THE WHEEL SPEAKS ON 2013 – WRECK – CREATION….Favor Or A Plug?

1. 1
THE
WHEEL
SPEAKS
ON
2013
–
WRECK
–
CREATION….Favor
Or
A
Plug?
Gerald
Govan
(born
January
2,
1942
in
Jersey
City,
New
Jersey)
is
a
retired
American
professional
basketball
player.
Govan
played
high
school
basketball
at
Henry
Snyder
High
School
in
Jersey
City.
A
6'10"
forward/center
from
St.
Mary
of
the
Plains
College,
Govan
spent
nine
years
(1967–1976)
in
the
now-­‐defunct
American
Basketball
Association,
playing
for
the
New
Orleans
Buccaneers,
Memphis
Pros,
Utah
Stars
and
Virginia
Squires.

2. 2
He
tallied
5,251
career
points
and
7,119
career
rebounds,
and
he
appeared
in
the
1970
ABA
All-­‐Star
Game.
Govan
is
one
of
only
six
players
to
have
participated
in
each
of
the
original
ABA's
nine
seasons
of
existence.
The
others
are
Freddie
Lewis,
Byron
Beck,
Stew
Johnson,
Bob
Netolicky
and
Louie
Dampier.
Govan
appeared
in
681
regular
season
ABA
games—4th
all-­‐time,
and
tops
among
players
who
never
played
in
the
NBA.
(courtesy
of
Wikipedia,
the
free
encyclopedia)
But
his
contribution
was
greater
than
that
to
many
of
the
youth
especially
from
my
generation
and
during
those
years
even
why
he
played
professional
Govan
never
forgot
his
roots.
He
was
a
member
of
the
legendary
JC
Bondsman
Basketball
team
that
included
many
iconic
Jersey
City
sports
legends
who
became
vital
to
the
upbringing
of
a
generation
of
young
men
who
were
in
some
households
without
fathers.
Govan’s
trademark
was
his
toughness
and
in
especially
the
70’s
any
up
and
coming
high
school
big
man
who
had
the
potential
of
possibly
going
on
to
have
a
collegian
career
was
specifically
targeted
by
Govan.
Govan
after
retirement
instead
of
going
to
another
city
or
any
place
in
the
world
where
he
could
have
pursued
a
more
lucrative
life
because
of
his
basketball
career
and
experience
chose
to
return
to
Jersey
City.
And
every
evening
at
Public
School
#14
along
with
his
counterparts
like
Lee
Flowers
and
Robert
Harris
they
created
an
structured
environment
where
discipline
was
primary.
Govan
unbeknownst
to
many
for
years
had
taken
some
serious
abuse
on
his
knees
but
every
now
and
then
he’d
strap
them
up
and
bang
with
many
high
school
athletes
who
needed
the
personal
attention
in
order
to
thoroughly
understand
the
game
of
basketball.
On
Saturday
mornings
also
along
with
JC
Bondman’s
teammates
and
icons
like
“Big
El”
Elnardo
Webster
Sr.
or
legendary
coach
Charles
Brown
(who
open
the
gym
every
Saturday
morning
for
free
and
voluntarily)
legendary
floor
general
Harry
Laurie
Jr.
to
name
just
a
few
of
the
players
truly
gave
children
young
impressionable
high
school
boys
a
male
presence.
In
many
of
our
homes
there
might
now
have
been
that
presence
everyday
and
at
PS#
14
everyday
of
the
week
from
Monday
through
Friday
and
even
on
Saturday
morning
all
year
around
young
men
had
a
place
where
we
could
all
meet
to
work
hard
and
even
be
pulled
to
the
side
for
private
counseling
if
it
was
necessary.
Unbeknownst
to
me
until
years
later
I
discovered
that
Gerald
Govan
and
my
father
were
best
friends
they’d
meet
a
few
times
a
week
enjoying
what
both
of
them
loved
which
was
the
horse
races,
and
during
those
times
Govan
would
give
my
father
reports
about
our
progress.
And
truthfully
he
worked
me
and
my
brothers
Barry
and
Brad
both
All
County
basketball
players
even
harder
than
he’d
work
most
kids
consciously
making
sure
we
were
tough.
The
pounding
that
sometimes
both
him
and
especially
Big
El
would
put
on
my
brother
Brad
was
intentional
and
not
one
time
would
my
brother
call
foul
neither
would
they.
People
stayed
away
from
that
part
of
the
court
where
these
big
horses
usually
had
their
own
physical
game
being
played
within
a
game.

