Victor Page
Encyclopedia
Victor Page is a basketball
player who once played for the Georgetown University
Hoyas
and Sioux Falls Skyforce
; he is also notorious for his troubles with self-control and with D.C. street life.
. By the time Page had graduated from high school, his mother died of AIDS
and father lived in Maryland. Page was a standout player at McKinley Tech High School, where he led the team to win the DC Championship during his senior year. He was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year. That same year, however, Page was arrested for weapon and cocaine possession.
44) was a member of the 1995-96 Hoyas team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
and in 1996-97 he led the Big East in scoring. After that season, Page entered the 1997 NBA Draft
, but tumbled from a possible first-round pick to not being drafted at all. Page blames an evening of drinking and carousing, which caused him to miss the next morning's predraft camp, as cementing the image of him among NBA scouts as a player too wild to worth risking a draft pick.
Page went 11th in the CBA
draft; he briefly ascended to the NBA in September 1997 for the Minnesota Timberwolves
' training camp roster, but was cut a few weeks later when he lied to team officials about getting into a fight. He returned to the CBA to play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce
. Page remains one of the greatest players in Skyforce history; he left the team in 2001 as its all-time leading scorer (since passed). His jersey, #20, was retired in 2004. His Skyforce years were nevertheless marred with violence and instability. He is perhaps best known for "The Christmas Day Massacre," an incident on December 25, 1997, when midgame he took a broom from behind the basket and chased and jabbed opposing player Ashraf Amaya
of the Idaho Stampede
with it.
Page also toured with the DC-based Street Basketball Association and played in the European leagues. Trouble followed Page to Europe and his short stint with the Rome team Pallacanestro Virtus Roma
ended on March 17, 1998 with "la Notte di Terrore", yet another mid-game brawl. The fight quickly spread to the stands and during the melee 12 fans were injured, including 2 small Italian children.
. Page claims to know the assailant, but has never revealed his identity to police. In 2004, Page was arrested for another weapons offense and plead guilty to a lesser charge to receive probation
. Also that year, his cousin Jerome Stroud killed two teenagers; prosecutors at Stroud's trial suggested that the shootings were in retaliation for the shooting of Page.
Page still keeps a membership at the Georgetown University gym. He has recently become a public speaker
at several schools and organizations such as Urban League. Independent filmmaker Derrick D. Price is working on a documentary
about Page's life.
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
player who once played for the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Hoyas
Georgetown Hoyas
Georgetown's nickname is The Hoyas, but its mascot is "Jack the Bulldog." Various breeds of dogs have been used by the sports teams as mascots since the early 1900s. Several notable bull terriers like Sergeant Stubby and "Hoya" were used at football games in the 1920s, as was a Great Dane in the...
and Sioux Falls Skyforce
Sioux Falls Skyforce
The Sioux Falls Skyforce is a professional basketball team that plays in the NBA Development League. They are based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The team plays at the Sioux Falls Arena. The Skyforce began in the CBA in 1989...
; he is also notorious for his troubles with self-control and with D.C. street life.
Early years
Page grew up on Birney Place in Southeast D.C.Washington, D.C. (southeast)
Southeast is the southeastern quadrant of Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States, and is located south of East Capitol Street and east of South Capitol Street. It includes the Capitol Hill and Anacostia neighborhoods, the Navy Yard, the Marine Barracks, the Anacostia River waterfront,...
. By the time Page had graduated from high school, his mother died of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and father lived in Maryland. Page was a standout player at McKinley Tech High School, where he led the team to win the DC Championship during his senior year. He was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year. That same year, however, Page was arrested for weapon and cocaine possession.
Basketball career
Victor Page (jersey #Squad number
In team sports, the squad number, shirt number, jersey number, sweater number, uniform number or simply a number is the number worn on a player's uniform, to identify and distinguish each player from others wearing the same or similar uniforms...
44) was a member of the 1995-96 Hoyas team that advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship
The NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship is a single-elimination tournament held each spring in the United States, featuring 68 college basketball teams, to determine the national championship in the top tier of college basketball...
and in 1996-97 he led the Big East in scoring. After that season, Page entered the 1997 NBA Draft
1997 NBA Draft
The 1997 NBA Draft took place on June 25, 1997 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Although the Celtics had the second worst record in the 1996-97 season and the best odds of winning the lottery with two picks, the Spurs, usually a model of winning and consistency, lost David Robinson to an injury early...
