Former Bruin Lucius Allen Talks Hoops and Life

By Earl Heath Contributing Sports Writer

On a warm sunny day at the Bloom Cafe on Pico boulevard in the Midtown area of Los Angeles sits former UCLA basketball star Lucius Allen and childhood friend Willis Belton. They are here to enjoy a lunch and talked about Allen’s basketball life from high school and college to the NBA. He shared memories on and off the court.

I was an invited as a third wheel to the lunch. It was fascinating listening to “old school” stories from an era where America wasn’t quite set as it is today.

The eatery is full of great tasting food good for your mind, body and soul. Items like their free range turkey burger, vegetarian curry and brown rice, the three grain veggie burger, and miracle vegan whole wheat wrap. It’s the kind of place the health-conscious Allen frequents regularly.

Early on Allen sipped on a cup of hot water and later ordered a grill chicken as he shared stories of yester-year.

“I’m at my playing weight right now,” said the 74-year-old. “I’ve been feeling good.” He said it in the way like he was ready to come out of retirement. Belton and I had a good laugh.

Allen did look in good shape and was ready to share some good memories.

He was born and raised in Kansas City. “We had a lot of good players around the city,” Allen said. “There were good ones everywhere.”

Belton was a good basketball player but a better athletic. He had a 90 mile per hour fastball that helped him earn a scholarship to Texas Southern University.

Kansas City was a hot bed for talented hoop players. There’s a comradery with them as several have transplanted to Los Angeles. Former Laker John Drew who attended Wyandotte now lives in the So-Cal area. Claude Hardy played at Rosedale High would fire it up and hit a basket from anywhere on the floor. His nickname was ‘lights out’ Lenard Gray played at crosstown Sumner high and went on to play at Long Beach State under Hall of Fame coach Jerry Tarkanian. He later played under the great Bill Russell with the Seattle Supersonics. In June of 1969 ‘Coach and Athletes’ Magazine named Gray one of the top 100 players in the US.

He was a quick guard with a dangerous outside jump shot and could easily take it to the basket.

Allen also played at Wyandotte High under head coach Walter Shublom. As a prep All-American he won back-toback Class AA state championships in 1964 and 1965. He had only lost 4 games total while at Wyandotte.

As a high schooler he also turned out to be the best of the best. In 1999 the Topeka Capitol Journal named Allen the greatest high school player in the 20th Century. New Arena named him the best basketball player ever from the state of Kansas.

He is one of only a few players to have a ‘mega trifecta,’ winning a State Championship, Collegiate National Championship, and NBA Title.

When he arrived at UCLA freshman weren’t allowed to play varsity sports. It was during the annual Freshman vs Varsity game Allen caught your eye. The freshmen defeated the varsity 75-60. It was in that game Allen scored the first

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EATONVILLE, Fla. (AP) – A developer on Friday ended plans to purchase a 100-acre (39-hectare) property from the local school system in a historically Black town in Florida following a public outcry that the deal threatened the cultural heritage of the community made famous by Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston.

Derek Bruce said in a letter to Orange County Public Schools in Orlando that he had terminated the deal to purchase the land where a former school for Black students stood in the town of Eatonville. The school system said in a statement that it wouldn’t consider any further bids for the land.

‘’This decision presents us with a new opportunity to collaborate with the Eatonville community to preserve and celebrate the Town’s historic and cultural significance as the oldest incorporated Black town in the U.S.,’’ the school system said in the statement.

An association dedicated to preserving Eatonville’s cultural history last week sued to stop the $14.6 million deal, claiming it threatened the cultural heritage of the town. The developer had plans to build 350 homes, as well as business spaces, raising fears the project would increase traffic and price out longtime residents of the town.

With a population of around 2,350 people, of whom almost three-quarters are Black, Eatonville is perhaps best known through the writings of Harlem Renaissance writer Zora Neale Hurston. The town was the setting for one of her best known works, “Their Eyes Were Watching God.”

Founded in 1887, Eatonville was among the early all-Black incorporated municipalities established in the decades after the end of slavery in the U.S. Around 1,200 Black towns or settlements were established in the late 19th century and early 20th century, according to the Historic Black Towns and Settlements Alliance.

Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion Headline 2023 Essence Fest

By CHEVEL JOHNSON RODRIGUE

Press

Associated

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Hip hop takes center stage at this summer’s Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans as the event commemorates the 50th anniversary of the genre with performances by Lauryn Hill, Megan Thee Stallion and Jermaine Dupri.

Rap artist Doug E. Fresh will curate special performances by other soon-to-be announced hip hop pioneers, while Hill will mark the 25th anniversary of her five-time Grammy-winning album, “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.’’

In addition, the event will laud Dupri, a Grammy award-winning producer and founder of the So So Def record label, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary. He will coordinate special performances by some of the Atlanta-based artists that So So Def has produced. Those performers have yet to be named, but Dupri has worked with Da Brat, Bow Wow, Xscape, Jagged Edge and Anthony Hamilton.

Also headlining is three-time Grammy winning rapper Megan Thee Stallion, whose work includes such hits as “Savage,” “Hot Girl Summer,” and “Body.”

The festival is set to run June 30 through July 3, with three nights of music inside the Superdome, beginning that Friday. Other artists scheduled to perform so far include Monica, Wizkid, Coco Jones and Kizz Daniel, with more talent for the nightly concerts to be announced later.

Presented by Coca-Cola, the festival has featured some of the world’s biggest entertainers including Janet Jackson, Beyonce, Prince, Kanye West, Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Kendrick Lamar and Sean “P. Diddy” Combs. Essence Fest was founded in 1995 as a one-time event to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Essence Magazine, but it has grown into one of New Orleans’ marquee events bolstering the city’s summer tourism season.

In addition to the concerts, there are free daytime seminars held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as well as the Essence Food & Wine Festival, Beautycon, Essence Authors and other events held in the city and aimed at engaging the community and economically benefiting local Black-owned businesses.

“As the nation’s largest festival by per day attendance, (the festival) continues to be a crown jewel of Black culture and plays a pivotal role in the amplification and celebration of the contributions of the Black community through business, music, and more,” said Vice President of ESSENCE Festival of Culture Hakeem Holmes.

Both Hill and Dupri have history with Essence. Hill performed at the festival in 1999, and last year, she made a surprise appearance during her former Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean’s set, sending the audience into orbit with their performance of “Fu-Gee-La” and “Ready or Not.”

Dupri shared the 2019 stage with Grammy-winning songbird Mariah Carey, rapper Lil Jon and others.

In 2020 and 2021, the festival was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 version was held in-person and virtually, resulting in 1.9 million live and virtual attendees, according to organizers.

Three-night ticket packages for the Superdome concerts are on sale now, starting at $214 plus fees. Single-night tickets are not available yet.