s hook Mitchell’s Ronnie fields Raymond Lewis’s never made it! Very sad indeed but not everyone can make it. Sometimes the best just don’t for 1 way or another Whether it be drugs a bad coach no guidance wrong situation circumstances team didn’t transfer like this other college back up did to another D1 school. 20yrs ago transferring wasn’t that common that quick... nowadays any and every kid wants to go to Duke or UNC but once they realize they can’t be that big fish in a small pond cats are just transferring now days after their freshman or sophomore year they’re not putting up with having to ride the pine & be a role player anymore.. They’re so quick to transfer and you can’t really blame them because in the end do you want to get paid for your trade?... of course! ...you wanna make the nba just like every youngster dreams about from day 1.
Hook Mitchell was a player that defied convention. He was more than just a baller - he was a work of art on the court. Watching him move was like watching a master painter create a masterpiece. There were plenty of players who had the will and the talent to dominate on the hardwood. Will Bynum was a bulldog who could score at will. Nate Robinson was a sparkplug who could ignite a team with his energy. And Robert Pack was a lightning bolt who could change the course of a game in an instant. But Hook Mitchell was something different. He wasn't just a great athlete - he was a performer. His style was unique, with a flair and creativity that set him apart from the rest. He could glide through the air with the grace of a dancer, and he had a touch around the rim that was downright artistic. And it wasn't just his physical abilities that made Hook special. He had a charisma that lit up the court, a magnetic personality that drew fans to him like moths to a flame. When he was on the court, you couldn't take your eyes off him - he was that captivating. In a world where basketball is all about stats and numbers, Hook Mitchell was a reminder that there's more to the game than just points and rebounds. He was a reminder that basketball is an art form, and that the true greats are the ones who can turn the court into their canvas.
He might have been more physically gifted than Jason, Gary, and Antonio, but I have serious doubts that he was a superior player to at least Gary and J. Kidd overall. Jason Kidd was a GOD in the Bay Area coming out of HS. He proved his worth. Gary was a dominant player pre-NBA. I mean, if we would keep it a buck, if Nate Robinson got sidetracked and got stuck paying streetball, he would look crazy in the streets. Extremely gifted player, but that shit aint quite the same when you have to get it done in the land of the giants(Pro basketball).
WhereArtThou ThickWhiteQueens I feel the same way. I think they were being nice when saying that. Or maybe in those days Payton and Kidd weren't developed yet, but from researching him, I can't imagine other than jumping he was ever better than those guys.
Crazy its deeper than rap with this man ...I see him on the fluke like shooting around in San Leander high but in high school with Antonio Davis and a few great players that the streets took under Mcclymonds was loaded ..just like skyline with Greg foster and G P crazy talent and drugs was too close
Addiction, ain’t shit!!!!😡... I’d tell anybody to their face that!!!!!... Addicts are people scared of focus, n success.... Good Stuff as usual bro!!!! .... Do Gary McLain, of 85’ Nova chip team.
for many of these streetballers, the streets were a major stunt in their growth. They lacked that "pro" mentality (of course some of them had very difficult lives, I am not saying this to demean them)
His name is Demetrius Mitchell, his nickname is "Hook," and if you visit Mosswood Park in Oakland, you just might see him play. If he's not there, don't fret. Try the Recreational Sports Facility at UC Berkeley or the Onetta Harris Recreational Community Center in Menlo Park. If you still can't find him, try again tomorrow or the next day -just as long as you see him play. Pound for pound, Mitchell is the best individual talent of any playground basketball player in the Bay Area. Period. Bar none. He would never admit to such praise - he's much too shy and unassuming. But rec directors and players in the know will tell you: Demetrius (Hook) Mitchell, 20, of Oakland is a basketball legend. No one, they'll say, is quite like Hook. No one. A 25-inch vertical leap is considered OK, a 35-inch jump is good, and 45 inches is approaching Michael Jordan-like caliber. Hook Mitchell, at 5-foot-10 1/2, 195 pounds, is said to have a vertical leap of more than 50 inches. His friends swear that's the truth, and Mitchell doesn't dispute it - he's never actually measured his leap, although the last car he jumped over was a midsize. That's how Mitchell measures his jumps. If one were parked on a court, he thinks he could do a 360-degree slam over it. "I can just about do a 360 over anything," he says in one of his few bold moments. "They bring a car out there, I can try it. I jump over cars (on the street) with a friend. They try to, but I jump over them. The last car I jumped over was a Jetta." Hook has spent the last