My family was poor, my father drove a cab for a living, but we felt normal because everybody else was in the same boat.

But as a coach I wanted to keep things from being too complicated.

We had a strong relationship with Walter Brown, and felt that he was the best owner in the league.

We hung out on the streets, played stickball, and did all of the things that other kids did.

Cooper was my road roommate, and also happened to be the first African American player drafted by a National Basketball Association team.

That seemed to be the case with most of the teams based in the smaller towns - the fans were more rabid, and they wanted to literally kill the opposition.

Race wasn't an issue. My family was French, but Yorkville was a melting pot of races and cultures.