In my 20 years of writing, who were the purest of hearts in the game you may ask? Which players touched me, E-Woods, the most?

When the truth hits you, it flows like water because the truth doesn’t need to bs. Bruce Lee gave advice to flow, be like water, morph into whatever the situation needs.

Feel Bruce Lee’s words, “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.”

You gotta see this Bruce Lee vid, it makes everything make sense. Click the vid below to feel his wise philosophy:

Pat Christopher graduated prep in 2006. I feel blessed that me and Pat still talk lots, stay good friends to this day. Jamal Boykin, grad prep in 05’, I tell kids all the time why to be like J-Boykin. I use him as a role model to this very day.

Back in 04’ I had a great kid named Gilroy Hemsley, who was out of the Boys Club in South Central LA where I helped out. I linked Gilroy up with Jamal into Fairfax to try and learn from J-Boykin at Fairfax because I loved both kids. That’s how much I respected and thought of Jamal. J was and is the man to me.

Why did I include Andrew Meadow in this story you may ask? He’s a great upcoming kid, a soph at West Ranch High in the Santa Clarita area. I’ll tell you the reader why I love all 3 of these guys.

But first let me share that I’m dedicating this story to my little brother Keith Woods of Thousand Oaks. He unfortunately died from a heart attack a few weeks ago at the young age of 41, his heart just exploded out his chest. He was a kind and giving person, great guy, to be sure.

Similarly, Jamal, Pat, and Andrew are kind and have the biggest hearts for the game. They’re good guys with much passion, off-the-charts their hearts beat with much blood pumping because they realize that life is a gift. They give to so many, they’re confident people, the epitome of humble men.

Me, E-Woods? I’m blessed to know all 3: Pat, Jamal, and Andrew. You the reader need to know them in a good way, these dudes are as different as different can be, the ultimate compliment you can give a person.

I met Pat when he was just a freshman at Mayfair. It’s so easy to talk to Pat because he soooooo smooth, yet intelligent and insightful. Although he may be half my age, my guy is def twice as wise as me.

I’ve never heard his voice crack even once, he’s so super tough under pressure at ALL TIMES. It’s always “go time” with P. Just like his dad Leron oozes grace, Pat’s whole family has that beautiful trait of giving to others. His fam runs a non-profit to give money to fund others social service programs How dope is that?

I admire every single person in Pat’s fam, they all get along and support each other. That’s their secret sauce no doubt! Pat’s older sister Paris, who Pat calls “The best girl I know”, she teaches kinder like I do. Knowing them has transformed my life, to see what is possible through love.

If you were lucky to see P-Christopher play hoop in his prime, you’d get goosebumps watching him ball out. He was a five-star stud in high school and a supremely gifted hooper in college, an all Pac-10 performer. I regret not seeing him ball more in person.

But it’s not just the lines of Pat’s game, it’s the lines of his 2nd career, that high end fashion game that also impresses the heck out of you.

My guy Pat took his vision of being a world class designer of outerwear and put it all into action, showing out in Paris, France putting the streets he grew up in Compton on the map with his Sloan and Bennett business.

Pat’s clothing line is beyond fire, worn by the dopest dudes in the L, because everyone can appreciate super clean varsity lines to rock. Can you feel me? Vibe Pat’s clothing line, tell me it’s not the dopest:

https://sloanandbennett.com/collections/all

Me? I’ve always had much love and appreciation for Pat. I saw in the pupil of his eye, he’d make it to the NBA. I had a special jersey made just for him in his senior year of prep to try to encourage him because he was and will always be my friend.

I wanted to remind him to not give up on his dream till he made the NBA, so I had an authentic NBA Mavs jersey with his last name on it that said Christopher. Pat did make the League after crazy years of grinding in the G league through mad perseverance. He never gave up, he signed with the Grizzlies and Utah Jazz.

