For those who want to know what Hook Mitchell's career of late entails, here's the latest update.

Day's and playing haven'tchanged much, as I still have (MBD) and it has to be refueled almost every day. Yes, it's the same Disease that Scoop Jackson wrote about in last year's Slam magazine article 'One More Chance. (The one with Lebron James on the cover.)

Week of June 20th 2004

The week after I came back from Detroit I was performing a photo shoot at the legendary Mosswood Park at which I was performing some of my old tricks at the 'Wood. I was in front of a host of cameras the one that set up the photo shoot was Bobbito from Bounce mag. Stay tuned for the article. I'll just say this: a car was involved.

I can humbly say that I haven't lost too much; I am a knee scope from my heyday. (See I tore my ACL back in '88 and just found out in 2002 while incarcerated that it was torn. Yes, after all them years of winning dunk contests, 3 on 3 events and jumping over cars with a torn ACL. Imagine that.)

This week I have taken my three-ring circus on the road. As I'm working at the Brian Shaw, Brandon Armstrong and the Jumpers R Us basketball camp. And the FAQ is Can you still jump.

I played in a San Francisco Pro-Am game and I had a pretty good performance, even though I was the third point guard off the bench. (Imagine that!) But, I brought us back from a 25-point deficit. It's hard for me to play in a six-guard rotation, especially at this junction of my career. I am playing in about seven or eight different tournaments and leagues across the Bay Area (sometimes I have two and three games in one night, I go to where the hoop is best). I usually go the earliest scheduled game due to my commitment to the 6 in the Morning Club.

Another Hook Sighting:

The week of 6/20/04 was big as my banged up left knee was catching up to me (I was banged in the same spot twice in a week's time and haven't rested, due to my passion to play the game.) I'm soon to be 36 years old in a couple of months and I don't heal like I used to. (You older hoopers feel me.)

Monday
The week started out with me at Contra Costa College with brother Ansar. And the night featured me playing at a City League game at YAP which was highlighted with a few dunks.

Tuesday
I took the three-ring circus up to Cal Berkeley's open gym run and I had an excellent performance against the D-1 hoopers and the local talent as my team was holding down that day (contact Lou Richie for a broader insight, because he is not shy as I am to speak about basketball performance. As he states that I came and took the gym over.)

Wednesday
After working at the hoop camp all day, I had to take the three-ring circus to Sacramento Pro-Am. I felt good that night because I had some old family in the gym and as people with MBD know that they have to fuel that basketball disease. I had a slow start, this happens when you play with different hoopers that don't know how good my vision is on the court, I see things the average person can't even imagine. It cost me six turnovers. I had 18 points and two monstrous dunks, to go along with my dime droppings that night. The first dunk, was a dunk that I stole the people and went down court and threw down a thunderous one-handed dunk. The second dunk was a dunk that they are talking about in Sacramento right now. As the ball bounced off the rim from a missed shot I smelled it with one of my six senses and leaped over about four people and one in which I bodied up with as I tip-dunked it. The crowd erupted as I seen a few people run out of the gym. (A young lady at the scorers table asked me how tall I was, at this time people were telling a lot of stories about my past in which some can't believe.) We pulled off a double overtime thriller.

Thursday
After working at the camp again with limited amount of rest, I had a long day with the youngsters at the camp and then I had to go grab a little rest before I took the three-ring circus to Santa Rosa (yes, I have my own little And-1 tour). I had an early dunk that night as I heard the whispers, 'that's Hook!' Then, I was up to my deception again as I was passing the ball like a guy I admire, Jason Kidd. I was getting my off. That's one of my biggest joys is getting everybody involved in the game.

Then, it happened. Almost identical to the night before. But the ball came off even prettier than the night before, and I was body-to-body with the big man. I threw it down so hard that I fell on my back (I must say that was one of my best dunks of late).

As the local Santa Rosa folks was pleased as some of them ran out the gym again and after the game the coach Craig McMillian (the old Arizona Wildcat guard) said, 'I can't believe that you are still jumping out of the gym at the age you are!

I can't believe the fact that wherever I go I hear the whispers 'there's Hook.' Youngsters come up to me and as it seems pay homage to the legend of Hook Mitchell. Thank you all for the love and respect.

Then I wrapped up the following week with a near 20-assist night at the Sacramento Pro-Am All-Star game. They had featured me in the Sacramento Bee on three different occasions over the past two and a half weeks.

Week of July 5th 2004

I would like to thank everyone for reading this message of truth about what God has placed inside of me. Could you all pray for the success of my program Project Straight Path and for my success on the court.

God has placed something in my path that I can't even describe. Over the past week a lot has transpired. I have a screening of my film in Oakland on Saturday July 10, I have been featured on the radio, and have been on KPIX Eyewitness News this week.

And these two is something that y'all may not believe or could imagine in this lifetime. On the sixth I met with Oakland PAL association (yes, the Oakland Police) and they have honored me with a summer basketball camp, it would be called the First Annual Hook Mitchell basketball camp which will take place on the week of August 9-13th (Yes, these are the people that lock me up for fifty-one months, and now they are honoring me with a basketball camp.) What God has planned for one no one can stop and what God has in store for one we don't know.

And this one I can't even imagine.

Mr. Aaron Goodwin has worked his magic: I have a tryout with the Golden State Warriors Summer League team today at 3:00 at the Warriors practice facility. Can you believe that'

All this and I have only been out of prison for a little over three months. Please cross your fingers for me today as today July 7, 2004 is a big day for me. I have a tryout for a professional franchise.

God has truly placed me in a humbling situation and He has placed hope not just in my life but hope for future generations. This here is a testimony, of, to never give up on your dreams or never put your head down. Because if you give yourself a chance God will do the rest.

Peace, my brothers and sisters continue to stay conscious and stay in awe of God's Magnificence.

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