couple of years at Contra Costa College. He says he needs just a few more units to graduate and transfer to a four-year college. "I need six units to go to Central Michigan," he says. "They've been calling my coach. Central Michigan and South Carolina State, they're looking at me." Some of those interviewed say his grades are a big question mark. They worry he won't get through college. Hook shrugs it off. "My grades in college," he says, "are OK." Mitchell played for Contra Costa in the 1986-87 season, withdrew the next year, then re-enrolled and played again last season, when he averaged 30 points. He says he's going to class this summer, trying to get those six units, and trying to forget about past academic glitches. "You mess up once in your life," he says, "and then you ..." His voice trails off, then picks up again. "It wasn't like I messed up when I was going to school and it wasn't working out. I had to withdraw from some classes one semester. I didn't even attend school. It was just a money thing, me staying in Oakland. Then I moved out to Richmond with my other grandmother. You know how life is." Mitchell admits he hasn't always taken school seriously, but the NBA players he knows or plays against in summer leagues - people like Brian Shaw of the Boston Celtics and ex-Warrior Lester Conner, now of the New Jersey Nets - tell him to stick with school and get a degree. If not for them, he might have entertained thoughts of trying out for the NBA. "They tell me: "Just stay in school. Get that and then you'll be all right.' They just want me to have the grades. "I think I can play right now. Like a couple more of my friends -like Gary Payton (of Oregon State) and Greg Foster (of Texas-El Paso) ... we're at the stage where all we have to do is step a little higher and you're there." Tony Saddler, who organized a slam-dunk contest at Lake Merritt last month, relates this tale: Mitchell won the 6-foot-2-and-under division of the contest and was scheduled to compete against the winner of the open division, Henry Turner. Turner, formerly of Cal State Fullerton, is 6-8 and played last year in the Continental Basketball Association. The contest came down to one final dunk. "Henry Turner bounced the ball off the backboard, caught it with his left hand and dunked," Saddler said. "That gave him about a 9, 9 1/2. "After that one, Demetrius borrowed my bicycle. He asked me if we could do it. We had to get some spotters for him, and I said, "That's a little dangerous.' But he said, "I'll do it.' We put the bike out here, someone held it, he did a 360 over the bike - and he dunked it, over the bike. And with authority." "I had jumped over my friend and a chair earlier," said Mitchell. "And then my friend said, "Just do a 360 over a bike and you'll win.' So I did it." Was he scared? "Nope." Mitchell has won every one of the nearly 40 dunk contests he has entered. "He has no fear," says Saddler. "He dunks on 7-footers, and it's a shock. They're not ready for him." Mitchell, an only child, has never lived with his parents. He doesn't even see them, really. "They live in their own world," he says. He has lived with his grandparents or other relatives since birth. Players who know Mitchell said he is hard to reach, and nearly everyone interviewed said he was a free spirit. "You'll be lucky if you find him," one player said. "The number I have for Hook no longer works," said Jack Haskins, a promoter who runs basketball tournaments. "I sent one of the guys who works for me to run him down. It won't take long. They know where he hangs out." Where did he get the nickname Hook? "My aunty gave it to me when I was a little baby," he said. He said shaved heads were in style, and when his was done that way, his aunt couldn't resist pointing out the shape of his head. "She just said I had a little hook in the back of my head. She said my head was big, so she started calling me Hook Head." He used to dislike the name. Now he says: "It's OK. I like it because everyone has been calling me that for a long time." He does use his given name on occasion. "When I meet someone, like a young lady, or on the court, I try to say, "Hi, I'm Demetrius." Shaw started more than half the games for Boston as an NBA rookie last season, generally to a warm response from his Celtics teammates and the Boston media. Shaw went to Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland when Hook was at another Oakland school, McClymonds. "That's when I first started hearing about him," Shaw said. Since then, they have become good friends. Shaw has played with Mitchell in playground tournaments and in a pro-am league at Potrero Hill in San Francisco. "He's the best playground player around," says Shaw. "For his size, he gets up higher than anyone. And when I say he can do any dunk anyone can do, I'm including Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan. He can do some amazing things. Even when you're playing with him, you have a tendency to watch and see what he's doing." Shaw and Mitchell have a mutual friend in Kevin Lowe, who played with Mitchell at Contra Costa. Lowe and Mitchell played in a national championship 3-on-3 tournament at Lake Tahoe in 1987. "We were