Coach Hawkins

And his whistle

Created by Ken Boyd on NightCafe

Everybody in the neighborhood respected Coach Hawkins. Getting picked for his basketball squad was the dream of many guys in the neighborhood. I had an edge because my older brother Michael played on his team a few years before I tried out.

When I wasn’t old enough to play, I used to hang out watching Coach Hawkins drill Michael’s team. Once he blew his whistle, the players stopped what…