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A.B. Buchanan works to help next generation of sports stars

JOLIET — The 6-foot-2 teen-ager's feet seem to magically rise off the floor as he thrusts the basketball through the air and it sinks into the basket without touching the rim. "Good shot," yells his father, who is standing in the middle of the gym floor at the Joliet Park District. "That's what I'm talking about!" ...

A.B. Buchanan, 57, has the energy of a man 20 years his junior as he moves around the court giving instructions and demonstrating techniques for his son, Christopher, and the five other teens who are working on their shooting skills on a Sunday afternoon.

  "With me playing varsity basketball, I need a lot of practice to keep up with the bigger guys," says Christopher, a freshman who starts on the varsity team at Providence Catholic High School and one day wants to play Division 1 college basketball.

  Dribbling a ball in the sidelines is A.B.'s 5-year-old grandson, Ramsey Mallery Jr., who is already benefitting from his grandfather's tutelage. Christopher remembers playing basketball with his father when he was his nephew's age.

  "He started me with those Little Tikes rims, then I worked my way up to the 10 feet," he recalled.

  But besides teaching the boys practical shooting skills, Buchanan also talks about the mental part of the game.

  Even though the teens are just shooting balls, he has another player get in their face like a defensive player, so that they will be able to look right through the other player and focus on the basket.

  For Buchanan, the right attitude means everything.

 

Overcoming hardships

  Although Buchanan has had to overcome a lot of hardship in his life, stuff he really doesn't want to share in the newspaper, he maintains a positive attitude for himself and his son's future.

  Buchanan had a basketball scholarship to attend college, but he was unable to continue past the first year because his mother died and his father was at home trying to raise four little girls. Every time Buchanan called home to ask for money, he felt guilty.

  "I was taking away from my little sisters by being at college," said Buchanan, one of 16 children. "I didn't feel right about what I was doing." He also did not like living in the South because racism was so pervasive. In fact, Buchanan attended a school called Houston Colored High and went on to a black college.

  "You don't let these types of things get you down," Buchanan said. "You continue to move forward."

  So shortly after leaving college, he moved, first to St. Louis, then to Springfield and finally Joliet.

  "I came north seeking a better life and I found it," he said.

  He retired from Com Ed, stayed home for a year, then realized he didn't want to be retired anymore.

  So he went back to work in the receiving department at Crane's Kemlite.

  Like parents everywhere, Buchanan wants his son to have a better life than he did.

  "I just want the best for him," he said, "and I'm going to keep pushing him forward."

 

Push is on

  This season, Buchanan started the drills with his son, Christopher, at the beginning of January and it did not take long for other basketball players in the gym to realize that this was not an average dad coaching his son. Betty Butler's son and nephew, who play ball at Joliet Township, joined the practice with Buchanan and have been coming back every Sunday to learn more.

  "Normally we go to the YMCA or here on Sunday just for extra practice and he was here practicing with his son and he told them he could help them out with their shooting, which is a great idea," Butler said. "He is really good. They love it."

  Boys from Providence and Joliet Township have joined Buchanan, as well as those who play for the Joliet Cougars, a traveling summer basketball team.

  Practice usually lasts about three hours and Buchanan's goal is to have the boys each shoot 300 baskets from all over the court.

  Buchanan said it is important for players to have the endurance to play the entire game. He has seen too many great players get fatigued in the fourth quarter when the game is on the line, so he said players need to learn to rest without leaving the court.

  Endurance is also one of the goals behind shooting 300 baskets in a single session. "You know you will never shoot 300 jumpers in a game, so you know you will never get tired in a game," said Buchanan, who played college ball at Alcorn A&M in Lorman, Miss., in 1963-64.

 

Son appreciates him

  Christopher is good. His dad wants him to become better.

  "You know you're ahead of your time," Buchanan tells Christopher. "Don't become complacent."

  A.B. helped his son A.B. Buchanan Jr. with basketball and expects Chris to go farther.

  "Chris is so much farther advanced because he loves the game," Buchanan said. "A.B. Jr. just played it because I wanted him to."

  Although his son wants to play pro basketball someday, Buchanan tells him to concentrate on school for now, keeping his grades up and being good enough at basketball to get a full scholarship to college.

  "Anything after that is a bonus," Buchanan said.

  Chris understands what his dad is trying to do for him. It's not just basketball lessons — it's life lessons.

  "I'm glad to have a father like him," Christopher said.