in Lake Tahoe, and I gave Hook that eye look," Lowe said. "I went to the top of the key, and I threw him an alley oop. He caught it, but he didn't dunk it. He brought it back down here (pointing to his waist), and I was saying, "What the f--- are you doing?' Well, before I could get the "doing' part out, he came back (before he landed) and dunked it." Shaw, asked about Mitchell's chances of playing in the NBA, says he needs more discipline - perhaps much more. Shaw isn't alone in that assessment. "He has to channel all his energy into that if that's his goal," Shaw says. "He definitely has the physical skills to do it. The hardest part for him is going to be focusing on that. There have been lots of guys who play on playgrounds who are better than some of the guys in the NBA ... It takes more than great ability to get there. A lot of it has to do with character and being in the right place at the right time and showing a coach, "I'll go out and give 100 percent for you.' "I think he really has it in him. But I don't think he's played too much organized basketballl over his whole career. He just hasn't had anybody to push him and grab him by the collar." Shaw answers another question this way: "I think now is a crucial point in his life. He has to ask himself, "Do I want the legend of Hook Mitchell to live on and to go on further than it is, or do I want to be remembered as a playground kid?"' Perhaps the best chance to see Mitchell is the 3-on-3 Summer All-Star tournament this weekend in the Panhandle at Golden Gate Park. The tournament continues at Mosswood Park on July 29-30, and Mitchell is scheduled to play both weekends. Haskins puts the tournament together locally. He was there in Lake Tahoe in 1987 when Hook and Co. put on a show in the finals. "Half the people had never seen anything like him," he says. "Their jaws were just dropping." Mitchell, asked how he felt being called a "legend" by people who had seen him play, gets embarrassed. "I just want to keep stepping up a little higher. If people feel like that, it's always a booster in the heart, in the soul. It makes a person feel he made an accomplishment." He realizes his basketball game needs to be more complete if he's going to fulfill his NBA dream. "There's a lot more things I need to work on," he says. "My defense is way off. I've got to step up. It's another step you have to take. It's like life. In basketball, you have to keep stepping up." ------------------------------------- THE 3-ON-3 TOURNAMENT How do you match up with Hook Mitchell? That's one of the draws in this weekend's 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Golden Gate Park. Tournament director Jack Haskins says it's designed to let players see how they rate with the best around.
You should do one on Keith Booth. Left Dunbar HS (Baltimore) as an All American 2 guard. Gary Williams played him at the 4 for his entire college career. Ruined his confidence, and subsequently, his career, IMO.
@@dukeob100 U Never Seen Rodney World Fuller Play , Rod Torched Every Last One of Them from Brian Shaw to Gary Payton to Lester Conner to Henry Turner - Jason Kidd in the 1990's . i was There an Seen it right at the Pro Am League in San Francisco an Sacramento - Ask Somebody about Left Handed Rod Fuller -
@@dukeob100 if Vino is from the Bay Area an He Played during the 1980's then He knows Left handed Rod Fuller from San Francisco an so does Hook Mitchell from Oakland - Real Talk
Clearly he was a better scorer than all those former players listed looks like a good ball handler, footwork, it showed a few clips of him running point and I mean with the right development dont know if he had been better but definitely a problem btw he looks like he was far more superior than Nate Robinson no disrespect but dude was the truth. You should do a video on Joe Hammond out of Harlem (Rucker Park legend )
Environment and support system is key not only for the development of young athletes but young people period.
prime example LeBron VS Lenny Cooke
That's a fact
European soccer teams get it right. They scoop up kids at a young age and they get free training with food clothing in a structured environment.
Peewee Kirkland # Legend in 2 games
Used to watch that on NBA TV everyday as a teenager.
Tragically, there are Hooks in every Hood! I know one, and you know one.
The hook in my hood would cook ya hook
I was in high school in the 90s in Richmond CA ...we were at the gym at Contra Costa College playing with GP, B Shaw and Hook.... at the time I only heard of Hook, he was out there going to work .... he was killing everyone and The boy was high as hell ..... literally and figuratively and it wasn’t cookies he was on. That shows how great he was!!!!
Yup. Lifes balance.
@@frenchy2047 Ronnie Fields ??
so true. the growing fad today is to debate over who was the greatest ballplayer. unfortunately we will never know because he probably missed his chance got hurt and has 9 to 5- if he's lucky. if not deceased- or worse. you need everything to go right and a support group to keep you grounded. prime example: allen iverson. just think- the world may never have seen him. it was pretty much touch and go for a little while there...
