Man: Most of y'all have played for me before,
so you know I don't claim to be some basketball guru.
My playbook is downright simple.
Only five set offensive plays...
five.
Now believe it or not,
we can go all the way with just those five plays.
We're gonna practice those plays 1000 times.
We're gonna practice 'em till they are part of your...
your DNA.
All you boys need are three things.
One, execution.
Two, cohesiveness...
which is just another fancy word for teamwork.
You must learn to act as one unit
on both ends of the court.
One finger can't pick up a pebble.
But one hand...
Boy: Can move the Earth.
...can move the Earth.
Somebody was listening to me last year.
That's good.
Three, effort.
You must bring it to every practice.
You must bring it to every moment,
to every second of every game.
You leave that out there on that hard wood,
and win or lose,
you will never have to look in the mirror and wonder,
"Did I do enough?"
We could have ourselves a great year, fellas.
A great year.
But it all starts right here and right now.
Let's get to the baseline!
- Let's go! - All right, Coach.
Run, fellas. Run.
All right, Christian.
Where you at, Spence? Where you at?
[Chattering]
All right, you know you can't be on me like that.
You hear me?
What are the two of y'all doing kissing out in the middle of everybody?
Christian, basketball first this year.
- Girls second, Coach, yeah. - You got that, Courtney?
Yes, sir.
He knows me?
Of course he knows you, girl.
Boy: Yo, come on, I got one.
Ball right here. Mismatch.
Come on, G, shake him up, man.
Come on, shake him up, Gary.
- You got it, Gary! - [Groaning, cheering]
I hope you're having fun.
Wooo!
- [Rap music playing] - The Louisiana High School Athletic Association
would like to remind all players,
your forms must be filled out completely
before delivering them to station D...
[shouting] Go on now, Randy. D him up, baby!
"D' him up!
- What up, Christian? - It's good, JJ.
That's what I'm talking about.
Watch how Spence take advantage of the white boy.
- [Groaning] - Offensive foul.
Come on, Spence, you hooked me.
You're fronting. That was clean.
Take it out, white boy.
Remember the good old days, Sam?
Oh yeah, man. Once you're a Patriot, you're always a Patriot.
- [Laughs] - Right, right.
Go on, put me in the game, Coach.
You get rid of that broom, I'll get you a ball.
- Don't get me started now. - There you go.
Ohhh!
- Boy's money, Coach. - You think?
- [Loud thud, grunting] - [Shouting]
Poor ass East Bank busters.
Coach, I'm gonna get outta here.
Our boy Brian is a beast.
- How you making out, Collins? - All right, Simmons.
You looking to win district again this year?
It's a hard thing to repeat.
You looking to repeat 500?
No.
I'm looking to make a run at your team
for the district champs this year. What you think?
[Chuckles]
Everybody got a dream.
Hey, sweetie. Hey, baby.
That's a weak-ass dunk you did over there, boy.
You talking about that silly-ass dunk you did down there?
I'm talking to your bitch-ass, West Bank bitch.
East Bank ass nigga.
[Shouting]
Get back! Get back.
You all right, son?
I'm cool.
Collins, I'm sorry about that.
Just a little bit too much testosterone. That's all it is.
Okay? It's all right.
Come on. Let's go, guys.
- [Claps] - Let's go.
- What's wrong with you? - Let's go, come on.
- [Siren blares] - Woman on PA: Attention, this is Principal Durant.
The National Hurricane Center has just announced
tropical storm Katrina is headed for the Mississippi-Louisiana coast.
Governor Blanco has declared a state of emergency
and ordered voluntary evacuations...
Patriots! Spence, get the guys over here.
- Come on. - Coach, you heard what they just said?
Lt'll turn or get downgraded, just like it always does.
All right, Coach, but what about practice?
Listen to the news. Katrina turns, we're on.
If she doesn't, you go.
Woman on TV: The National Weather service is reporting
that tropical storm Katrina
is moving toward the Florida coast
and landfall is also possible in Mississippi...
Al.
Dayna, I don't think you need to pack.
[Scoffs] We might not have to leave,
but we're gonna be ready just in case.
40 years since Betsy.
It'll turn, like always.
Daddy, I am so glad you're home.
Baby, it's 9:30. You're supposed to be in bed already.
You can't take all those toys with you.
Even if we have to leave, you can only take your suitcase.
- [Muttering] - [Radio sports playing]
So, Coach.
Mm-hmm.
How'd the team look this year?
It's the best team I ever had.
We're gonna win this year, Dayna.
We're gonna win.
I got the whole season planned out.
Right here.
You got a plan for everything, Coach.
It's beautiful, ain't it?
When you planning on coming to bed?
