Billy Council (Little Ballers)
Saturday night Basketball Spotlight attended the premier of Little Ballers which was hosted by the Urban World Film Festival. The film focused on a 5th Grade AAU team’s quest to win an AAU National title. The film also looked into the lives of four of the players and their dedicated coach. Basketball Spotlight was extremely impressed with the film and really believes the project is headed to big time success. One of the stars of the film was Coach Billy Council and we decided to reach out to Billy to get his thoughts after watching the film on the big screen.
One On One Feat: Billy Council (Little Ballers)
BS: HOW DID YOU GUYS COME UP WITH THE CONCEPT OF LITTLE BALLERS?
BC: AS YOU KNOW, COLE ANTHONY WHO WAS PLAYING FOR ME, HIS MOTHER, CRYSTAL MCCRARY, IS A PRODUCER/FILMMAKER AND SHE WAS COMING TO ALL THE GAMES AND GOT TO KNOW ALL THE PLAYERS AND FAMILIES REALLY WELL GIVEN ALL THE TIME WE SPENT TOGETHER AS A TEAM. ONE DAY AFTER PRACTICE, SHE SAID TO ME, "BILLY, WHAT IF I GOT A CAMERA CREW AND STARTED GETTING FOOTAGE OF THE BOYS AT GAMES, AT HOME, AT THE PARK - I THINK THERE MAY BE A STORY HERE." I AGREED, AND ONCE THE CAMERAS STARTED ROLLING AND FOLLOWING THE TEAM FOR MONTHS ALL THE WAY TO THE 5TH GRADE NATIONONALS IN DETROIT, BEFORE WE REALIZED IT, WE HAD OVER 100 HOURS OF FOOTAGE WITH DOZENS OF STORIES AND GREAT MOMENTS. AND LITTLE BALLERS WAS BORN.
BS: WHAT ARE SOME OF THE OBSTACLES THAT COME WITH CREATING A FILM OF THIS NATURE?
BC: WHAT I LEARNED WORKING WITH CRYSTAL ON THE FILM AS NOT ONLY A CAST MEMBER BUT A CO-PRODUCER IS THAT, MAKING INDEPENDENT DOCUMENTARY FILMS REQUIRES A TEAM AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT. SO, ONE OF THE INITIAL HURDLES WAS MAKING SURE THE FILM COULD BE FULLY FUNDED. WE WERE FORTUNATE THAT FIRST LUPE FIASCO CAME ON BOARD TO HELP US FINISH THE PROJECT AND THEN AMAR'E STOUDAMIRE JOINED THE TEAM AND WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE FILM COMPLETED WITH THEIR HELP NOT ONLY FINANCIALLY BUT CREATIVELY WITH THE MUSIC AND CONTENT. AMAR'E REALLY HELPED TO SECURE ALL OF THE OTHER NBA PLAYERS THAT ARE FEATURED IN THE FILM LIKE RUSSELL WESTBROOK, CARMELO ANTHONY, STEVE NASH, TYSON CHANDLER, JOAKIM NOAH, JR SMITH, WALT FRAZIER AND OTHERS. SO, ONCE WE HAD THE FINANCES TO MAKE THE FILM, THE CONTENT AND CREATIVITY WERE THERE.
BS: HOW LONG DID IT TAKE FOR YOU GUYS TO GET USED TO HAVING THE CAMERA AROUND?
BC:HAVING THE CAMERA AROUND DIDN’T PHASE THE KIDS. EVERYONE TRULY ENJOYED BEING AROUND EACH OTHER AND WERE THEMSELVES.IT GOT TO THE POINT WHERE THE CAMERA GUY WAS AROUND SO MUCH HE BECAME EXTENDED FAMILY. HE WAS THERE FOR EVERYTHING. NOT ONLY DID HE CAPTURE THE YELLING, HE CAPTURED LAUGHING, CRYING AND DEFEATS AND VICTORIES.
BS: HOW DID YOU GUYS SELECT WHICH FOUR PLAYERS WOULD BE PROFILED IN THE FILM?
BC: NARROWING DOWN THE BOYS TO PROFILE HAPPENED ORGANICALLY. ALL OF THE BOYS ON THE TEAM WERE CLOSE AND ALL ARE SPECIAL AND TALENTED IN THEIR OWN RIGHT. BUT THREE OF THE BOYS LIVED NEAR EACH OTHER AND TRAVELED TO AND FROM PRACTICE TOGETHER AND JUST SO HAPPENED TO HANG OUT A LOT AT EITHER COLE'S OR JUDAH'S HOUSE MAKING THEM EASILY ACCESSIBLE FOR CRYSTAL TO FILM. AND THE OTHER CRITERIA IN SELECTING THE FOUR BOYS INVOLVED CHOOSING 4 BOYS THAT CAME FROM 4 DIFFERENT SOCIAL AND CULTURAL BACKGROUNDS WITH COMPELLING STORIES. BECAUSE AT THE HEART OF LITTLE BALLERS, IT'S ABOUT BASKETBALL OFFERING THESE BOYS HOPE AND OFFERING ME HOPE FOR THAT MATTER. IT WASN'T IMPORTANT TO US IN SELECTING THE BOYS TO PROFILE "WHO WAS THE LEADING SCORER" RATHER THE OFF THE COURT DYNAMICS AND CHALLENGES WERE WHAT DROVE THE SPIRIT OF THIS FILM.