Watched hooked the legend of Demetrius hook Mitchell many years ago at my neighbor’s house and it was an amazing and fantastic story....glad hook still doing his thing and staying out of trouble...stay up and blessings hook..
I remember the doc about him on nba tv. He kinda looks like A.I mixed with Max B
Brian Hill LoL 😂
That documentary about him was really good
Growing up in the Bay Area and being a street baller myself, I can tell you Hook was an absalute legend to us all! If you ever saw him in person then you would have at least a couple of stories to tell about something he did. We all knew about his problems and it was like a warning to us younger guys to make better choices but Hook really didnt have a choice and that very sad. I think no person was as much a insperation and a warning to me than Hook. I hope he's doing OK.
Good1. Never even thought of hook 4 a stunted growth segment.
J kidd , B Shaw , the Glove all gave him the title best one out of Oakland
The person holding his shirt kenny Bruner also needs to be in Stunt growth after Gtown it went down hill
Cory Charles Facts!
I remember Kenny Smith trying to play Hook. There was it a slam dunk contest and they called out all the contests Hook won. By that time Hook already wasn't the same and was missing his dunks. Kenny Smith the immature guy he was was laughing but somebody told him man you don't know.
Dontdoittoyoself. “It’s a sad day for the hookster”.
Hook is always by my house it breaks my heart to see what he could had been 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
There was a Eddie Murphy flick in the 80's called Trading Places that pretty much embodies everything that gives us a higher percentage for success in life nothing is fool proof but you want the percentages in your favor
lucky to meet this man and play against him in real life in California semi pro tourneys - he could ball - met him in California back in the late 90s - he was low key quiet but would shred cats up on the floor
I’m from Oakland I met hook Mitchell a couple times and hoop against him at 24 fitness a couple years ago good dude
He was talking into Hook's mic. Hook was holding his own shirt like that 😂
Nah, I know he was talking into a Mic but he was holding Hooks's mic in a weird I'm trying to son you way lol. I'm sure he was just playing, but it was funny asl!
@@stuntedgrowth Naw fam! 😂 You gotta see the episode, Hook is pulling his own shirt like that. Dude's hands were down 😂
50 inch vertical. Cmon. He should be an nba legend
Was waiting for this!! Great job. 20k!!
I remember watching the Hook'd documentary on him
My dude, I just woke up in the middle of the night thinking of this guy and googled my ass off trying to find that old documentary. Finally remembered it was called “Hooked” and was about DJ. Then made my way back to your channel lol
Yooo have you done one on Tim Thomas!???
Spielburg No bro. You think he umderachieved?
I do I think he never reach his full potential
very sad story...always heard of the name, but never really seen footage of him
His story is so similar to many in history...we all get the same 24 in a day...what do you wanna be remembered for?
Hook & earl manigult have the same sad story. “West coast meets east coast.. their basically two in the same” -UDI. No but this.. is maybe my favorite basketball movie honestly. The producers made a film and documentary for the ages. Very well put together & narrated. I’d say hooked, rebound: story of earl manigult & Hoosiers were my go to & top 3 hoop movies of all time
Doing lines at half time
I’m sure he went off in the 3rd quarter
The Farmer has Return With his Shotgun hkn probably had an extra 5 360 windmills off the glass.
Man I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ❤️ BROTHER 🙏
Kenny Wayne Likewise man 💯
I’d love if you can do a stunted growth on Highschool Basketball 🏀 start Ridge McKeither from Danville, Virginia. The 2006 team from that area only lost 4 games.
Hook Mitchell was physical gifted as a youngster. We all know players that peaked way to early because they were more mature physically but fell off when the rest of their peers get older. Payton and Kidd has superior basketball IQ’s and knew how to lead a team. Hook was fun to watch and the guy who held court @ the local park or gym. It’s fun to think what could of been but he could of been just another decent player @ the next level. I watched some physically gifted players never get passed high school. This is just another example.
