Field Humphrey grew up with Jim Tucker’s grandson, Bernie Snow. The two went to the same high school in Atlanta and the same college, and Snow was a groomsman in Humphrey’s wedding.

Snow would tell Humphrey, a documentary filmmaker, that he needed to speak to Snow’s grandfather. Busy with other projects, Humphrey didn’t listen.

“Finally he cornered me and said, ‘Talk to my grandad,’” Humphrey recounted.

He got on a phone call with Tucker and Jan, his wife.

What he came to learn: Tucker was one of the first black players to integrate the NBA when he joined the Syracuse Nationals, a franchise that lasted from 1949-63. He achieved basketball greatness when he scored the fastest triple double, the accumulation of a double-digit number total in three of the five categories in a game, in about 17 minutes. And he had Alzheimer’s, and his memory of the history he made was fading.

Humphrey and his independent film company, Readily Apparent Media, will host the first sneak preview of the documentary about Tucker’s life, “Let ‘Em Know You’re There: The Story of Big Jim & the Triple Double” on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in The Palace Theatre. The 25-minute preview comes about a year after the filmmaker’s first conversation with Tucker. The film was produced in collaboration with the Onondaga Historical Association and will be screened along with an expanded version of “Beneath the Surface: The Storied History of Onondaga Lake.”

“Jim Tucker is a barely remembered player on a lightly remembered NBA title team,” said David Ramsey, former Post-Standard reporter, in the film.

Humphrey and Patrick Newman, the other creator of the film, met while working on ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary series. With their shared love of basketball, they approached Tucker’s story as one of an underreported on legend, and poured in a lot of their own money and time into the film.

The duo twice made the 16-hour drive from Austin to the Tuckers’ home in Jacksonville, Florida.

On their first trip, Jim and Jan laid out a treasure trove of photos on a table. Together they ran through Jim’s life.

“(It’s) an exercise they’re going through more and more these days,” Newman said.

Jan is putting together a memory book of sorts on an iPad for Jim — for when he needs a memory boost.

One of the most special parts of the film, Newman said, was capturing Jim explain how his memory works with Alzheimer’s. He told them a lot of specific events and places have faded from view. What has lasted are the people and the emotions behind them.

“He knows he’s remembering something good when he has the feeling of happiness that isn’t quite in perfect focus,” Newman said.

Jim Tucker played for three seasons in the NBA on the Syracuse Nationals team from 1954-1957.
Courtesy of Readily Apparent Media

While showing Jim a collection of archival videos of him playing in the 1950s, Jim would be expressionless at first. Jan, noticing he wasn’t recalling, would ask him a certain question, or lead into a favorite story. That’s when he would light up. They were genuine moments of him remembering and feeling the joy of the past.

But with Alzheimer’s, there are good moments and there are bad moments. Jan led the pace of the visits. She prepped the filmmakers and guided them based on when she knew her husband needed a break.

The more they saw the Tuckers day by day, the more people the creators interviewed, the more history they learned and the more the film’s focus shifted.

“The deeper we dove, the depth of the story became really apparent,” Humphrey said.

Newman said the pair realized the film could “go beyond” a personal film for the family into a documentary with an appeal that would translate to nonsports fans.

The film is currently in the post-production process. Humphrey and Newman are working on completing their funding campaign to tackle the final obstacles, like listing fees. So far they have sponsorship from the Onondaga Historical Association and a grant from the Austin Film Society. The film is projected to be fully ready for the public in February.

Humphrey said his takeaway from working on the film was “perspective” on how to look at bias and approach relationships, and on “what you should cherish in life.”

“What’s left is the people he touched and the people that touched him,” Newman said. “That’s something that I’m trying to emulate better in my life.”

Published on November 1, 2017 at 9:09 pm

Contact Stacy: sfern100@syr.edu | @StacyFernandezB