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f anyone would have a reason to doubt Anthony Hubbard, it’s George Ayoob.
In December 2003, Hubbard and some pals broke into the Woodbridge, Va., home of Ayoob, then 71, robbed him and made off with his cellular phone.
And yet when you ask Ayoob today about Hubbard, one of the newest members of the Iowa men’s basketball program, he says this:
“I think he was very young and he kind of got hooked into it. They just kind of followed the one guy (who) was a real trouble-maker. The other three or four that were with him didn’t do anything. They just kind of stood around and got in the way, really.â€
No resentment. No grudge. Now 79, Ayoob hopes Iowans give Hubbard a chance before they condemn him outright.
Anthony Hubbard, 26, will join the Iowa men's basketball team this season. (Dan Scenna/AP Photo/Frederick Community College)
“I hope he’s doing well,†he says. “I’d like to see the young fella turn his life around and get headed in the right direction. If he’s sincere in his motivation to get ahead, the least we should do is give him a helping hand. And just hope he doesn’t bite it.â€
Ayoob’s turned the other cheek. So here’s the question: Why can’t Hawkeye fans do the same?
You see the headline —“Felon signs with Iowa basketball team†— and red flags go off everywhere.
The stench of Pierre Pierce still lingers. Iowans desperately want a winner on Elliot Drive, but not in exchange for their souls.
But like a lot of things in life, it’s also not that simple. There is right and wrong, and Anthony Hubbard has done his fair share of both. There are shades of gray here, too, and hard questions about second chances and redemption.
The man who signed the 26-year-old, coach Fran McCaffery, and the man who gave it the green light, athletic director Gary Barta, are on the I-Club circuit this month; the former admits that it hasn’t been the easiest sell.
“It has come up,†McCaffery says of Hubbard, a 6-foot-5 guard and cousin of ex-NBA star David Thompson who averaged 20.7 points per game at Frederick (Md.) Community College over the winter. “(But) some people are going to be open-minded to him and trust that we’ve done our due diligence.â€
Barta described the university’s vetting process on Hubbard as “thoroughâ€, adding that the Virginia native’s admission will “comply with University protocol.†He deferred questions on specific protocols to associate athletic director Fred Mims. Mims didn’t return phone calls seeking comment.
For his part, Barta says that he’s “only received a couple notes of concern … the vast majority (of fans) appear to recognize he made a horrible mistake eight years ago.â€
At 18, Hubbard was running with some of the wrong people. One of his friends needed money, and decided to rob Ayoob to get it. Hubbard drove the getaway car.
“I suppose they’re lucky they’re still alive,†Ayoob says. “I let it happen the easy way and didn’t go for the gun.â€
Hubbard is open about what happened and justifiably embarrassed in the same breath, speaking with the hindsight of a man who’s grown up the hard way, who’s had years to reflect on the wisdom of his sins. After hearing that the police had come by his home in the days following the incident, Anthony turned himself in to authorities.
“If me and you go rob a bank and you’re in the car, and I go inside the bank and I shoot people,†Hubbard says, “you’re just as guilty as I am.â€
He was initially charged with robbery, malicious wounding, and illegal use of a firearm. He pleaded guilty to robbery and spent three years and 11 months serving time at St. Brides Correctional Center and Indian Creek Correctional Center. He appeared before a parole board three times and was denied each time before being released in December 2007.
By all accounts, Anthony wasn’t an evil kid. Directionless? Yes. Evil? No. He was expelled from Woodbridge High School in the 10th grade after lagging attendance. His biological father wasn’t married to his mother, who worked to support four brothers and three sisters. His rock, his mentor, was his oldest brother, who died in 2002. In hindsight, Hubbard says, he sort of, well — snapped after that.
Hubbard with girlfriend, Kim Wilson. (Special to the Register)
“I kind of let go,†says Hubbard, who writes ‘Rest In Peace’ on his basketball shoes in his brother’s honor. “On my 17th birthday, he took me out to eat … he basically told me that the ball was in my court. I could either shoot it or pass it. That really stuck with me to this day. I feel the ball is in my court right now, and the only person that can stop me from doing what I want to do right now is me.â€
With the help of online courses, Hubbard got his high-school diploma. He worked odd jobs and played basketball on the side. Three friends from Woodbridge recommended him to Frederick coach Dave Miller, but FCC wanted him to enroll in classes for a year before becoming eligible to play.
Hubbard — who’d hooped in AAU but wasn’t part of his high school’s program — instead went to Odessa (Texas) Community College, which turned out to be a mixed blessing. The downside was that he didn’t show up in the shape coach Dennis Helms wanted and only received limited playing time as a result. The upside was that he proved his academic mettle at a college level — he wound up with a 3.4 GPA — and met his current girlfriend, Kim Wilson, a student at the nearby University of Texas-Permian Basin. Hubbard eventually transferred to FCC, where he reportedly has a 3.2 GPA. He was charged with misdemeanor assault in January, but those charges were later dropped.
“I would let him date my daughter,†Miller says, laughing. “If I had a daughter.â€
If anyone should have a reason to be wary of Anthony Hubbard, it’s Jeppie Wilson. A minister at Odessa’s Shiloh Baptist Church, Wilson actually does have a daughter — and she’s been dating Hubbard for the last 20 months.
“She’s a pretty good judge of character, so if she’s comfortable around him, then we’re comfortable around him,†Wilson says of Kim, who’s flown out several times to see Anthony, and vice versa, since he moved back east.
“I could see the way he related to her and how she would respond to him. Anyone who would treat my daughter like that, they’re all right in my book.â€
Wilson thinks that Hubbard should be all right in your book, too.
“Just give him a chance to be himself,†Jeppie says. “And allow him the chance to prove himself. I think they’ll be pleased.â€
You don’t have to forget. But a little forgiveness couldn’t hurt.
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