Fans of basketball may have heard the buzz this year around Maine native Cooper Flagg’s rookie year in the NBA. During his first year with the Dallas Mavericks, his accomplishments have ben compared to those of a young LeBron James and Michael Jordan in their rookie seasons.** But before Cooper, did you know there was another Mainer who had an impressive rookie year when it came to playing with a basketball? That, my friend, is none other than my brother, Angel Chuck Billy!

Early on Chuck Billy showed amazing skills with a basketball.

Capturing the attention of our older brother, Lemmy, who immediately took on the challenge of being his coach.

There were long days strategizing…

…And the occasional disagreement.

But through it all Chuck Billy remained dedicated to the game.

That is until he wasn’t. Like many young upstarts, Chuck Billy started to rebel against Coach Lemmy.

Claiming that the game was leaving him feeling a bit deflated.

Then it happened. Another coach stepped in, our neighbor Milo, who introduced him to the game of fetch. Lemmy (pictured here in the back) knew instantly that his basketball dreams for Chuck Billy were over.

After that there was no looking back at a basketball, for Chuck Billy! His new motto became, “Fetch Is Life!”

Please excuse the blurry photos in this documentary. In the moment, no one realized how impressive Chuck Billy’s rookie year with a basketball would become. Well Angel Chuck Billy probably did, but he wasn’t one to brag about his accomplishments…or at least this accomplishment. He bragged about a lot of other ones.

Thanks Coach Angel Lemmy for investing so much time and effort into Angel Chuck Billy during his rookie year. **Oh and as for Cooper Flagg, please don’t try to engage me in conversation about his career. All I know about basketball is what I heard on our local news. I am, however, rooting for Cooper to be named NBA’s Rookie of the Year, and want to thank him for inspiring young Mainers to dream big, including our little neighbor.