His first soiree was a short piece called “Ball So Hard” about then-high school sophomores Tyquone Greer, Paul White and Jahlil Okafor. Poneman is working on a full-length documentary starring Orr Academy’s Greer, who was shot in the leg and a few days later made a game-winning shot in the IHSA basketball playoffs, called “Shot in the Dark” that he hopes to release next January.
Last year, Poneman was hired to teach basketball to actress Elizabeth Alderfer, who played one of the lead roles in “Game Day,” which starred Romeo Miller and was shot in Chicago, including Hyde Park. For three weeks, Poneman worked with Alderfer for three hours a day on basketball skills. He said her game improved dramatically, and by the time filming began, “she could play,” Poneman said.
Poneman plans to move back to Chicago in part to build on the annual “SwagAir Showcase” basketball tournament he hosts. The event invites senior and junior basketball players who haven’t received scholarships. Last year, of the 150 players present, more than half inked college scholarships, Poneman said.
“My vision is to build this Showcase model into more events and more programs,” Poneman said.
Article Appeared @http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160112/edgewater/man-who-discovered-anthony-davis-now-searches-for-another-kind-of-talent