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was
easily the best player in the league, he decided to play half-speed
just for fun and exercise. He purposely would not show off in front
of the members or staff on the hard-court.
    The official scorekeeper for the Board of Trade
league was Jon’s daughter, Elizabeth. Although Hyde Park was close
to the projects where Marcus grew up, Elizabeth Handelair did not
attend any of the local Chicago Public Schools. She was bright, and
more importantly her family was rich. She attended the University
Of Chicago Laboratory High School where she developed an idealistic
attitude along with her privileged classmates. Elizabeth fit in
well with the elite Hyde Park crowd, but was not completely
comfortable with her social status. She volunteered in a program
sponsored by the mayor’s literacy program to help inner city kids
develop reading skills. She felt good about her volunteer
participation and it caused her to reevaluate her family’s
materialist dispositions. Her conservative parents travelled with
the south side “in crowd”. They watched Elizabeth evolve from her
inherited spoiled affluence to a socially conscious young
woman.
    Upon graduation, her friends made plans to attend
largely conservative, Midwestern schools such as the state
universities of Illinois, Iowa, and Indiana, or private
institutions including Northwestern, Chicago, and DePaul. Elizabeth
had other ideas. She chose to attend Haverford Liberal Arts College
near Philadelphia over her second choice, the University of
Wisconsin (otherwise known as the Berkley of the Midwest). Her
Haverford peers were similar to her in many respects. They had
wealthy parents, well-prepared academic training at excellent high
schools, and an introduction to living well. These students did not
want for much. The difference between Elizabeth and her new
classmates was that she arrived on campus with her father’s middle
class values: hard work, academic study, and a clannish dedication
to his family.
    Haverford cemented her drift toward liberal
approaches to life. She thought that some of her father’s values
were understandable, but ideals of the past generation. During
college, not only did she evolve with her political and social
philosophies, she blossomed into a beautiful woman. She was tall,
and her natural blond hair color was consistent with her genetic
Dutch tendencies. Elizabeth also had access to family money.
However, she neither wanted to become a “trust fund baby” nor was
she prepared to lower her standard of living.
    After college graduation festivities ended,
Elizabeth came home for the summer to her family’s spacious
penthouse to plan her future. She had great options for the fall:
DePaul Law School or Northwestern MBA or a two-year stint in South
America working for the Peace Corps. Helping her Dad with the
basketball league and other temporary jobs gave her something to do
for the summer while she sorted out her fall choices.
    Elizabeth became the scorekeeper for the Board of
Trade Basketball League. Participants in games usually ended up at
a funky, downtown Chicago watering hole called The Bar Double R
after each game. The staff team led by Marcus Imari lost the first
three league games to the members, and Elizabeth could not help but
razz Marcus one night at the bar.
    “At least your team is very consistent this year”
she teased. “Maybe you could beat my little brother’s team!”
    Elizabeth surprised Marcus with her opening salvo
for this conversation. She normally ignored him – instead seeking
the company of the young, white and up-and-coming traders. He found
her beauty quite appealing, but perhaps out of reach for a college
dropout.
    “We could beat any of the teams in the league if we
really want to,” Marcus replied. “We found the secret.”
    “What about the undefeated “Trader Carl’s” team?
They beat you last week like a drum. I’m serious, you might not win
a game this year,” Elizabeth paused. “Alright, what is