Remember Garry Hill-Thomas?

Here a feel good article on a young man who came out of the Oakland area basketball scene and is doing just fine:

Hill-Thomas is a basketball gladiator
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
June 12, 2009

When Garry Hill-Thomas was a member of the Nevada basketball team, he would spend his summers in the Bay Area playing for a team that featured pros.

Playing time was sparse in his first season and Hill-Thomas was thinking about not playing in the league the following year. He consulted then-assistant coach David Carter for some advice.

"I just told him that if you're not getting a lot of playing time you have to win the crowd over like the Gladiator," Carter said, referencing the Oscar-winning movie. "Once you win the crowd over with your energy and your passion, then the coach has to play you."

Hill-Thomas heeded the advice and shortly thereafter earned the nickname "Gladiator." And once his playing days at Nevada ended, the Gladiator tag stuck, becoming the namesake of his burgeoning athletic clothing brand and also his life mantra.

"I got that gladiator nickname and that's kind of how I live my life now," Hill-Thomas said...

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