It’s crazy some of the best guys just simply fall off & don’t make it. Sure locks never even make it and have success in college. Defining or going against logic/odds & leaving people to scratch their heads.. played w a couple guys like that. In fact 2 bay legends I can think of one started over a 10yr nba vet at the same position sg/sf at a pac12 school.. as I am watching dude be an Avg nba off the bench role player clippers vs W’s at staples center in la I flashed back & wondered man.. what if? If I am considered a “f up” by some my peers in small no bball world town place even tho I dropped 30 on dude that was up for frosh pac12 poy in 8th grade then dude grew n was doing 360’s etc n step backs in 9th n I’m like damn.. my game ain’t evolved n I was much like that physical peak growth dude example poster above gave in the 8th.. but that same guy up for Pac12 frosh newcomer of year award. Dude that rode the pine behind him & came in as 7th 8th man as a frosh ended up playing 10yrs & dude really ain’t improve much since college ...it’s just dude I grew up playing gave up his dream got distracted fell out w the pac12 coach etc etc.. took 3yrs off of cbb tried 2 come back but I seen him getting fat & 1 time in the club 24/7 partying probably 2 much celebrating “making it” I suppose & living that life early spiking it on the 2/3 yard line ala lenny Cooke vibe from his documentary .. girls came in the picture.. I’m like wtf this dude doing at the club rn when he ought to be playing in pac12 rn... going from 12/game to 15 his soph yr in pac12 hoops & then entering the draft in 1 or 2yrs. So as I sit @ staples it was a trip to say damn.. I mean I knew I wasn’t matching my enormous small town hype but this dude was a top 50 natl dude that I dropped 30 on in the 8th & was top 3/4 incoming dude running for pac12 newcomer of the year to.. faded into obscurity & his backup that barely logged any mins cuz of him is playing Significant minutes in this nba I’m watching & got uno 12 to 15..& 8 to 10 rebounds.. and there was a better 6”6-6’8 2/3 man then both these examples that athletically talent wise was right there & some mags had nationally ranked higher then both in hs. Got a schooly to a big D1 school but that don’t matter cuz this fool b4 me tearing up as are the clips w Paul & Griffen on the just started klay & steph warriors. The point of all this is... Sometimes things in life make absolutely 0 sense & you can’t question them as it will drive you crazy.. u just gotta leave it as it is & say “that is the way it was destined to go, apparently”. No 1 coulda predicted this... ish is still surreal to me sitting courtside seeing this dude give us warriors the biz somewhat & a young W’s squad that little did We know would grow & own the clips & win a couple nba titles 4-6 years later.. life is such a trip like that sometimes. In conclusion I guess it’s like that saying goes that after my dream dried up I read on this guy (3yrs my jr & went to my hs & played in nfl) put on his social media page ... “ hard work always beats talent, when talent doesn’t always work hard”! Meaning everyone caught up with everyone and the “most sure nba lock”and in my personal narrative/scenario just like the Lenny Cook’s hook Mitchell’s Ronnie fields Raymond Lewis’s never made it! Very sad indeed but not everyone can make it. Sometimes the best just don’t for 1 way or another Whether it be drugs a bad coach no guidance wrong situation circumstances team didn’t transfer like this other college back up did to another D1 school. 20yrs ago transferring wasn’t that common that quick... nowadays any and every kid wants to go to Duke or UNC but once they realize they can’t be that big fish in a small pond cats are just transferring now days after their freshman or sophomore year they’re not putting up with having to ride the pine & be a role player anymore.. They’re so quick to transfer and you can’t really blame them because in the end do you want to get paid for your trade?... of course! ...you wanna make the nba just like every youngster dreams about from day 1.
Hook Mitchell was a player that defied convention. He was more than just a baller - he was a work of art on the court. Watching him move was like watching a master painter create a masterpiece.
There were plenty of players who had the will and the talent to dominate on the hardwood. Will Bynum was a bulldog who could score at will. Nate Robinson was a sparkplug who could ignite a team with his energy. And Robert Pack was a lightning bolt who could change the course of a game in an instant.
But Hook Mitchell was something different. He wasn't just a great athlete - he was a performer. His style was unique, with a flair and creativity that set him apart from the rest. He could glide through the air with the grace of a dancer, and he had a touch around the rim that was downright artistic.
And it wasn't just his physical abilities that made Hook special. He had a charisma that lit up the court, a magnetic personality that drew fans to him like moths to a flame. When he was on the court, you couldn't take your eyes off him - he was that captivating.
In a world where basketball is all about stats and numbers, Hook Mitchell was a reminder that there's more to the game than just points and rebounds. He was a reminder that basketball is an art form, and that the true greats are the ones who can turn the court into their canvas.
MAN U A REAL ONE FOR THIS BRO FROM THE BAY AREA WITH LOVE WE SEE YOO WIT THIS ONE BRO GOOD SHIT !!
