There are still a lot of things I would like to do just once, though.

How about surfing in the crystal clear waters off Hawaii?  Or how about actually keeping a New Year's resolution for once?  Dunking a basketball would be fun.

All three of those might actually happen someday -- don't forget about adjustable, seven-foot high hoops -- but there is one thing I wish I could do that I absolutely can not.  That would be meeting the man who was Perry Reese Jr.

In spending an extended amount of time at the second-annual Classic in the Country this weekend, stories about the legendary Hiland boys basketball coach have spread like wildfire.  How could they not, considering that part of the grand girls basketball event is to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and honor the memory of Reese?

For once in my life I can't join in on any of the conversations, though, as I have nothing to offer.  I was not fortunate enough to shake hands and introduce myself to the historic man who was taken all-to-soon due to a brain tumor at the age of 48.  In other words, while this nationally recognized high school event is being played at the Community Center named after him and partly based around his memory, I yearn for an opportunity to take a step back in time and create my own Perry Reese stories.

For those who don't know the story...

Reese became the first African American man in the history of tiny, but basketball-crazy Berlin, the incoming "losing" coach from the big city of Canton.  By extending his views on the possibility of change, the goodness in all and the value of hard work and dedication -- along with winning 321 career games along the way and turning boys into men -- Reese certainly was a life changer in this tiny nook of the world.

The bottom line: Reese was a complex man in a simple place, an Amish community that hadn't experienced change in 200-plus years.  The story is an unrivaled drama, and if you don't believe me, just check out the ESPN, Primetime Live (ABC) or Today Show (NBC) television specials that focused on Reese after his death.  Or for real good measure, read Gary Smith's moving article titled "Higher Education," which appeared in Sports Illustrated's March 5, 2001 edition.

Still, while I've heard it all, read some more and even saw a few other depictions of the man they affectionately called "Coach," I needed more.

So Sunday, I did what a reporter is supposed to do -- I asked questions.  However, I limited those answering to just a one-word description of Reese as a response, and what I found was unbelievable.

I got "unique" a few times, "intense" and "passionate" a few others, and "unselfish" out of Hiland girls basketball coach Dave Schlabach.  How about "loving" from a few mothers of his former players, or "fatherlike" from a few of his past players themselves.

There was no question to the primary response, though, as "friend" popped up more than a few dozen times.

Each reply involved a twist of emotion from those confronted with the past.  It was clear that Reese's friendships came from every angle, from the most diverse and opposite of people who eventually let go of the fact that he was black and out of his element.  Heck, if those players who fell victim to a nose-to-nose on-court confrontation with Reese didn't hold a grudge, how could community members justify that behavior.  The players were listening for the message, not listening for the way to escape the facts and place blame elsewhere.

It wasn't always serious with Reese, though a misconception that I had made.  He actually had an extensive sense of humor, a practical joker who got his digs in and took them in good nature as well.

In 1997, the year we first went to state, we were getting ready for a district game and Dave (Schlabach) left his practice plan hanging at the end of the gym after we were done," said girls assistant coach Rob Moser.  "Dave always leaves a column on the paper to write in things he wants to talk about, and when Perry got a hold of it, he had some fun.

"It was right about the time that Tonya, coach Schlabach's wife, was ready to give birth to their oldest son, Brady.  I think Perry wrote in how coach wanted to scout some games so he could get out of Lamaze class, and how Dave needed to get his suit tailored for district and state Coach of the Year honors.  It's just the little things like that that we all miss."

So, on this MLK holiday commemorating a man with a dream, this sports writer finally has a memory.

PERRY REESE MOVIE -- Plans are progressing in Hollywood for a movie about the inspiring life of the late Perry Reese, Jr.

Reese, the former Hiland boys basketball coaching great, was featured in a "Sports Illustrated" article by Gary Smith after he died in 2000 from a brain tumor.

In conjunction with the Classic in the Country, the "Ohio Girls Basketball Report" updated the status of a possible Reese movie.

The Disney Corporation has purchased the rights to the "SI" article about Reese and assigned producer Jerry Bruckheimer for the screenplay.  Some of Bruckheimer's past projects include "Black Hawk Down," "Pearl Harbor," "Remember the Titans," Enemy of the State," Con Air, and Beverly Hills Cop," along with hit TV show "CSI" to name just a few.

Bruckheimer has hired Gregory Allen Howard to write the screenplay.  Howard scripted "Remember the Titans," which became the highest grossing drama scripted by an African American writer in film history.

It can be a long and lengthy process to bring an idea to the big screen, but odds now look good that Reese's life story will one day be a movie.