3. 3
Govan
also
later
when
I
graduated
high
school
and
started
working
for
the
corrections
department
when
he
work
as
a
probation
officer
would
tell
me
how
he
along
with
my
mothers
brother
(my
uncle)
David
Lee
Rogers
were
the
city
wide
marbles
champions
throughout
Jersey
state
as
children.
I
remember
the
man
who
ran
PS#14
recreation
gym
at
night
even
taken
way
firearms
from
people
in
private.
Back
in
those
days
you
could
travel
uptown
or
downtown
to
PS#
22
where
the
legendary
Mr.
Dunbar
was
or
PS#41
or
PS#9
to
name
a
few
gyms
off
hand.
And
the
one
thing
we
never
had
to
worry
about
was
finding
a
place
to
find
what
at
that
time
was
the
demand
of
our
generation
and
that
was
basketball.
Today’s
society
is
different
and
like
basketball
was
once
upon
a
time
criteria
wise
a
prerequisite
for
acceptance
in
many
communities
we
must
also
be
well
aware
that
time
has
marched
on.
Offer
programs
that
will
engage
these
young
men
who
for
many
years
may
have
given
up
hope.
Everyone
truthfully
doesn’t
like
basketball
my
brother
Brad
will
remember
once
when
we
went
to
camp
I
wanted
to
play
baseball
but
was
pressured
to
do
the
basketball
thing
then
considered
the
Thomas
sport.
Encourage
thinking
embrace
all
of
the
arts
including
multi
media
marketing
journalism
and
of
course
an
emphasis
must
be
made
training
young
inspiring
minds
to
embrace
information
technology.
Times
are
forever
changing
and
for
what
it’s
worth
the
one
thing
that
won’t
change
is
poverty,
which
is
the
state
of
being
inferior
in
quality
or
insufficient
in
amount
and
it’s
not
speaking
in
terms
of
only
money
or
the
quality
of
life.
Don’t
just
assume
that
throwing
basketballs
or
footballs
or
teaching
kids
to
box
will
correct
anything.
The
process
begins
when
mentors
reemerge
in
the
venues
throughout
the
community
every
night
and
without
a
campaign
badge
or
banner
hanging
in
the
background
for
cameras
to
catch
it
in
the
event
a
picture
my
be
published.
I
participated
in
a
3
day
excursion
a
few
years
back
and
continued
to
make
myself
available
to
young
men
city
wide
in
any
way
possible.
At
times
even
truthfully
subjecting
myself
to
what
many
openly
considered
to
be
a
dangerous
situations
whenever
I
tried
speaking
one
on
one
to
troubled
young
men
who
many
forget
about
after
the
buses
return
from
these
excursions.
The
objective
was
always
to
get
power
in
many
political
circles
that
have
since
successfully
executed
the
objective
wise
the
vision
and
plan.
Maybe
now
the
objective
might
once
again
be
concentrated
on
the
resource
that
can
either
empower
an
upcoming
generation
of
young
impressionable
inner
city
youth
or
eventually
turn
into
a
nightmare.
Because
this
generation
won’t
be
denied
to
much
longer
opportunities
are
few
and
patience
no
longer
may
be
a
part
of
the
vocabulary
of
those
who
have
grown
tired
of
having
nothing.
Either
we’ll
choose
to
encourage
what
will
be
a
generation’s
collective
wreck
or
embrace
creation?

4. 4
Implementing
change
throughout
America
within
the
inner
city
which
all
are
collectively
deal
with
the
same
issues
everyday
has
nothing
to
do
with
what
n
one
person
wants
it’s
about
the
generation
of
children
that
need
help.
Thanks
to
those
who
did
what
they
voluntarily
elected
to
do
as
a
labor
of
love
not
for
favor
or
a
plug.
Respectfully,
THE
WHEEL
SPEAKS
ON
2013
(The
Way
Humanity/Hudson
Expects
Everyone
to
Live)