, but tumbled from a possible first-round pick to not being drafted at all. Page blames an evening of drinking and carousing, which caused him to miss the next morning's predraft camp, as cementing the image of him among NBA scouts as a player too wild to worth risking a draft pick.
Page went 11th in the CBA
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
draft; he briefly ascended to the NBA in September 1997 for the Minnesota Timberwolves
Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . Founded in 1989, the team is currently owned by Glen Taylor...
' training camp roster, but was cut a few weeks later when he lied to team officials about getting into a fight. He returned to the CBA to play for the Sioux Falls Skyforce
Sioux Falls Skyforce
The Sioux Falls Skyforce is a professional basketball team that plays in the NBA Development League. They are based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States. The team plays at the Sioux Falls Arena. The Skyforce began in the CBA in 1989...
. Page remains one of the greatest players in Skyforce history; he left the team in 2001 as its all-time leading scorer (since passed). His jersey, #20, was retired in 2004. His Skyforce years were nevertheless marred with violence and instability. He is perhaps best known for "The Christmas Day Massacre," an incident on December 25, 1997, when midgame he took a broom from behind the basket and chased and jabbed opposing player Ashraf Amaya
Ashraf Amaya
Ashraf Amaya is a retired American basketball player.Amaya attended Oak Park and River Forest High School for his freshman year but he transferred to Walther Lutheran High School to finish his high school career. While at Walther, Amaya led the Broncos to a 3rd place finish in the 1988 Illinois...
of the Idaho Stampede
Idaho Stampede
The Idaho Stampede is an American basketball team that plays in the NBA Development League. The team is based in the Boise, Idaho, area and as of 2005 plays at the CenturyLink Arena in Boise. The team was founded as a member of the Continental Basketball Association in 1997 and was league runner-up...
with it.
Page also toured with the DC-based Street Basketball Association and played in the European leagues. Trouble followed Page to Europe and his short stint with the Rome team Pallacanestro Virtus Roma
Pallacanestro Virtus Roma
Pallacanestro Virtus Roma, also known for sponsorship reasons as Acea Virtus Roma, is a prominent Italian League professional basketball club, and is also currently one of 13 European clubs that hold ULEB A Licenses, which provide their holders with a guaranteed place in the Euroleague. The club...
ended on March 17, 1998 with "la Notte di Terrore", yet another mid-game brawl. The fight quickly spread to the stands and during the melee 12 fans were injured, including 2 small Italian children.
Recent Years
In 2003, Victor Page suffered his greatest setbacks when he was shot in the right eye while in his childhood neighborhood. Page lost the eye completely and now wears an eyepatchEyepatch
An eyepatch or eye pad is a small patch that is worn in front of one eye. It may be a cloth patch attached around the head by an elastic band or by a string, or an adhesive bandage. It is often worn by people to cover a lost or injured eye, but it also has a therapeutic use in children for the...
. Page claims to know the assailant, but has never revealed his identity to police. In 2004, Page was arrested for another weapons offense and plead guilty to a lesser charge to receive probation
Probation
Probation literally means testing of behaviour or abilities. In a legal sense, an offender on probation is ordered to follow certain conditions set forth by the court, often under the supervision of a probation officer...
. Also that year, his cousin Jerome Stroud killed two teenagers; prosecutors at Stroud's trial suggested that the shootings were in retaliation for the shooting of Page.
Page still keeps a membership at the Georgetown University gym. He has recently become a public speaker
Public speaking
Public speaking is the process of speaking to a group of people in a structured, deliberate manner intended to inform, influence, or entertain the listeners...
at several schools and organizations such as Urban League. Independent filmmaker Derrick D. Price is working on a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Page's life.
See also
- "Without Bad Luck, He'd Have No Luck at All", New York Times, John Branch, p. 24, March 24, 2006 (requires registration)
- "Victor Page" at Georgetown Basketball History