Stan Easter

Name: Stan Easter.

Age: 36.

Family: Girlfriend, Stephanie Jones; son, Montá Easter, 17.

Residence: Yuba City.

Occupation: Basketball varsity boys coach at Marysville High school and owner/operator of Hoop Skills and Life Academy.

Tell us about the academy: It started in March 2011. I'm trying to use basketball as a vehicle to help kids, giving them a safe place to go after school, to play basketball, do homework.

Hobbies, interests: Going to the movies, playing basketball.

Where do you get your news? Appeal-Democrat.

What brought you to the Yuba-Sutter area? I was born and raised in south central Los Angeles; I came here to play basketball at Yuba College.

What's kept you in the Yuba-Sutter area? My son. Growing up in a fast-paced area, I found it safer to raise my son here.

How did you choose basketball? It's something I can do by myself. With baseball, you need friends to get together.

Where would you to settle down someday? Here. I'm looking forward to buying a house, getting married.

What is the closest you've been to a famous person? I'm friends with a lot of Sacramento Kings players — Jason Thompson, Donte Green and Francisco Garcia. We play basketball together.

What would you do with a million dollars? Help out underprivileged kids. And buy a house, pay for my son's college.

Where is your dream vacation? A week in Puerto Rico.

Who has had a strong influence in your life? My mom. We didn't have a lot, but she made sure we had food and a roof over our head. She said, "In life it's not if you're going to get knocked over, because you will, it's if you are going to get back up."

Do you have a favorite memory to share? My mom and dad playing catch with me in a park when I was 7 years old.

What is your pet peeve? People who complain and don't do anything about it.

What do you like about yourself? I'm a very giving person, very generous — sometimes to a fault.

What is your dream job? I would love to run a Boys and Girls Club in the area.

Favorite sports team: Dallas Cowboys and LA Dodgers. About the Cowboys — when I was young I liked the star on the helmet.