Basketball Diaries: A Little Johnny Story
We are now in the 7th grade at PS 44, and our teacher is once again Mrs. McCarthy. She says this is our last year teaching,
but she has said those words the last 5 years.
The resident bully George Gomez is now 15 years old, and his only consolation is that he cannot get left back more than twice in elementary school. Bully George is as ornery as ever and takes pride as to never have lost an afterschool fight. George is 5'7" and weighs about 165- big and rotund.
Little Papa (me) remains on Bully George's good side as long as he lets George copy his homework. Little Papa is bare 5 ft tall and weighs about 100 pounds. Amazingly over the next 2 years Little Papa will grow to 6'1" by the time he is 14... towering over Bully George who cannot believe he has stopped growing and Little Papa has become so much taller.
As for Little Johnny he was always on the small side. It has been 3 years since Little Johnny became a school celebrity due to his starring in a Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup commercial that was nationally televised. LJ as kids in school started to call him did very well financially from that one commercial.
LJ made $1,600 for one day of shooting and $10,000 more in residuals. His residual pay was $100 every time the commercial was aired for a two-year period. Little Johnny never made another commercial despite many auditions. He complained that the waiting room would have 30–40 kids who looked like him with hundreds of kids waiting in line outside.
So Little Johnny making $11,600 back then would translate to about $50,000 today. LJ was thrifty with his money, but he did splurge on one thing—a summer basketball camp conducted by Carl Braun—a star professional player for the New York Knicks. Over the course of 3 weeks Little Johnny learned to shoot, dribble, rebound and pass like a future pro.
When we returned to school for 7th grade in September Mrs. McCarthy announced that our school was participating in a 7th grade basketball tournament with 10 other Staten Island elementary schools. Admittedly, Mrs. M knew very little about basketball, so she made Little Johnny a player coach.
Little Johnny's first practice was a disaster. With the exception of Little Johnny none of us had played basketball on a team before. Little Johnny tried to give us a crash course in shooting but most of us were lucky to hit the rim.
With the first game of the tournament against P.S. 39 a week away, Little Johnny approached me and said "Papa, you are the only one on the team who has potential to be a decent basketball player. I learned an amazing amount during my summer camp with Carl Braun. I could see why he is one of the best players in the NBA. I learned to dribble so well that it would free me from a defender to allow me to shoot an open shot. And my shots were soft with just enough arc to clear the rim and go in the net. I want to work with you Papa and teach you everything I learned in three weeks but in your case, it will be 3 days."
Little Johnny coached me as if he were Red Auerbach... the legendary coach of the Boston Celtics. At the end of the three days, I went from being a novice to a fairly decent player.
Next LJ took Little Dominick and Little Norman through the same drills. Both improved immensely and couldn't wait to suit up.
Little Johnny said at least now we have 4 players who can be competitive. Our 5th player Bully George is a lost cause. He cannot dribble, pass or catch the basketball. His shots at the basket
have no chance of going in. However, he is so large out there and takes up space, he can be useful as a rebounder. So LJ trained George to grab the rebound and toss it to Little Johnny, Papa, Dominick or Norman.
The strategy worked as George held up his assignment and the rest of us made enough baskets to win our first game—PS 44... 35 points PS 39... 28 points. Mrs. McCarthy was elated. The team became popular and it inspired 8 girl students to become cheerleaders.
Next we played PS. 45 and the result was the same. This time PS 44 won by 10 points. In both games Little Johnny was high scorer. In the third game against PS 30, Little Norman was high scorer and in the fourth game against PS 18 it was Papa who scored the most.
PS 44 had done so well that it moved into the championship game. The crowds had gotten larger with each victory, and the championship game was standing room only. It was P.S. 44 vs. P.S. 41.
At halftime the score was tied 25-25. Then at the start of the last quarter with the game tied at 37-37, a terrible thing unfolded. The referee called a foul on Bully George and instead of accepting the foul, George argued with the referee. George got so mad that he pushed the ref and was thrown out of the game.
Bully George had only scored a few points all season and in this game he was scoreless. His value to the team was as a rebounder and as an intimidating defender. Mrs. McCarthy gave Bully George a scowling look. "If we lose it's on you George" she yelled in a voice so loud the whole gymnasium could hear her.
With 30 seconds left Little Johnny called time out and we huddled. LJ said we can still win without George. Papa you take George's place under the boards and get the rebound. Then pass it to me and I will dribble upcourt and appear to be going for the shot but with all the attention on me Dominick can sneak close to the basket, and I will throw him the ball. Dominick will then fake a shot and pass it to me and I will take a 20 foot jump shot and hopefully sink it to win the game.
The whistle blows and play resumes and the PS 41 guard takes a shot with 15 seconds left that misses. Papa grabs the rebound and passes to Little Johnny who speeds upcourt and passes to Little Domenick who is supposed to pass it back to Little Johnny. Instead, in the excitement of it all, Domenick shoots a 20 footer from the sideline. The ball hits the rim
and bounces a couple of times on the rim, hits the backboard and falls in as the buzzer goes off.
PS. 44 wins the championship and Little Johnny wins the MVP trophy. The school throws a big celebration party.
A few weeks later Little Johnny announces that his father is getting transferred to Los Angeles and he will be leaving Staten Island and P.S. 44.
That was the last time Papa saw Little Johnny. He was hoping to see him in a movie or TV commercial, but it never happened.
Ironically, it was Bully George who was saddest of all at Little Johnny's departure. "He believed in me when no one else would," said George. I wish him the best in whatever he decides to become.
I also missed Little Johnny very much. He lives on in countless stories I have told my grandchildren over the years.
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