Just give me a minute, all right?
[Sighs] Okay.
Don't stay up all night, hear?
[Muttering]
[Rap music playing]
- Hey! - What's up with you, bitch?
Footlocker is open.
I got some special "get out of town" discounts.
- See, I told you. - Air Max Elites,
go for like two bills in the store. 50 for you though.
- I like these. These are... - Yeah.
No, no, I need a 12.
- 12. - 13.
I'm good with that, Lamont.
- I'm good with 13. - White boy.
No, I need a 12, Lamont. You know my size.
This ain't Amazon, boy. I got inventory issues.
Get outta here, Lamont, before I call the police.
- Come on. - I ain't playing.
Just meet me over there in West Jeff, baby.
West Jeff? On the East Bank?
- West Jeff. - No, that's enemy territory.
- [Laughs] - Where your loyalty at, Lamont?
Loyalty? Look at my loyalty, baby. Right here.
I bet against y'all and I win.
Y'all boys couldn't break 500 if you paid the refs. [Laughs]
How you gonna take my drink like that too, Lamont?
- Give me those shoes. - What's up, Spence.
- What's up, Spencer? - What's up?
- [Muttering] - Spence, what you still doing here?
The team needs you healthy, son.
You gotta get outta here.
We ain't going nowhere.
Gonna kick that Katrina ass.
What you talking about?
Man on radio: Every person is hereby ordered
to immediately evacuate...
Hey, bro? Y'all think that Katrina gonna hit us?
Who cares, man?
Woman: Let's take a look now
at where Hurricane Katrina is at this very moment.
Man on TV: Katrina is one day away and getting stronger by the hour.
Woman on TV: The storm is huge.
Man #2: It's a deadly category five hurricane.
Man #3: It's heading towards New Orleans.
Dayna... Dayna, it's coming.
Dayna, it's cat five. Come on, get up.
[Thunder rumbling]
[Birds cawing]
Woman: The streets are blocked. I can't get to you.
Mama, I already told you. I got everything under control.
If they order you to evacuate, go to the Superdome.
Mom, it ain't gonna get that bad. I promise you.
Gary, take care of Kendall, you hear?
He gonna be taking care of me, ain't that right little brother?
- Yup. - See? We got it, Mom.
- I love you guys. - I love you, too.
- Hey, Mama says she loves you. - I love her, too.
He said he loves you back.
Ma!
[Creaking]
Come on, man. Come on!
Woman: Floodwaters have consumed much of New Orleans.
Man: Tens of thousands of people still stranded...
[overlapping reporters voices]
Mayor: I have no idea what they're doing,
but I will tell you this...
God is looking down on all this,
and if they are not doing
everything in their power to save people,
they are gonna pay the price.
Because every day that we delay,
people are dying.
We're getting reports and calls
that is breaking my heart from people saying,
"I've been in my attic. I can't take it anymore.
The water is up to my neck.
I don't think I can hold out."
People are dying.
They don't have homes. They don't have jobs.
The city of New Orleans will never be the same.
Man: Excuse my French, everybody in America...
Daddy?
Hey.
I wanna go home.
Come on. We're gonna go find your mom.
Man: ...biggest goddamn crisis
in the history of this country.
[Sighs]
I want my Mommy.
Don't cry.
Don't cry, Alana.
I'm right here, baby.
[Sirens beeps, shouting]
Man on PA: Please do not push or shove.
- You will be taken... - Gary, come on, man.
Kendall, hold on. Mom said she'd be here by now.
Gary: Yo, there's Mom.
Kendall, I see Mom. Excuse me!
- That's my Mom. Wait, wait! - Kid, we gotta leave.
Mom! Excuse me. Mom!
- Gary! - Mom, we're right here!
Gary! Gary!
- Don't you worry, Mom. - Where's Kendall?
He's on the bus. Come on. He's okay.
- Thank God. - He's on the bus.
Where we going? Where they taking us?
Don't know, baby.
- [Insects buzzing] - [Thuds]
[Ball bouncing]
JJ.
It's good to see you, son.
You all right?
Season starts in a week.
What time practice tomorrow, Coach?
It's... look around yourself, son.
We're not gonna...
I don't think we're gonna have a season this year.
So I guess we gonna practice on the black top
till the gym's fixed, right?
JJ, I don't...
I guess we gonna miss our first game.
But we gonna play the rest of 'em, right, Coach?
Right, Coach?
You all right, son?
Are you all right?
Coach, our house is gone.
My family, we're all crowded in a FEMA trailer
eating rations every day, Coach.
What time...
is practice tomorrow?
Even if it's just you and me...
to start, I'll be here.
I promise you.
Thank you.