But P is more than a fye player, P has the best chill personality, dopest in taste in classic vintage Mercedes. It’s just how P carries himself like like Ralph Lauren, classy with one foot, the other foot he has this crazy shoe. Pat reps fire Jordan black cement 3s, he’s never 1/2 stepping, feel me?

Why this story? Pat has always been the man to me, always putting in the work and he’s been the blueprint to his lil bros Caleb and Josh and many others that look up to him in the LA based LACED / Hometown Fav mentors group we have.

I must tell 5 kids a month about Pat. Like Ashley Chea and Brooklyn Shamblin who will be top top players. I tell them to be like water, like Bruce, like Pat was. 100.

Pat is great friends with Jamal. Peep these guys’ true vibe, see why they flow like water. They have drip, they crash, they move different.

I’ve written 800 stories since 2003, and maybe I’ve mentored like 10,000 kids over the years. Some have really touched my heart like Skyy Clark, B-Jennings, DeMar, Dorell, LB, Nick, Gabe, Trevor, Hassan.

Some I met as adults and wished I’d met them as kids like Keion Kindred and Pooh Jeter; they have leveled me up no doubt!

I could go on and on about the incredibly fantastic talented players I’ve seen but this is Pat and Jamal’s, and Andrew’s story. They have touched me deeply, profoundly, I’m forever grateful. Here’s a great video that illustrates Pat and Jamal’s college friendship.

Jamal Boykin, I met him when he was a soph at Fairfax. He impressed me so much on so many levels. I’m proud I did a magazine story on Jamal. I tried to use all my influence to help him be a McDonald’s All American, I thought he deserved it but the process can be very political and he didn’t make it but I have much love and respect for him.

I remember Jamal calling me one day, mentioning how it was his Guys and Dolls play rehearsal day. I remember it fondly, he was this strong 6-8 power forward yet he could do theatrical acting so well. He has so many gifts, J-Boykin amazes on so many levels.

I’m also proud that Jamal nowadays, grown, is a skills coach for the LA Lakers. Very actualized, he also trains JuJu Watkins, a super soph prep girl player. He does fantastic work for many and I bring up Jamal’s name often with kids in hopes they learn about him as a role model.

It’s like this with Jamal and my close friends like Janero Jefferson, Jamal’s former teammate at Fairfax High who played on my SLAM Mag AAU team in 05 - we keep Jamal’s name poppin’.

I’m this old guy at 49 years of age but I still ball out vs. Drew League comp at Santa Monica CC. Just last year I told Janero, “Get ready lil bro, it’s J-Boykin flashback mode time. I’m going to back-you-down like he did to you in practice.

“It’s easy-bucket-time my guy, you can try to raise up and dunk on me because you still have some hops lil bro, but I’ll even risk tearing my ACL to meet you at the rim. I’m going to pretend I’m Jamal and this is going down bro!”

I think Janero laughed and stole the ball and ran down court. But we still laugh, keep memories alive. We remember the good old days even if I haven’t seen J-Boykin in forever. Me that writer and elementary school teacher, Jamal that pro and trainer in his lane, we bonded. I’ll forever keep his legend alive to youngsters needing to know how to be a dope person and player no doubt!

My friend Dinos Trigonis is that fantastic event organizer and longtime AAU coach for high octane boys basketball team Belmont Shore that Jamal so loved playing for in the mid 2000s.

Feel these in-depth, thoughtful words by the professional Dinos, as he relates the sharp essence that was and is J- Boykin, "Jamal was a great player and was a great role model to his peers. As he has grown into manhood, he has just been that same great model for others to see as a blueprint of hard work.

“The reflection of Jamal as a person is so complete, because he was so loyal. He did AAU for all the right reasons back then. Him being raised by his family with such fantastic values. His older brother showed him the way. Their continuity of success in the classroom and court, he’s just so easy to be very proud of.

“I know that Jamal was definitely proud to be the face of Belmont Shore. He relished that with the passion in which he played, in which he lives his life, the purpose in which he dedicated action to the team. He is a really special guy.

