Not too long ago, all the hoopla surrounding the recent state prep basketball tournaments and NCAA March Madness had me reminiscing about my alma mater, Proviso East High in Maywood, Ill.
So imagine my surprise Monday when an old friend called to tell me about the release of a DVD chronicling the history of the mighty, mighty Pirates. Produced by cousins and fellow alums David and Derek Grace, on the surface, “Pirates Pride” might not appear to hold much interest in Denver, but the way events are unfolding, you might change your mind.
Proviso, located in a suburb about 15 minutes west of downtown Chicago, is tied for second all time in state titles in Illinois. According to a story in the Chicago Tribune, the Pirates have had only two losing seasons in the last 50 years.
As part of the DVD, “The Grace Boyz” tells the stories of the nine Proviso alums who have made it to the NBA — that number would have reached double digits but yours truly, a football player back in the day, fell just a wee bit short.
The first, Jim Brewer, won a championship as a member of the 1982 Los Angeles Lakers. He was also a member of the 1972 Olympic team that lost a controversial decision to the Soviet Union in the gold-medal game. Another, Donnie Boyce, played for Colorado in the mid-90s, finishing his career as CU’s all-time leading scorer, a mark he held until two years ago.
If you want to get the DVD, go to . I say that now because here’s where things get really interesting, particularly for Nuggets fans.
If Denver eliminates New Orleans, there’s a chance the team could activate center Steven Hunter, out all year with a knee injury. Hunter is a Proviso alum, who was surely rooting for the San Antonio Spurs to rally in their series against Dallas. That way he could have met another Pirate, Michael Finley, in the Western Conference semifinals.
If the Nuggets were to make it to the Western Conference finals, they would most likely face the Lakers. Sure, the focal point of that series would understandably be Kobe Bryant, but a pleasant surprise has been Shannon Brown, another Proviso product who’s averaging 7.2 points and is a playoff leader in 3-point percentage.
Should the Nuggets come away with the upset of the West’s top seed, they’d be playing for their first NBA championship. And while everyone is proclaiming this the year of LeBron, it’s possible the Nuggets could meet the winner of last year’s title, the Boston Celtics.
Coached by Glenn (Doc) Rivers, Proviso East Class of 1980.
Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