BS: HOW DO YOU THINK THIS FILM WILL IMPACT THE AAU CULTURE?
BC: ONE OF MY GOALS AS A BASKETBALL AND LIFE COACH IS TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF THE OPPORTUNITIES CREATED BY BEING A PART OF YOUTH/AAU BASKETBALL. MY HOPE FOR PEOPLE SEEING THIS FILM IS THAT THEY GAIN A GREATER APPRECIATION FOR THE BROADER SPECTRUM OF AAU BEYOND KIDS SIMPLY HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO PLAY BASKETBALL AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL. I WANT PARENTS AND KIDS TO SEE HOW BEING INVOLVED WITH AAU CAN HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE LIVES of YOUNG ATHLETES BY EXPANDING THEIR WORLD VIEWS THROUGH TRAVEL, CREATING EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, OFFERING VALUABLE LESSONS ON DEALING WITH ADVERSITY THROUGH LOSS, BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, TEACHING DISCIPLINE AND TEAM WORK AND MANY OTHER LESSONS THAT THESE KIDS CAN CARRY THROUGH LIFE.
BS: WITHOUT GOING INTO THE DETAIL HOW DID YOU FEEL SHARING YOUR PERSONAL STORY IN THIS FILM?
BC: AT FIRST I WAS RELUCTANT TO SHARE MY STORY BECAUSE I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT HOW PEOPLE WOULD REACT-NONE OF THE PARENTS OR KIDS KNEW THAT SIDE OF COACH BILLY. BUT AS I GOT MORE INVOLVED WITH THE FILM AND WITNESSED HOW HONEST AND VULNERABLE THE KIDS AND FAMILIES PROFILED WERE BEING, I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT FOR ME TO BE TRANSPARENT AS WELL. AS I GAVE IT MORE THOUGHT, I REALIZED THAT BY EXPOSING SOME POOR CHOICES I HAD MADE AND THE SUBSEQUENT CHALLENGES THAT I COULD BE AN EXAMPLE TO THE KIDS OF WHAT NOT TO DO-I WANTED THEM TO LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES. AND I ALSO HOPED TO OFFER INSPIRATION TO ANYONE WHO HAS EVER BEEN DOWN LIKE I WAS, TO LET THEM KNOW THAT THEY CAN ALWAYS GET UP, ALWAYS REDEEM THEMSELVES WITH COMMITMENT, FAITH AND HARD WORK. AS I REFLECT ON THIS, I REALIZE, SHARING MY TRUTH WAS HIGHLY THERAPEUTIC.
BS:YOU STILL COACH SOME OF THE PLAYERS FROM THIS FILM, AFTER WATCHING IT HOW DID IT MAKE YOU FEEL TOWARDS THEM
BC: I WAS SO PROUD OF ALL THE BOYS! THEY ARE ALL LIKE MY NEWPHEWS. THEY ARE GROWING UP TO BE FINE YOUNG MEN, WHO ARE SO PASSIONATE AND STRIVE TO MAINTAIN THEIR ATHLETICISM BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THEY ARE WORKING ON BECOMING RESPONSIBLE YOUNG MEN. THEY HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT THEY UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF DEDICATION, RESPONSIBILITY AND DEALLING WITH LOSS AND LEARNING FROM IT.
BS:HOW DID IT FEEL BEING FEATURED AT A FILM SHOWN AT THE URBAN WORLD FILM FESTIVAL.
BC: I AM SO HUMBLED TO HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK WITH SUCH A DYNAMIC PRODUCER CRYSTAL MCCRAY AND TO EXPAND MY HORIZONS. IT WAS TRULY A BLESSING TO HAVE LUPE FISCAO and AMARE STOUDEMIRE BEHIND THIS PROJECT AND TO GET TO KNOW THEM AS WELL. IT WAS A BONUS TO LEARN SO MUCH ABOUT THE PROCESS OF FILM MAKING-TO BE A PART OF THE CREATION AND EXECUTION OF A FEATURE LENGTH DOCUMENTARY COVERING A SUBJECT MATTER THAT I AM SO PASSIONATE ABOUT HAS BEEN AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY. AND FOR BET/HBO URBANWORLD FILM TO SELECT LITTLE BALLERS TO SCREEN AT THEIR FESTIVAL WAS SUCH AN HONOR AND AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE THAT I WILL CARRY WITH ME FOR YEARS TO COME.
BS: IN A PARTING SHOT TELLS US SOMETHING WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT BILLY COUNCIL..
BC: FAR TOO MANY YOUNG BLACK YOUTH ARE BECOMING STATISTICS. MY LIFE’S WORK IS ABOUT CHANGING THAT BY OFFERING THE YOUTH STRUCTURE AND DISCIPLINE THROUGH THE GAME OF BASKETBALL.
