No Place Quite Like Peekskill for Brand

All Ruth Torres wanted was a hug. A swarm of wide-eyed schoolkids hoped for a handshake. Others simply wanted to be nearby. Everybody, it seemed, wanted something from Clipper power forward Elton Brand, and he was only too happy to oblige Monday.

After all, this was his night at Peekskill High. The governor lauded him. The mayor presented him with a key to the city. The varsity basketball coach retired his jersey at halftime of Peekskill’s game against Beacon.

Through it all, Brand smiled warmly, shaking hands, posing for photographs and answering questions from former classmates, teachers and current students at the high school he led to two state championships in the mid-1990s.

To all, he is the same Elton Brand he has always been, a good kid who made it to the NBA the right way--through hard work, perseverance and with the solid foundation this town of 20,000, located some 30 miles north of New York City, provided him.

“We hope you continue to inspire all of us to live better lives,” New York Gov. George Pataki told Brand and a crowd of more than 2,000 squeezed into the high school’s gym.

Pataki, also a graduate of Peekskill High, added: “I have known him and his family since he was 4. My daughter, Emily, and Elton went to school together from kindergarten on up. He played Santa Claus once in a Christmas play, and Emily was Mrs. Claus.”

Others told similar stories, little bits of history that made them glow with pride.

Torres, who has taught Spanish for 20 years, recalled Brand as one who took his studies as seriously as he did his accomplishments on the basketball court. Although hefinished 10th in his senior class, he struggled in Spanish III.

“But he got an 89 on his final, and I said, ‘Elton what happened?’” Torres said. “He said, ‘I did what I had to do.’ You know, everything they say about him in the media is true. He’s so polite, so well-spoken. The support he had here was very instrumental in his success.”

Later, Torres got a hug, an autograph and a red Clipper cap.

“He grew up in Dunbar Heights [a public housing complex] on the other side of town, and he did a lot to bring this town together in the mid-1990s,” said Vinnie Vesce, a former Peekskill mayor. “Pataki was elected governor, and two months later we won the state championship [in 1995]. A couple of weeks later, he had about 350 people, including Elton and the basketball team, up at the governor’s mansion in Albany.”

Memories flooded over Brand as a five-minute videotape, featuring his play at Peekskill, Duke and with the Clippers, was shown on a giant screen wheeled onto the basketball court during the halftime ceremony.

“Peekskill shaped me as a person,” he said, flashing another of his megawatt smiles. “It is important to be a good overall person and not just a good basketball player.”