By Mary Hammers, Hillbrook writer
A pebbled leather ball and two metal hoops. These are the ingredients of some of the finest moments of Stephen Chang’s life. The Hillbrook alumnus’ love of basketball and his belief that the sport can teach important life lessons are behind his new children’s book, “The Basketball”. The book playfully describes the sport in lyrical rhymes and illustrates how success in basketball requires skills that resonate beyond the court such as, teamwork, practice, embracing failure, and helping others.
Stephen Chang attended Hillbrook School from JK-8th grade, graduating in 1999. He learned to play basketball at Hillbrook and fell in love with the sport at the school as a young boy. Chang went on to play basketball at the high school (Archbishop Mitty), college (one year at the University of Puget Sound and then at Notre Dame de Namur) and with San Francisco Pro-Am for a few years after college. He was inducted into the Archbishop Mitty Hall of Fame in 2011 for his skill as a basketball and football player. Chang rarely misses the chance to play in the annual Hillbrook alum match-up, The Loukas Angelo Memorial Basketball Game during the Hillbrook Alumni Celebration each spring. He was inducted into the Archbishop Mitty Hall of Fame in 2011 for his skill as a basketball and football player. Today, in addition to being an author and illustrator, Chang is an actor, (with recent appearances in Captain Marvel, NCIS Los Angeles, and the series Shameless, just to name a few). Chang is also a stay-at-home father to four small children. We recently caught up with the Hillbrook alumnus to find out more about his book and what it can teach children.
What follows is his passionate, humble, and quick-witted replies to our questions:
Hillbrook: How did you come to write The Basketball?
Chang: Basketball was such a big part of my life growing up. My wife wanted to buy a children’s book for our kids about basketball, but there aren’t many kid’s books about basketball! There a lots of books about taco-eating dragons, talking-blue trucks, and Spider-Mans, but no hoops?! (What’s this world come to?) So, my wife encouraged me to write a book about basketball to let my daughters and son know everything this amazing game has to offer. Basketball taught me more about life than any book or classroom.
Funnily enough, when first prompted to craft the book, my response to my wife was, “No.” But as any married couple knows, when your wife tells you to do something, you do it. So, I wrote The Basketball. It’s about a basketball who reflects upon all the game has to offer, on and off the court.
Hillbrook: Your love of basketball goes back to your days at Hillbrook?
Chang: I still have vivid memories shooting hoops behind the 3rd grade classroom and climbing up the miniature hoop and hanging on the rim pretending that I had dunked (still probably the closest I’ve ever come to that feat). Yes, I definitely started playing at Hillbrook. Every recess. You knew where to find me.
Hillbrook: And it seems your book promotes some of the same values as Hillbrook?
Chang: The book definitely promotes a love of learning and trying new things which is a cornerstone of Hillbrook’s philosophy. I think this mentality of exploration (on and off the court) helps teach a child that nothing is perfect. It also illustrates the value of practice, hard work, and not giving up.
Another Hillbrook value is friendship, which is really the biggest thing I took away from all my years of playing basketball. There is a verse from the book “And when you look back at all that you’ve done, you won’t remember the points or the games that were won, it will be those who fought as your friend, brothers and sisters from now to the end.”
I really don’t remember any of the accolades from playing. What I hold most dear are the friendships I made along the way. Many of them starting at Hillbrook on the playground.
Hillbrook: What are some of your memories of Hillbrook?
Chang: My grandpa, Poppy, was my best friend. He passed in 2013 at the age of 91. He used to drop me off every day, pick me up, and was at every practice and game. When I have memories of him, it always revolves around Hillbrook. I think what made him so great was that he was always there—not pushing me, not teaching me, just present.
I also have these not so good memories…like being too scared to dance at the school dances, or cheating on a spelling test and getting caught, or losing to Valley Christian on a buzzer beater in the championship game and crying my eyes out…but these are some of my favorite memories because without them they would not have helped me grow into the person I am today.
Hillbrook: How did attending Hillbrook impact your life?
Chang: I think Hillbrook is still important to me because those formative years were so impactful on my life today. I wouldn’t want to necessarily go back and relive them. There is such uncertainty with who you are and what your place is in the world, as well as extracurricular social issues. But I was very fortunate to have a great supporting cast of teachers and friends to help guide me through those tough times. They gave me tremendous confidence which I am forever grateful for and were the building blocks of helping me become who I am today.
Hillbrook: Speaking of, tell us about your life now?
Chang: Well, I’m a “struggling” actor in Los Angeles, which means I’m more of a stay-at-home dad than a thespian, but I am lucky that I get to be a part of their lives so much. I am married, ironically to a Valley Christian alumni (see, we CAN all get along). And I have 4 kids (4-year-old son, 2-year-old daughter, and 1-year-old identical twin girls). We were at lunch the other day and a woman sitting next to us leaned over and said: “Y’all need to stop.” She’s probably right.
I wrote The Basketball for my daughters and son, but it is really for any child with a budding passion for the game. May they be the ones to carry the torch…or Spalding…into the future and make this world just a little bit better than it was before they got here.
Hillbrook: What do you hope your readers take away from reading it?
Chang: Well. First, I hope they enjoy it. Especially the rhyming because it wasn’t easy!
Most importantly, I hope people take away the lessons I learned from basketball and apply to their life as they grow up. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life, as I’m sure my kids will too, but I wanted to share some things I’ve learned along the way to encourage them on their journey.
Hillbrook: What’s next for you? Another book?
Chang: Well, honestly? More diapers. But I do have two more children’s books I’ve illustrated. One is called The Armadillo. And the other is You Will See. It’s quite a process turning the initial illustrations into a final product. Hopefully, they will get made in this lifetime.
To learn more about Stephen Chang’s book, The Basketball, visit www.thebballbook.com or visit @thebballbook on Instagram.
If you know of alumni doing interesting things, let us know. We want to share their stories. Contact us at [email protected].