One-on-one with 'Hook' Mitchell

It might not have been a tragedy in the truest Greek sense, but it certainly plays tragic in Oakland.\nThe recently released DVD, "Hooked: The Legend of Demetrius 'Hook' Mitchell," brings the tale of an Oakland street basketball legend destined for the NBA but led astray by vice and the influence of the inner city into a bout with incarceration that ultimately saved his character, but not his chance at sports superstardom.\n"Hook," who literally was raised by the streets of the "lower bottom" of Oakland, Calif., played with the best of them and was acknowledged as their champion. NBA marquee names Gary Payton, Jason Kidd, Antonio Davis and Brian Shaw all share their memories of growing up playing basketball with "Hook," making the unanimous claim that "he was better than everybody" in this enlightening documentary that just makes you want to break your television set with frustration over seeing such wasted talent. \nThe documentary itself does nothing to shake up the genre, pacing Mitchell's tale relatively slowly, underscored by an almost afternoon special/urban-Enya soundtrack. However, the lack of innovation or artistic genius does nothing to make Mitchell's story any less compelling. \nWhat is present is the true drama of the failure of the human will and a community's influence. This 5-foot-9-inch "power guard" who would jump over kissing couples and entire automobiles to win slam dunk contests -- according to the testimony of Gary Payton who knew him and several sports agents interviewed throughout -- simply would have changed the way the guard position is played today. However, unlike Payton and Kidd, who say they tempered the temptations of the streets with the respectful fear they developed for their stern parents, "Hook" had no role models to watch over him. When the other boys went home, "Hook" went to his grandparents' house where his uncles and brothers -- drug kingpins and abusers -- would provide an example for "Hook" that even his love for the game could not drive him away from.\nThe bonus features on the DVD aren't those of "Criterion" or even "Special Edition" caliber, but included is one gripping cut scene walking the viewer through Mitchell's last day in prison -- highlighted by a teary-eyed reading of a letter written to Hook by his then-deceased grandmother and scenes of "Hook" returning to the community for the first time to speak with the starry-eyed youth about learning from his experience.\nThe documentary lacked a touch of grit while representing the life of Hook as an inmate. Presence of the cameras aside, there seemed too much of a breezy atmosphere inside of the correctional facility that just didn't seem to fit with the common descriptions of prison life. Granted, perhaps Hook enjoyed the benefit of pseudo-celebrity status, but there was very little in the film to suggest that aside from the missed opportunity at NBA millions, prison itself provided its own set of punishments for Mitchell's crimes.\nYet in the end, the documentary merits viewing. It offers a window into a world that most who spend the evenings watching NBA playoff games on a leather sofa could never understand. In that sense, it's not just a basketball movie. Beyond the celebrity interviews and dunk footage lies a more poignant message. The work forces those who have no concept of cities with the economic and social standings of Oakland to view the realities as they play out: If a youth with the talent Hook Mitchell -- who many call "the greatest player never to make it into the NBA" -- can succumb to its pressures, imagine what befalls those blessed with lesser skills.