Nude Awakening

Tanto had serious daddy issues. I didn't know the extent of the problem until we had an unexpected heart to heart one afternoon. Tanto told me just enough so I could get the gist of what was going on with him and his old man. I knew there was a lot more than what he shared, but we didn't have enough of a relationship for him to really open up. In the end, I just told him that I care about his life beyond the basketball court and that his well being was important to me. He heard me, but I knew his wall wasn't coming down any time soon.

Every year at least one player lands on my doorstep unexpectedly. On the second day of school, an older man approached me in the Athletic Center and asked if I coached the men's basketball team. Upon confirming that, the gentleman proceeded to explain that his son (Tanto) was attempting to enroll at the eleventh hour because his plans to enroll at a local four-year college had hit a snag because of financial aid. He noted that his son was a basketball recruit there and would likely be interested in playing for me.

The father told me that Tanto was next door trying to register, so I took a walk with him to introduce myself. At first glance, he looked like a basketball player. Tanto was a shade under six feet and his physique was very much defined. It looked to me like he spent a considerable amount of time lifting weights. That suggested he wasn't from the area because local guys have an extreme aversion to lifting weights.

It turned out that Tanto moved from Florida so he could be closer to his father. Things were doomed from the start, however. In addition to the financial aid issue Tanto encountered at the four-year college he was supposed to attend, his father had just been evicted. That lead to Tanto sleeping on an aunt's sofa while his father tried to get things situated. Tanto thought that would be a temporary arrangement, but little did he know that the rest of his semester would be spent sofa hopping. By the end of the semester, he was living on his grandfather's sofa in a housing project.

I often assume things about my players based on their disposition. It's usually obvious when something is really amiss with a guy. In the case of Tanto, I totally didn't sense things were really off in his world until he texted me one day to say he couldn't make it to practice. Upon receiving the text, I decided to give him a call to get some clarification about what was going on.

Me: What's up, man? You're texting me at 3:40 to say you can't make it to practice yet we start at 3:45.
Tanto: Sorry, coach. I just really can't make it. I have no clothes to wear.
Me: What do you mean? How can you not have clothes to come to practice?
Tanto: I really don't have clothes.
Me: So you're naked right now?
Tanto: Basically...
Me: Do you not have money for laundry?
Tanto: Not really, but that's not the issue. My father has my clothes.
Me: Then get your clothes from him. I don't understand.
Tanto: See. Umm.. It's kind of a long story.
Me: I'm not going anywhere. Tell me what's up.
Tanto: My dad..umm... what he does is move around and stuff, like, I never know where he is. He just, like, comes and goes. Lives with different women. I don't really get to see him.
Me: Okay.
Tanto: Every time he moves, he takes my clothes then I have to figure out where he is.
Me: Can you call him?
Tanto: No. He doesn't have a cell phone. It's disconnected.
Me: This is wild!
Tanto: I know that. You could come here and look for yourself. It's 30 degrees out and I have running pants and a t-shirt on...