This the first got I've ever consistently liked his videos...I NEVER TAP THE LIKE BUTTON!!! YOU THE GOAT BRUH!!!💪🏽
super appreciated bro, real oakland
He might have been more physically gifted than Jason, Gary, and Antonio, but I have serious doubts that he was a superior player to at least Gary and J. Kidd overall. Jason Kidd was a GOD in the Bay Area coming out of HS. He proved his worth. Gary was a dominant player pre-NBA. I mean, if we would keep it a buck, if Nate Robinson got sidetracked and got stuck paying streetball, he would look crazy in the streets. Extremely gifted player, but that shit aint quite the same when you have to get it done in the land of the giants(Pro basketball).
WhereArtThou ThickWhiteQueens I feel the same way. I think they were being nice when saying that. Or maybe in those days Payton and Kidd weren't developed yet, but from researching him, I can't imagine other than jumping he was ever better than those guys.
Facts.
I believe they were paying homage.
can u do Dontae Jones from Mississippi State? He was nice, smooth and fun to watch in college, but just didn't pan out in the league
I forgot all about this legend!
6:39 I’m about to end this mans whole career
Stunted Growth I Know This Is Old But U Gotta do Earl Manigult
Crazy its deeper than rap with this man ...I see him on the fluke like shooting around in San Leander high but in high school with Antonio Davis and a few great players that the streets took under Mcclymonds was loaded ..just like skyline with Greg foster and G P crazy talent and drugs was too close
Another Dope Video from the B.I.G Homie 🤟🏾🤟🏾🤟🏾
Another great piece my g
i love you so much for doing hook thank you, he’s my home town hero
Addiction, ain’t shit!!!!😡... I’d tell anybody to their face that!!!!!... Addicts are people scared of focus, n success.... Good Stuff as usual bro!!!! .... Do Gary McLain, of 85’ Nova chip team.
I was there. Saw it. Over the car in the panhandle.
What a sad sad sad story. Sheesh.I remember this guy from the street ball tapes.
ONE OF THE GREATEST
Saw the Doc on this dude he got props from G.Payton and B. Shaw
Bay area legend.
Great vid bro!
You listened to my comment. Thanks for this lol can you do Earl Manigault?? There's real footage of him out there
He reminds me of Earl Manigault
Banger 💯💯💯
for many of these streetballers, the streets were a major stunt in their growth. They lacked that "pro" mentality (of course some of them had very difficult lives, I am not saying this to demean them)
AndreaBaixinho That's a fact bro. A high percentage of them didn't choose to be streetballers.
R.I.P Juice!!! W/S/O LEGEND ✊
He kinda looks like max B
CSJ Facts
R.I.P. 9/10/68 - 12/25/2020
Finally... my homey from WSO.
This is what I’m talking about !!!
That one was just pure sadness never had a chance period
I couldn't handle somebody grabbing my shirt and holding it forever like that....
thatdude 1700 Facts😅 I know he was playing, but he was trying to son my man too. I know guys like him.
@@stuntedgrowth id say if that camera wasn't there hook wouldnt have let it happen that long...that was a lil much
Hook was stretching the shirt so ol boy could talk into the mic
His name is Demetrius Mitchell, his nickname is "Hook," and if you visit Mosswood Park in Oakland, you just might see him play. If he's not there, don't fret. Try the Recreational Sports Facility at UC Berkeley or the Onetta Harris Recreational Community Center in Menlo Park.
If you still can't find him, try again tomorrow or the next day -just as long as you see him play.
Pound for pound, Mitchell is the best individual talent of any playground basketball player in the Bay Area. Period. Bar none.
He would never admit to such praise - he's much too shy and unassuming.
But rec directors and players in the know will tell you: Demetrius (Hook) Mitchell, 20, of Oakland is a basketball legend. No one, they'll say, is quite like Hook. No one.
A 25-inch vertical leap is considered OK, a 35-inch jump is good, and 45 inches is approaching Michael Jordan-like caliber.
Hook Mitchell, at 5-foot-10 1/2, 195 pounds, is said to have a vertical leap of more than 50 inches. His friends swear that's the truth, and Mitchell doesn't dispute it - he's never actually measured his leap, although the last car he jumped over was a midsize.
That's how Mitchell measures his jumps. If one were parked on a court, he thinks he could do a 360-degree slam over it.
"I can just about do a 360 over anything," he says in one of his few bold moments. "They bring a car out there, I can try it. I jump over cars (on the street) with a friend. They try to, but I jump over them. The last car I jumped over was a Jetta."
Hook has spent the last couple of years at Contra Costa College. He says he needs just a few more units to graduate and transfer to a four-year college.
"I need six units to go to Central Michigan," he says. "They've been calling my coach. Central Michigan and South Carolina State, they're looking at me."
