He Got Game (Movie Fan-Fiction)

A Story by Abishai100

A recruited basketball player from Europe must decide between two prestigious American universities who both offer him special drama!

I wanted to offer up a values-inquiry vignette about academic challenges in the modern world, referencing the two esteemed American universities, Duke and Stanford, and inspired by the NCAA-examination film He Got Game, since it seems today, liberal dialogue represents civilization cautiousness(!). I just couldn't retire without writing something about this matter of great personal importance to me!

Thanks so much for reading (signing off),

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"Ajay Pointe was born in Belfast (Northern Ireland) to an Algerian father and Irish mother and was a highly-skilled basketball point-guard in high-school. He did very well academically and decided to apply to Duke University and Stanford University and therefore wanted to immigrate to America. He got his parents' blessings and then was offered admission to both Duke and Stanford and was invited to visit the campuses of both American universities in the spring and decide which he'd attend as a highly-recruited foreign scholar-athlete from Belfast. Ajay decided he'd choose the school that was best for basketball, his Catholic values, and life."

"Ajay loved basketball and dreamed of performing well in the NCAA tournament with either the Stanford Cardinal team or the Duke Blue Devils team. In Belfast, Ajay worked part-time as a movie-theater usher and used some of his earnings to purchase an Xbox video-game system and an NCAA basketball video-game off eBay. Ajay played NCAA basketball video-games for hours on weekends and fantasized about being part of the NCAA 'March Madness' tournament in America, as either a Cardinal or a Blue Devil. As a scholar-athlete, he'd receive a special financial-assistance package, a scholarship, to help pay for tuition."

"Ajay Pointe loved living in Belfast (Northern Ireland) despite the growing troubles between Irish Catholics and British Protestants due to cultural and political differences. The British Parliament worked with Sinn Fein (the Irish-wing of English politics) to negotiate special socioeconomic policies conducive to the coexistence of Catholics and Protestants in Belfast. Ajay internalized all these social problems which contributed to his daydreams about escaping to America to study and play basketball in a democratically less-challenged country. To Ajay, Belfast was a European city with potential and symbolizing his modern dreams to become a man of peace and action."

"Ajay first visited the campus of Stanford University. He noticed the terrific campus, the gorgeous California sun, the esteemed faculty, the happy students, and the reputed athletics. He was given a tour of the basketball stadium and other facilities contributing to social student life on campus. Ajay realized California was a place of great sun and sweetness, and this contributed to his interest in becoming a Stanford Cardinal basketball player. He was impressed by the showcase of West Coast luxuries boasted by the well-funded American university."

"When Ajay got to the Stanford campus, he was shown videos of the celebrated Cardinal player Josh Childress who was an excellent contributing athlete in the NCAA tournament in the early part of the 2000s. Childress was a respected student and athlete at Stanford, and Ajay realized Stanford administrators cared about the social and academic investments afforded to athletes who were interested in spending time developing their gifts in college basketball. This made Ajay feel like Stanford would be a wise choice, for many many reasons."

"Ajay Pointe then flew to the East Coast and was given a tour of the Duke University campus. He was overwhelmed now of all the cool facilities of the handsome American university which had emerged as an academic powerhouse thanks to the successes of the Blue Devils basketball team which brought much national and media attention and brought legions of new interested student-applicants who added to the school's prestige as a socially popular college option. Ajay was told he'd stand out as a member of the Blue Devils because of his extraordinary skills as a point-guard. Now, Ajay didn't know which school he preferred --- Duke or Stanford."

"Ajay was then shown a video of the Duke star-guard JJ Redick, just as he'd been shown videos of the Stanford star-player Josh Childress. Ajay noted how JJ Redick stood out at Duke thanks to his terrific team-play and shooting-skills and was promised he'd receive similar honors and accolades if he achieved for Duke in ways similar to that Redick did. Ajay learned that Redick was as valued to the student campus at Duke as Childress was at Stanford. Ajay now had a tough decision to make."

"College academics was all about the nuances of culture and society. Ajay Pointe wanted to escape the political realities of socially-troubled Belfast (Northern Ireland) and find the niche of academic confidence in America. He learned about how NCAA basketball in America was all about prestige and appeal and popularity and also media. He'd be honored as a contributor to the student campuses as an agent adding to the appeal of the school itself. This was a big-time 'activity' in America, so Ajay Pointe didn't want to make the wrong decision."

"One night, while staying at a hotel outside the Duke campus during his visit to the school as a potential basketball recruit, Ajay got a knock on his hotel-suite door. He opened the door, and there was a beautiful young woman who explained she was 'sent' by either Stanford or Duke as a special 'romance-girl' who'd help him make that important decision. Ajay spent that hot night with the young woman whom he couldn't resist. The woman would tell him which school she was sent by the morning after, requiring Ajay to commit to that specific school. Ajay decided this was something he simply wasn't austere enough to refuse. He wanted to simply escape Belfast."

"Ajay Pointe returned to Belfast older and wiser and somewhat more cynical. He told his worried parents which school he'd attend as a basketball point-guard. He'd begin the academic semester the following year as an enrolled exchange-student from Northern Ireland. Ajay would go onto become a very celebrated NCAA athlete. He'd always wonder, however, what his life would have been had he not succumbed to the 'temptation' of Western power!"