Realizing the Answer: Developing the Dreams of Tomorrow-Today (2nd Edition)

By Gary "Mo" Moore and Coach Larry Brown

Reading "Realizing the Answer" gives a special look and insight into the struggles and the triumphs that were experienced due to involvement in the development of a dream by one and how it can be used to positively impact so many others. It is my hope that this book offers encouragement to those who are seeking to become "mentors". It is also hoped that this book is beneficial to those who are willing to dream simply because they have faith which says that dreams do come true. The intent of this work is to offer hope for change in this country that is long overdue. The change that I speak of asserts that we must be willing to help others without having any motivations or expectations of rewards or immediate benefits for doing so. More-over, we must be willing to do more simply because it is the morally and ethically correct thing to do. Hopefully, the outcomes will indicate success in the life of a child for the overall good of mankind, even if it means helping one child at a time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Jan 20, 2023
• ISBN: 9781665736350

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Copyright © 2023 Gary Mo Moore.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

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and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3567-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3566-7 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-6657-3635-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022924106

Archway Publishing rev. date: 02/21/2024

CONTENTS

Foreword

Introduction

Chapter 1 Extraordinary

Chapter 2 The Formative Years

Chapter 3 My Summer Love

Chapter 4 Ministry of Motivation

Chapter 5 WonderKind

Chapter 6 Superstardom

Chapter 7 Fall From Grace

Chapter 8 Second Chances

Chapter 9 Building a Brand

Chapter 10 Gatekeeper Gary

Chapter 11 Philanthropy at Its Finest

Chapter 12 Mentorship Matters

Chapter 13 In Retrospect

Chapter 14 Changing the Game

Acknowledgements

This book is

dedicated to the memory of my late father Albert Moore Sr. and to my nephew Tijuan Kente’ aka Booney Howard

FOREWORD

BY COACH LARRY BROWN

(NCAA, National Championship (Kansas 1988) winning Coach, NBA World Championship (Detroit Pistons 2004 winning Coach, and Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame (Class of 2002))

I had the privilege and the pleasure to first meet Gary, back in 1997 when I served as head coach for the Philadelphia 76ers and had the opportunity to coach the great Allen Iverson, who came to me after his rookie year.

No matter how ungodly the city or the hour, Gary was always the first to greet us at the gate and always there for anything that Allen needed. Simply put, Gary was a father figure, coach, manager, agent, mentor, and confidant to Allen, all rolled up into one. Their connection was magical and as I got to know them both, I could see how much they genuinely cared for one another. I also admired them equally for being the family men and authentically kind and giving spirits that they are.

As time went on, we asked Gary to come and sit with the coaching staff at games and to travel with the team. It was a win-win for both sides because we not only liked having him around, but because we trusted Gary to guide and motivate Allen whenever we fell short. Having Gary around as a mediator and voice of reason helped, whenever Allen and I didn’t see eye to eye. He also served as an advocate for my coaching staff at times when we couldn’t get through to Allen and needed somebody to explain or reason with him. I am sure being the go-between was never easy for Gary, but he always handled such matters with patience and grace.

Allen had such an amazing and unprecedented talent and unique personality you couldn’t help but to be mesmerized by him. When you’re a coach and have the blessing and opportunity to be involved with someone on his level, you try to make sure you are there for that player in every way.

Having coached at both the collegiate and professional levels, there are major advantages to coaching kids fresh out of high school. With the college kids, you have the opportunity to engage with them early on in order to get a better grasp who they are and what you’re dealing with—and most importantly, to get a head start on building trust. Unfortunately, that advantage doesn’t always exist on the professional side of coaching, given that you may draft a player without really knowing his backstory.

This was the case for Allen and me; I didn’t know him, and he didn’t know me, which is where Gary came in. Gary helped to bridge a major gap. Allen trusted Gary with everything in him, so we both relied on him to relay things that oftentimes got lost in translation. This became critical as Allen, and I built a trust.

In my nearly 60 year-coaching careers, I have dealt with hundreds of players, some with backgrounds like Allen’s, but I can truly say he was one of a kind and one of the greatest athletes and competitors I had ever been around. Allen played during a time when Michael Jordan was larger than life, but he was just as popular because most of us normal people could identify with him because of his personality and stature. I can’t tell you how many times I walked through the airport and had people recognize me, not as Coach Larry Brown, but as AI’s coach. This, as well as spending time with Allen made me realize the impact he had on all people. And most people who loved basketball loved him, too.

