Former Lion’s legacy ‘will change theworld’
Hours before Saturday’s inaugural George Floyd Classic, Yates and Duncanville visited the mural of Floyd at 3341 Winbern Street, across from Cuney Homes where the 1993 Yates graduate grew up.
Floyd died in Minneapolis police custody inMay with officer Derek Chauvin pressing a knee into his neck, which prevented Floyd frombreathing during an arrest allegedly for forgery. Footage of the incident renewed worldwide protests of police brutality, especially against African Americans.
Floydwas larger than life— both figuratively and literally—on Yates’ campus in the 1990s, playing football and basketball for the Lions. Themural isoneof the lasting symbols of the profound impact Floyd’s death has on the Third Ward community he is from and Yates High School is located in.
Players and coaches embraced each other upon arrival where the mural is located, took pictures and even met with people from the neighborhood.
Saturday’s game would be another extension of the positive Floyd’s family and the community hopes to build from tragedy.
“I wore the same jerseys,” said Brandon Williams, Floyd’s nephew who played on Yates’ 2009 state championship basketball team. Williams represented Floyd’s family at the game, speaking to the crowd at halftime of Dunc anvil le’ s 102-69 win at Delmar Fieldhouse.
“I actually played at (old) Delmar. I remember George actually coming to the games to actually watch me play in that Yates uniform. It just brings back a lot of memories.”
Williams said the George Floyd Classic, orchestrated by Jim Hicks of RCS Sports, was a no-brainer to support.
Williams said he and his family continue balancing the pain from the loss of a loved onewith the uplifting and positive change coming from Floyd’s death. Some of the initiatives from Saturday’s game fall in line with the latter, such as a pledge from both programs tohelp of-age players register to vote.
There were other accents from the game honoring Floyd, such as each quarter starting at eight minutes and 46 seconds, the reported amount of time Chauvin’s knee was on Floyd’ s neck. The 46 seconds would runoff before the traditional eight-minute periods were played. Halftime lasted eight minutes and 46 seconds, too.
Houston ISD’s COVID-19 policy includes prohibiting fans from attending events at indoor facilities, but an exception was made with a limited capacity of 2,000 at Delmar Fieldhouse. Proceeds from ticket sales goback toYatesandthe basketball program. Hicks said the hope is this event becomes an annual occurrence.
Herbert Mouton was in attendance Saturday. He’d knownFloyd since their early teens. The two played on Yates’ 1992 Class 5ADivision II state finalist football team together. He was in the same graduating class as Floyd and remembers him as a friendly giant whose large hands could engulf a ball even as a freshman.
Mouton and a few of his other teammates created 88 C.H.U.M.P. The organization featuring Floyd’s football jersey number with an acronym standing for Community Helping Underprivileged Minorities Progress is involved in initiatives such as voter registration drives, voter and U.S. Census education and engagement events with police officers.
“Floyd said a while back to one of our other classmates that he would one day change the world,” said Mouton, who donned a red hat with the words “I can’t breathe” across it, the phrase Floyd uttered while being detained. “Unfortunately, it is in the way it is. But I think the situation that we’ve been put in with Floyd will change the world.”
Basketball was secondary on Saturday but not completely irrelevant.
Yates was without head coach Greg Wise, who was self-quarantining fromthe team after encountering someone with a positive COVID-19 case as to not infect players or assistants and jeopardize the event.
Yates assistant Eddy Barlow assumed head coaching duties. He says this a youngerYates teamstill finding its bearings in aunique system, considering the lack of practice time because of the pandemic. Having the state’s top-ranked Class 6A team in Duncanville on the schedule helps in the long run for Yates — a 4A power used to dominating opponents. Yates’ leading scorer was returning star and senior Chuks Isitua, who had 20 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Barlow, also a friend of Floyd’s, says the team has embraced conversations surrounding the tragedy before, such as what to do if stopped by police officers.
“It could happen to any one of us nomatter the age,” Barlowsaid. “Just knowing how to handle certain situations as an African American man.”
Duncanville, fromsouth Dallas, was already in Houston on Friday night, defeating Spring Legacy 8685 in triple overtime.
Duncanville coach David Peavy, who is a former head coach at De kane yin the Houston area, called it an honor to be a part of the first George Floyd Classic.
The visit to the mural and Floyd’s neighborhood may have been his players’ first time being immersed in a place they saw on social media or TV.
“The thing is,” Peavy said, “there’s a lot of George Floyds out there. Right now, he’s the face of this movement but it happens in Dallas, it happens in Houston. It happens all over the country. I’m just glad that these youngmenand their generation, they’re taking a stand on making changes.
“I just want them to understand, let’s not let George and the thousands of others’ deaths go in vain. Let’s keep thismovement going and understand there are a lot bigger things out there than this basketball.”