Some of those interviewed say his grades are a big question mark. They worry he won't get through college. Hook shrugs it off. "My grades in college," he says, "are OK."
Mitchell played for Contra Costa in the 1986-87 season, withdrew the next year, then re-enrolled and played again last season, when he averaged 30 points. He says he's going to class this summer, trying to get those six units, and trying to forget about past academic glitches.
"You mess up once in your life," he says, "and then you ..." His voice trails off, then picks up again. "It wasn't like I messed up when I was going to school and it wasn't working out. I had to withdraw from some classes one semester. I didn't even attend school. It was just a money thing, me staying in Oakland. Then I moved out to Richmond with my other grandmother. You know how life is."
Mitchell admits he hasn't always taken school seriously, but the NBA players he knows or plays against in summer leagues - people like Brian Shaw of the Boston Celtics and ex-Warrior Lester Conner, now of the New Jersey Nets - tell him to stick with school and get a degree.
If not for them, he might have entertained thoughts of trying out for the NBA. "They tell me: "Just stay in school. Get that and then you'll be all right.' They just want me to have the grades.
"I think I can play right now. Like a couple more of my friends -like Gary Payton (of Oregon State) and Greg Foster (of Texas-El Paso) ... we're at the stage where all we have to do is step a little higher and you're there."
Tony Saddler, who organized a slam-dunk contest at Lake Merritt last month, relates this tale:
Mitchell won the 6-foot-2-and-under division of the contest and was scheduled to compete against the winner of the open division, Henry Turner. Turner, formerly of Cal State Fullerton, is 6-8 and played last year in the Continental Basketball Association.
The contest came down to one final dunk.
"Henry Turner bounced the ball off the backboard, caught it with his left hand and dunked," Saddler said. "That gave him about a 9, 9 1/2.
"After that one, Demetrius borrowed my bicycle. He asked me if we could do it. We had to get some spotters for him, and I said, "That's a little dangerous.' But he said, "I'll do it.' We put the bike out here, someone held it, he did a 360 over the bike - and he dunked it, over the bike. And with authority."
"I had jumped over my friend and a chair earlier," said Mitchell. "And then my friend said, "Just do a 360 over a bike and you'll win.' So I did it."
Was he scared? "Nope."
Mitchell has won every one of the nearly 40 dunk contests he has entered.
"He has no fear," says Saddler. "He dunks on 7-footers, and it's a shock. They're not ready for him."
Mitchell, an only child, has never lived with his parents. He doesn't even see them, really. "They live in their own world," he says.
He has lived with his grandparents or other relatives since birth. Players who know Mitchell said he is hard to reach, and nearly everyone interviewed said he was a free spirit. "You'll be lucky if you find him," one player said.
"The number I have for Hook no longer works," said Jack Haskins, a promoter who runs basketball tournaments. "I sent one of the guys who works for me to run him down. It won't take long. They know where he hangs out."
Where did he get the nickname Hook?
"My aunty gave it to me when I was a little baby," he said.
He said shaved heads were in style, and when his was done that way, his aunt couldn't resist pointing out the shape of his head.
"She just said I had a little hook in the back of my head. She said my head was big, so she started calling me Hook Head."
He used to dislike the name. Now he says: "It's OK. I like it because everyone has been calling me that for a long time."
He does use his given name on occasion. "When I meet someone, like a young lady, or on the court, I try to say, "Hi, I'm Demetrius."
Shaw started more than half the games for Boston as an NBA rookie last season, generally to a warm response from his Celtics teammates and the Boston media. Shaw went to Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland when Hook was at another Oakland school, McClymonds.
"That's when I first started hearing about him," Shaw said. Since then, they have become good friends. Shaw has played with Mitchell in playground tournaments and in a pro-am league at Potrero Hill in San Francisco.
"He's the best playground player around," says Shaw. "For his size, he gets up higher than anyone. And when I say he can do any dunk anyone can do, I'm including Dominique Wilkins and Michael Jordan. He can do some amazing things. Even when you're playing with him, you have a tendency to watch and see what he's doing."
Shaw and Mitchell have a mutual friend in Kevin Lowe, who played with Mitchell at Contra Costa. Lowe and Mitchell played in a national championship 3-on-3 tournament at Lake Tahoe in 1987.
