DEMETRIUS ''HOOK'' MITCHELL

DEMETRIUS \"HOOK\" MITCHELL IS NOT A LEGEND BECAUSE OF THE FILM ABOUT HIS LIFE. HE WAS A LEGEND LONG BEFORE IT WAS MADE. THAT\'S WHY IT WAS MADE. VINNIE BAGGADONUTS CHATTED WITH THE PLAYGROUND B-BALL LEGEND ABOUT HIS LIFE BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER THE FILMING OF HOOKED: THE LEGEND OF DEMETRIUS \"HOOK\" MITCHELL.
Vinnie Baggadonuts: How’s it going, man?
\"Hook\" Mitchell: All is well.
VB: How have things been?
HM: Mentally or physically? (laughs) Which one do you want to hear-- the good news or the bad news?
VB: Well, get the bad news out of the way, first.
HM: Man, the only bad thing is I can’t do it all in one day, you know?
Both: (laugh)
HM: You try to do so much, but can’t get enough done in one day.
VB: Do you feel like you’ve been playing catch-up for the last few years?
HM: Ummm... not so much catch-up, because what I’ve learned is to be patient and let things manifest themselves. But it is like I’m trying to get to a place I’ve never been before, recapture a few things.
VB: So, when did you actually first see the film [Hooked: The Legend Of Demetrius \"Hook\" Mitchell]?
HM: Lemme think... was it last July they sent it to us? Man, it brought tears to my eyes.
VB: How did it feel to see people talking about you in such a positive way, showing all that love for you?
HM: It was kind of hard to see, because I never knew these guys felt this way about me. I also never view myself as being a \"star\" on the basketball court. Growing up, I just wanted to constantly be better. I guess the hard work paid off.
Both: (laugh)
VB: Have you been able to hook up with Jason [Kidd] or Antonio [Davis] or any of those guys since you got out?
HM: Actually, I spoke with Jason Kidd. He’s about to send some stuff to my foundation. I also spoke to Gary Payton. Young Teen Entrepreneurship designed some t-shirts for me, and we gave some of them out at a Gary Payton basketball tournament at the beginning of the school year. And Brian Shaw is coming to the screening we’re having tomorrow. So, I’ve spoken to them, but haven’t yet seen any of them face-to-face.
VB: Is it hard to deal with people coming up to you on the street, asking for your autograph?
HM: Oh, man....
Both: (laugh)
HM: It’s different. It’s real different. Sometimes, it’s uncomfortable, but I have to accept the notoriety that I have; that Kicked Down Productions and Fader Films has allowed me to have. Who would imagine a 15-minute phone call from Michael Skolnik would lead to all this?!?
Both: (laugh)
HM: I have people calling me from all over the world, speaking about my athletic prowess. And I don’t know if you’ve seen the Bounce magazine feature, but it’s unbelievable!
VB: With all this attention-- the phone calls and projects and events-- is it hard to do something as simple as get some sleep?
Both: (laugh)
HM: That’s one of the reasons I’m under the weather right now, man. I’m trying to tackle all this stuff by myself. What I’m trying to do now is design a team of people to be around me, to help me out. Initially, it’s kinda hard to get people to trust you and help you out. But now, I got vultures coming after me because of all the excitement. I saw the film on Amazon the other day, man. It’s all over the world!
VB: Is that helping Project Straight Path get off the ground at all?
HM: We really haven’t been having too many donations, but Reebok has helped the program a lot. I don’t know if you’ve seen it, but you can go to their site and see me on there with 50 Cent and Allen Iverson. That’s the most unbelievable thing I’ve been a part of! I mean, man, who could imagine after all this I’m on the Reebok International website with one of the best players in the league, as well as some of the top entertainment artists in the country.
VB: You seem to stay pretty humble despite all this stuff.
HM: I gotta stay humble, especially right now, because I can’t let myself lose focus. When I got conscious of my situation, I said to myself, \"The best thing that could come out of this success is being able to change lives, so kids don’t have to go through the things I had to go through.\"
VB: Yeah.
HM: What humbles me is when I receive letters from people in prison, and when I go back to my community and see people still doing the things they’ve always done. Also, to go back to the elders in my community and let them know that I finally got the message they’d been attempting to provide for me all this time. You know, it’s kind of something I’ve been all my life. A person just can’t wake up one morning and say, \"I’m humble now.\"
Both: (laugh)
HM: It’s just something that’s incorporated into you. It’s not that I’ve become humble. I’ve just been humble.
VB: I read that you tried out for the Golden State Warriors.
HM: Yeah! I worked out for the Warriors. Right now what we’re doing is, they are hiring me on for a six-month trial basis. I’m gonna run basketball camps, and am on the NBA\'s Read To Achieve program. That’s very unique, to me-- a person coming out of the situation I’m coming out of, having educated himself in prison.
VB: What’s it like to have that opportunity?
HM: Kinda indescribable. As much as Mike Skolnik and Rob Stone don’t want me to give them credit, as much as they say, \"It’s all you, Hook,\" I tell them, \"If it wasn’t for y\'all, all these great things going on in my life right now wouldn’t be going on.\"
VB: Do you get to hang out with those dudes a lot?
HM: No. It’s kind of hard because I’m in Oakland, and they’re in New York. We talk on the phone a lot. Even with their very busy schedules, I try and consistently call them. Sometimes, I’ll have so many things going on, that I’ll call them and ask them what I should do or how to do it! It’s like calling brothers.
VB: So, of all of your opportunities, which is the biggest that you want to pursue?
HM: The biggest thing I want to do, the first thing, is to just extend the humblest form of gratitude to God for allowing me to be where I’m at now. A lot of people don’t make it out of that world I was in. The ultimate goal is to start up a recreational and educational program for kids that don’t have the resources. I also want to write a book. When I was incarcerated I kept a journal from 2000 thru 2004. That could entail about two or three books.
Both: (laugh)
HM: I even wrote about every time I played basketball! While I was incarcerated, I always had a pen and a dictionary in my hand. That was me educating myself. That’s why I want the program to be about education and recreation.