Man, this took me back…
As a young ‘un, I had the pleasure of playing hours of early IBM computer games in the technology lab in Aderhold Hall while my parents took evening classes in the 80s. When we went up on weekends, we’d stop by Tate and I played in the arcade and even went to a movie there once.
Flash forward to circa 1995, and this was where I played countless daytime hours worth of pool before we hustled drunks at Nowhere Bar in the evenings. I studied there, watched Pulp Fiction there, and used to grab the occasional snack there, too. Watched the OJ verdict announced on one of the TVs and sent one of my first emails from the computer lab in the middle level of Tate.
Fond memories, to be sure, and I remember them even when I stumble through on occasional football Saturdays even today.
I was working on my doctorate and, even though my department was in Tucker, most of my classes were in Aderhold. I watched the OK verdict in the tv room there!
Back in 94-95, my dad and I would head there some to play snooker on Wednesday nights after church. Great memories. Long shots across a snooker table makes you think you’re playing on a football field…
Pull Fiction? Was that one of those light porn B movie parodies?
Well shit. Fixed it.
Dude. I’m so old, I took billiards as a PE class at Memorial Hall. I can’t shoot pool worth a hoot, though. Spent most of my afternoons playing bball at the old Stegman Hall (what wreck that place was🤣), evenings were at O’Malley’s, TK’s, the 5th Quarter. Vintage establishments, if you will. Those were the days!
I liked the old Stegeman. I lived for two quarters in Clarke Howell and it was easy to walk across the parking lot and play a little ball, swim, etc. Plus, it had that steam room.
it was a giant quonset hut, but I probably spent more time in there than I did in class. My first few days in school, I stumbled in there after dinner at Bolton, and saw a bunch of varsity guys running on court 1, closest to the entrance. Ho.ly. shit. My under 6 foot, suburban DeKalb County region ass never saw anything like these guys up close. Lucius Foster. Jacky Dorsey. Tony Flanagan. 3 Parade AAs, plus dudes like Charlie Dorsey, JoJo Hicks, Dave Lucey, etc. They were not playing a game I recognized. Foster got loose on a break, took one big ass step inside the FT line, and stuck his arm in the goal up to his elbow on the dunk. I stood there dumbfounded for an hour, just watching.
Over time, I got into a few fast games. I was never, ever near their level, but I was scrappy and could find the open guy. And if I was the open guy, I could hit a shot. It was exhilarating. Any of them could have locked me down if I got their full attention, so I didn’t talk any shit and kept moving. Don’t poke the bear.
Team camp at Stegman. Durham was the coach but, after the intro’s at the Coliseum , he was no where to be found. Ray Zetz ran the show!!
ah, those girders. I stumbled into the fast game one day. I was alone in the deep left corner, and the ball swung to me. I saw a clear path to the hoop. And I saw Lavon Mercer in the middle of the lane, almost daring me to drive. I decided to take the wide open jumper; Lavon took one impossibly long step towards me, and launched himself up into the air. Dude was 6″11″ (I think) with the wingspan of a pterodactyl. I put so much arc on that shot it might have cleared a girder. I couldnt see that part, because LM blocked my view. But he didn’t block my shot. The MF probably came down from low earth orbit with ice on it, but it was a dead, beautiful, somewhat unlikely swish. Lavon looked at me, smiled, and patted me on the shoulder, saying “Nice shot, baby.” I think he meant it. It was probably so ridiculous that he was entertained. Most of the varsity guys I played with were friendly. Only one who was an ass was Jacky Dorsey. Wouldn’t pass, wouldnt play D, just waved everyone off so he could go one on one. He was money in the games. He flamed out quick in the NBA, but he had NBA skills.
I was lucky enough to play with, and against, Teresa Edwards. She’d rip your face off with a no-look pass if you didn’t keep your head on a swivel. We had a dude down there named Earl. Big dude who had been an MP. He was a total jerk on the court.