"We were in Lake Tahoe, and I gave Hook that eye look," Lowe said. "I went to the top of the key, and I threw him an alley oop. He caught it, but he didn't dunk it. He brought it back down here (pointing to his waist), and I was saying, "What the f--- are you doing?' Well, before I could get the "doing' part out, he came back (before he landed) and dunked it."
Shaw, asked about Mitchell's chances of playing in the NBA, says he needs more discipline - perhaps much more. Shaw isn't alone in that assessment.
"He has to channel all his energy into that if that's his goal," Shaw says. "He definitely has the physical skills to do it. The hardest part for him is going to be focusing on that. There have been lots of guys who play on playgrounds who are better than some of the guys in the NBA ... It takes more than great ability to get there. A lot of it has to do with character and being in the right place at the right time and showing a coach, "I'll go out and give 100 percent for you.'
"I think he really has it in him. But I don't think he's played too much organized basketballl over his whole career. He just hasn't had anybody to push him and grab him by the collar."
Shaw answers another question this way: "I think now is a crucial point in his life. He has to ask himself, "Do I want the legend of Hook Mitchell to live on and to go on further than it is, or do I want to be remembered as a playground kid?"'
Perhaps the best chance to see Mitchell is the 3-on-3 Summer All-Star tournament this weekend in the Panhandle at Golden Gate Park. The tournament continues at Mosswood Park on July 29-30, and Mitchell is scheduled to play both weekends.
Haskins puts the tournament together locally. He was there in Lake Tahoe in 1987 when Hook and Co. put on a show in the finals.
"Half the people had never seen anything like him," he says. "Their jaws were just dropping."
Mitchell, asked how he felt being called a "legend" by people who had seen him play, gets embarrassed. "I just want to keep stepping up a little higher. If people feel like that, it's always a booster in the heart, in the soul. It makes a person feel he made an accomplishment."
He realizes his basketball game needs to be more complete if he's going to fulfill his NBA dream.
"There's a lot more things I need to work on," he says. "My defense is way off. I've got to step up. It's another step you have to take. It's like life. In basketball, you have to keep stepping up." ------------------------------------- THE 3-ON-3 TOURNAMENT
How do you match up with Hook Mitchell? That's one of the draws in this weekend's 3-on-3 basketball tournament at Golden Gate Park. Tournament director Jack Haskins says it's designed to let players see how they rate with the best around.
Earl manigault , Charles Jenkins, Curtis kelly
Hey can you do John Wallace from Syracuse please?
Hugh fan bro gr8 content......but i need my CJ Fair vid like ASAP😂
You should do one on Keith Booth. Left Dunbar HS (Baltimore) as an All American 2 guard. Gary Williams played him at the 4 for his entire college career. Ruined his confidence, and subsequently, his career, IMO.
ms walton on 13ave was the realist
the Baddest Basketball Player to come out of the Bay Area in the 1980's was from San Francisco, a 6 ft point guard named Rodney World Fuller
Vino Roberts was the best point guard during the 80's.....hands down.
@@dukeob100 U Never Seen Rodney World Fuller Play , Rod Torched Every Last One of Them from Brian Shaw to Gary Payton to Lester Conner to Henry Turner - Jason Kidd in the 1990's . i was There an Seen it right at the Pro Am League in San Francisco an Sacramento - Ask Somebody about Left Handed Rod Fuller -
@@dukeob100 if Vino is from the Bay Area an He Played during the 1980's then He knows Left handed Rod Fuller from San Francisco an so does Hook Mitchell from Oakland - Real Talk
Everybody go watch Hooked on RUclips! That's where this footage is from. ✌🏽
I see Hook Daily #WSO
You should do Robert Vaden
Magical
I would like too see dexter strickland
Clearly he was a better scorer than all those former players listed looks like a good ball handler, footwork, it showed a few clips of him running point and I mean with the right development dont know if he had been better but definitely a problem btw he looks like he was far more superior than Nate Robinson no disrespect but dude was the truth. You should do a video on Joe Hammond out of Harlem (Rucker Park legend )
I heard his workout regime is ridiculous. I wish I knew what he did
Hook juice ✊🏿 brother wale
Free Wavy Crockett 🏄♂️
Hook Mitchell!!! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
🐐🐐🐐
I remember watching his biopic Don Cheadle played Hook Mitchell
Lol at 7:07
RIP.
Drugs was his downfall💯
Every Hood has a Hook nothing like wasted talent.
Robbing a blockbuster video broke my heart tho he is better than that great guy if you get to know him just goes where the wind blows sometimes
Oh you did 😅 haha
I JUMP OVER A CAR TOO
ONE LEG
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