By John Cummings

Contributing Writer

The last time former Dunbar teammates Norris Cole and Daequan Cook were on the same basketball floor in front of a crowd, one was celebrating and one wasn’t.

Cook, a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder, watched as Cole and his Miami Heat teammates celebrated an NBA championship.

“I had a lot of mixed emotions,” Cook said. “I had played for the Heat at one time, having played with Norris … it was an honor for him. But, it was a win-win situation because someone was coming home to Dayton with a championship.”

Sunday night, Cook (who didn’t dress) and Cole (who electrified the audience) were back in town for another win-win situation as part of the Ohio vs. Indy Pro All-Star Jam charity basketball game at Trent Arena, won by Indy 101-93 in front of an estimated crowd of 700.

In announcing the event, promoter Carlos Knox had said part of the message from the event was that “you can come out of the inner city and do something really positive in life.”

While Cook and Norris — along with former Uuniversity of Dayton Flyer and current Toronto Raptor Chris Wright — were being mobbed by throngs of autograph seekers, Dwight Anderson was enjoying the moment.

Anderson, a former Parade All-American from Roth High School who many consider a legend in Dayton basketball, had it all in the game before being derailed by drugs and alcohol. He is proud to announce he is three years sober and back in basketball — helping to coach at Meadowdale this year — and Sunday night showed flashes of his former brilliance.

“Today, I’m an example of the good and bad that could happen to people,” Anderson said after scoring five points for the Ohio team. “God gave me a second chance and I give back humbly… humbly.”

“Dwight is a legend we’ve all heard of,” Cole said. “It is good to see him on his feet again. I think we give them inspiration that they can make it. They see us and believe they can accomplish their goals and that is the key.”

And, those goals lead to a positive way out — even if it is not as an NBA player.

“There is a lot of crime going on, and this shows there is another way out,” Cook said. “Me and Norris have been through it. There is a way out of the city that is not a negative way.”

Yet both spend a lot of their free time back in the city giving clinics and making other impacts on the community.

“It is important to always give back to where you’ve come from,” Cole said. “It is nice to be able to come back and do something for the city.”