“He was an ambassador for the game, he played his heart out for us, for Fairfax High, for Duke, for Cal, as a pro. When we see each other, it’s always such a great moment for us to share now.”

#drop the mic, there you have it

Jamal, like Pat, has that all important humble factor yet he’s confident, always willing to work extremely hard. His extreme success in life thus far is not surprising to me or those that know him. I knew back in the 2000’s, Jamal would be the best, I was proud to know him. One day I’ll run into him, hopefully talk to him again.

Me E-Woods, I don’t have social media of any sort but appreciate the grown man Jamal via his IG account:

https://www.instagram.com/jamal_boykin/?hl=en

So do you see how Bruce Lee’s words are coming to life about trying to “Be water”, about adapting?

Now to describe 6-7, 225 LB man-child Andrew, he’s so academic, mellow, yet fierce. So similar in many ways to Pat and Jamal, not because Andrew had a PAC-12 offer in his freshman year like Pat did.

Just go out and see Andrew play, that’s all I can say, you won’t be disappointed.

Andrew plays travel ball for the Las Vegas Elite, feel Andrew’s words drop out his mouth like water cascading from a waterfall, “Ever since I was young I fell in love with basketball, I looked up to leaders like Chris Paul. I watched great players like James Harden change pace on TV, I try to be like that. I want to be like Kevin Durant, LeBron.

“At age 8, I met my great mentor Travis Devito, who opened my eyes to life, poured knowledge on me. He’s like a big bro, in addition to Taylor Statham of Statham Academy. They showed me a path, reminded me to keep pushing.

“I kept my head down, stayed humble. I have big goals to play college hoops, to give back to my community, be a role model for the kids around here. I hope be a pro, in the NBA some day but it’s important for me to keep up my academics, that’s huge for me. I’m willing to sacrifice so much to get to that level. It’s within me, I just need to keep on growing.”

See Andrew’s vid, he grows stronger by the week:

Hear Taylor Statham’s wise assessment on A-Meadows, “I’ve been training Andrew since he was ten years old. He’s always had great focus and is able to do the work you don’t see until guys are in college or pro. When he was in sixth grade I remember him winning MVP of a weekend long tournament and driving back two hours to workout Sunday night.

“In seventh grade he was working out at 6 am all summer with the best college players in the area. I came to find out he was walking at five in the morning for 45 minutes, riding his bike, doing anything he could to get there.

“The next year he made a deal with me to rebound and do other work so he could work out with pro players. Andrew doesn’t wait for success, he does everything in his power to prepare for it.”

Me, E-Woods, I remember Andrew calling me to tell me the first time he dunked in junior high. I was excited for the young man, felt happy for him. It was a good call, like when Pat Christopher called to tell me he visited Cal, visited with our guy Joe P as a freshman in prep and accepted a scholly at Cal in 9th grade.

For me, Erik Woods, to be a part of a kid’s life? That’s like a priceless thing that brings me so much joy.

That’s why I appreciate that Taylor Statham takes Andrew down to Compton to ball vs. real pros, to level him up vs. the Dunk-A-Demics. Taylor will take Andrew to Keion Kindred and Chris Young’s Air West when all that reopens after Covid 19.

Andrew? He’s just a humble kid and he takes nothing for granted. He feels lucky to attend Dinos’ Pangos All-West 80 type showcases, which I need to get out to see more of. It’ll be like deja vu all over again, great people, pursuing dreams.

Here’s one more quote about Andrew coming from Travis, his mentor, “I’ve always used basketball to help teach Andrew about the world. It’s all related. One has to have high character to be a true professional, to bring people together, and to be a leader.

“The humility that he shows on a daily basis will open a lot of doors for him. He knows that there’s always more to learn.”

Be water? Yes. Adapt? Most certainly.

Should we celebrate Jamal Boykin, Patrick Christopher? Should we look forward to see what a youngster like soph Andrew Meadow will try as he tries to follow in their big footsteps?

Yes. Yes. Yes. I could write about these guys all day long!