It Was All A Dream

By: Jamil Hood Sr. Proprietor, Executive Director Hoods House of Hoops Location: Capital Region, New York

Growing up in multiple neighborhoods, Albany, New York, shaped my life to what it is today. I’m a father of five children, Cedira, Jamil Jr., Jadan. Jordan and Chene (Gary), and Uncle/Coach Hood to thousands. My parents Linda Faye Davis and David Hood are resting in paradise. I’ve always had the courage or know how to ask for help growing up or learn from many others. I was unable to graduate from Albany High School in which I earned my GED from Moriah Shock Incarceration Prison Facility in 1990. After my release, I attended Hudson Valley Community Center, Sage and Grand Canyon University. Unfortunately, growing up I can’t remember getting 7-8 full hours of sleep without waking up for an hour or two to just sit up and dream. I love to dream with my eyes open or shut. I believe that through prayer and visualizing something it will come true. My life of the street activity didn’t stop when I was released from prison, I eventually slowed down but I still had one foot in, one foot out. The foot out got caught again, this time I knew and believed it was over. As I was ushered to my jail cell, a guy in a wheelchair rolled up on me and said, “Hoo, you’re all on the news, bro they’re going to fry you.” I was already depressed and defeated. That was the final blow for me. As I was sleeping in my cell, laying on the floor, with my head resting on the cell to seek fresh air, I could hear a voice. I looked up and I said, “GOD?” He said, “No, I’m the jail Chaplain.” I told him my story and I asked him to pray for me, and to ask GOD to give me another chance. The Chaplain said, “This is why I’m here. HE sent me to speak to you today.” Attending Church with my Mother every Sunday I loved when the Preacher spoke about Job, someone who did many things and had many tasks. I said that could be me. A year later I was employed at the Urban League. Then I heard about a Charter School opening up. The birth of New Covenant Charter School (NCCS) was created. My first year I was a part time after school worker. And in no time I worked myself up as the Dean of Students Basketball Coach and Student Enrollment Coordinator. Student enrollment was a major factor in the fiscal operations of the school. Everyone in the school knew I knew everyone and everyone knew me. Unfortunately, the doors were to be shut at NCCS for many reasons. In my last year I was asked to work at Green Tech Charter High School for boys (GT). I was given the opportunity to work as the school’s Assistant Dean of Students and to start the school’s high school basketball program.

“Dreams only come true if you believe in them...”

Working for Green Tech was part of my dream and being there kept me up at night. I had a lot of love and respect from many members in the community at large but heavy in the basketball world. Again, enrollment played a crucial part in our day to day. Seven days a week, I recruited students to Green Tech. Parents would track me down and I would track them down. We were a small school, wore uniforms, mostly young and of color, rigorous academics, longer school days during the year, and a basketball team. GOD couldn’t script a better role for me. I was HIS soldier forever and I promised HIM I wouldn’t let HIM down. My son, Jamil Hood Jr. attended GT along with friends who were students at NCCS. These are the same young men I trained since they were 4-5 years old and I was so looking forward to working with them. Within three years of our inception, we competed for the Section 2 Boys Basketball Championship against Troy High School. We lost in the championship which was a devastating loss. We were so so close. I always spoke to the boys about integrity and never giving up on your dreams. We lost the game on a Saturday. But the whole entire team was back in the gym that Sunday. I couldn’t sleep for days. I was dreaming and visualizing this dream of being champs, especially with my son on my team. The next year we went on to win the Section 2 Title, Regional Champs and NYS Championships. I was so proud of our boys as part of the Coaching staff and the community. We finally had Albany (Public Schools) it’s first NYS Championship. The following season we had an undefeated regular season with a 20-0 record. In the year of 2018, during the winter I remember an unknown lady walking up to me and thanking me for doing a good job at GT and in the community. She posed a question and asked me if I was ready for defeat. I said to her, “I lost a lot to gain what I got. “ She said, “Well, keep doing what you’re doing.” Months later myself and eight other GT employees were let go from our jobs through budget cuts; that was the hardest moment of my life! I was without a job. I was no longer the coach, and I had nowhere to go. I was angry, depressed and all my beliefs were out of the window. Eventually, my car was repossessed. I was evicted from my apartment and it seemed like no one cared. My children and a few others were my life line. They helped me through some really tough days. The City of Albany was in the midst of high crime rates, major gun violence, senseless killings and then COVID 19 hit the world hard. I myself was trying to figure things out. I lived in a shelter for six months but I continued trekking through the streets teaching basketball, encouraging peace and volunteering. Another opportunity presented itself at the Frank Chapman Memorial Institute (FCMI) located at 340 First Street, in Albany, NY’s West Hill area. Mrs. Norma Chapman graciously allowed my son, Jamil Jr. and I to launch Hood’s House of Hoops in the Center. The partnership was yet another opportunity God sent my way to help one of my many dreams to come true! The FCMI needed some major renovations, I publicly vowed I would get it done. In only a year and a half, I was able to raise $700,000 to renovate the building and create a beautiful safe place for the community. Currently, we have over 300 youth and families attending our programs on a weekly basis. To put an emphasis on “my dream”, I thought I would borrow the quote from the late rapper Notorious BIG, “IT WAS ALL A DREAM”, and I was able to place those words in 12 inch letters in the gymnasium. Dreams only come true if you believe in them, work hard for them and believe in HIM.

Learn more and connect with us at https://fcmialbany.org/hoods-house-ofhoops

Hoods House of Hoops Location: Albany, New York

Email: jhoodsrhouseofhoops@gmail.com