My and my staff’s interactions with Allen were extremely important to me because I wanted the very best out of him, like I did for all my players. I feel like I achieved that, with Gary’s help. Looking back on my career, I’ve always tried to do what was right, but I admit I may have fallen short from time to time. I can’t change that. However, I can truly say one of my biggest goals and achievements was to successfully coach someone with the ability and competitiveness Allen possessed.

As a coach, you know you can’t achieve success on your own, but sometimes those who support you don’t always have your best interests at heart, but Gary always did. I have a special relationship with Allen and a lot of it is because of Gary. Whereas he may not ever get the credit or the currency he deserves for all he’s done in life, he will always have the love, admiration and respect from me and countless others whose lives he has touched, which I know is of far greater value. He answered the call to step up when others did not, so I am glad he is sharing his story and I have no doubt this book will encourage others and have a great impact on the future generations of kids who really need the help.

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Gary Mo Moore and Coach Brown at end of practice in 2001.

INTRODUCTION

It was the call no loved one wants to receive…It came during the wee hours of October 20, 1995, after my wife, Phyllis, and I had settled into a restful sleep, after a full day which included work and coaching, dinner and our usual end-of-day conversation.

Call it a sixth sense, but I immediately knew something was terribly wrong at the sound of the first startling ring. The familiar voice on the other end of the line confirmed my gut feeling. My beloved nephew, Booney, had been shot multiple times and admitted to the emergency room at Hampton Sentara General Hospital in Hampton, VA. He had lost a tremendous amount of blood and had been rushed to emergency surgery. The nurse who contacted me was a church member and called on Booney’s behalf. Not only had he asked her to call his Uncle Gary, but he also told her he did not want to die.

I hung up the phone with a lump in my throat and a pounding heart and called my youngest brother and Booney’s father. I stammered through my words, but managed to communicate to him and my wife, the few details I knew. Phyllis and I tried to pull ourselves together, as we jumped up, got dressed and rushed to the hospital. By the time we all arrived, Booney was already in surgery, where he remained for several hours. A small group, which included Bobby, Phyllis, my sister, Teresa and a few others waited with bated breath, for the doctor to emerge through the double-wide, swinging doors. A couple of us paced back and forth in the small confines of the waiting room floor, while others sat quietly and patiently. All of us prayed, some silently and some aloud. At one point, the doctors came out to tell us they had stopped the bleeding and Booney had survived the most difficult part, and we would be able to see him soon. This was music to our ears, as we all thought our prayers had been answered. But something went terribly wrong. The doctor re-emerged with a look on his face that will be forever ingrained in my mind’s eye. The doctor explained that, while heading to the recovery room, Booney went into cardiac arrest and despite their best efforts to save him, he had succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. I can’t say I’ve ever felt a pain like I felt in that moment, except for perhaps the time we lost Rudy. Rudy was one of my best buddies back in high school who also died because of gun violence. Rudy’s death marked the first time I ever felt such a devastating sense of loss. Now, at 17 years old, my nephew had not even begun to live and had just been pronounced dead...

Born as Tijuan Kente Howard, Booney, as we affectionately nicknamed him, was Bobby’s firstborn son. I had always thought of myself as his favorite Uncle and although I was Uncle Gary to him, Booney was like a son to me because of our special bond. The connection that fuels any bond is of a spiritual nature and ours was most definitely God-ordained.

I walked away from the hospital that day with a broken, but changed heart and the realization that no parent, no matter how hard they try, can always be there to protect their kid from the decisions they make. I also walked away with an inexplicable feeling of guilt over the situation. I felt that because, at the time, I was so busy trying to change the world, I was obviously blind to what was happening in my own family. As a mentor in my community and an unspoken father, uncle, and influencer to so many young people, how could I have not had more influence in my own nephew’s life?

Over the years, I have realized being young can be very difficult at times, which is why, in my twenties, I dedicated myself to be a vessel, used by God, to help young people in their journey to become successful adults. Through the years, I have established intangible bonds that operated without conditions or boundaries and have always had a giving spirit that I now know is part of my DNA. My vision early on in life was to place myself in a position to help others without condition. Primarily, I’ve always wanted to encourage young people to believe that success was always within their grasp and that if they could believe it, they could achieve it!

Like many of my mentees, Booney was a teenager in the nineties, during the emergence of an era that highlighted the entitlement to fast money and get-rich quick schemes, as evidenced by the lyrics of the music they often consumed. Somewhere along the line, our young Black youth adopted the belief system that they no longer had to work for anything, but rather, were entitled to whatever they desired. And if you didn’t give them what they wanted, they would take