Man: The city's population, which totaled
a little under a half a million before Katrina,
now stands at less than half that.
Man #2: New Orleans Department of Water and Power
is reporting 40% capacity,
and is projecting full capacity in less than four weeks.
Man #3: Every day residents continue to return, and some signs
of rebuilding have begun.
[Water sloshing]
Aha, there's the floor.
Coach... Al.
I didn't get your message. What are you doing?
I'm putting my team back together again.
How? With what?
The budget that I have.
That money's gone.
We'll make do with what we have, won't we?
What about the gym?
We can play all the games away until this is fixed.
Then we'll do all the practice on the black top.
Al, this is not where your energy needs
to be focused right now. There's a lot going on.
Okay, do whatever you're gonna do,
just don't come to me for money.
I won't.
You just let me coach my team.
Okay.
- [Muttering] - Hey, guys.
- Hey, Miss Durant. - Hey, Coach.
This is Carl. He played ball over at McDonogh 35.
He got game.
How you doing, sir? Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you, too.
- Where everybody else? - Nobody heard from Christian.
Willy's at Memphis. Eric's at Lafayette.
He said he not coming back.
Randy said he gonna quit.
[Laughs] He did, huh?
Here's what you do... you tell Randy to come on by.
I wanna see him.
All right?
You see Spence?
No.
It's all right, son.
Come on, grab a shovel, help me out.
- There's one over here, one over there. - All right.
- Okay. - We'll work this out.
Come on, Sleepy and Dopey. Shovel up and out.
Up, out. Up, out.
Spence, where you going, son?
Hey, Coach.
Mr. Walker.
We were gonna give you a call when we got settled.
We're gonna have a season.
Season? Come on, Coach, y'all don't even have a gym.
We need you, son.
We've worked really hard for this moment.
It's my senior year, Coach.
It's got to happen for me now
if I'ma ever get a scholarship.
You can get a scholarship at Ehret.
He's going to Woodlawn, Coach.
Number two in the nation.
That's a program.
Mr. Walker, uh, the gym is getting fixed.
The teachers are coming back.
We're gonna graduate these seniors.
But we don't have a team without your son.
We can't stay here, man.
Wake up, Coach.
They don't care about us.
New Orleans is over.
This what you wanna teach your son?
How to run away when things get tough?
That's not right.
Not right for who, Coach?
You?
- [Door shuts] - [Engine starts]
When did this happen? In-state transfers.
- Did they change the rule? - Yeah, any student is eligible
to play anywhere statewide immediately.
We lost two of your guys this morning.
- Why didn't you tell me? - I assumed you knew.
No.
[Rap music playing]
Christian.
- Hey. - Coach.
What're you doing over here, man?
Came to see how you're doing, how your family's holding up.
- You all right? - Yeah.
- That's good. - [Shouting]
We'll get you outta here.
I want to see you 3:30. Practice tomorrow, all right?
You know, Coach, to be honest,
I gotta look at my options.
We all got choices, Christian.
I'm moving out to California.
Why?
Don't run away.
Don't be afraid, son.
Don't take the easy way out, son.
Don't.
Just believe in yourself.
Where's Coach at?
How much longer we gotta pick this stuff up?
Quit asking me, all right? Just worry about this trash.
Carl, you get right there, all right?
Looking good, fellas. It's looking real good.
- Coach. - Hey, Randy.
- How you doing? You all right? - Yes, sir.
- Hey, hey, hey. - JJ.
- What's up, Coach? - Hey.
Whoa, whoa, stand back. You boys are ripe.
Ripe?
Can't wash our clothes, Coach.
There are no laundromats.
- Randy got a washing machine. - I got one.
- You got a washing machine? - Yup.
Why didn't you tell me?
All right, you get to wash the uniforms.
Ha ha, wash the uniforms.
I know you didn't get to play much last year.
I didn't get to spend much time with you.
That's gonna change this year.
You're gonna go down here. Just shoot till you miss.
What am I gonna do after I miss, Coach?
You're gonna shoot till you make it.
Come on. Come on, son.
Come on.
I want you to show me your shot.
Okay? Show me what you got.
Haven't had much chance to work on it
over the summer, Coach, but...
Whoa! What's that?
- [Groaning] - You forgot how to shoot, son?
I haven't forgotten, Coach.
Okay, we're gonna go back to fundamentals.
Put your left hand behind your back.
Put the ball on your fingertips.
Oh, not this drill, Coach.
We did this a million times last season.
Son, you can never get enough of the fundamentals.
Coach, you're wasting your time.
If white boy could shoot, he would've been shooting.
- I got it. - Look at that.
It's ridiculous.
- It's all right, son. - Keep working, Randy.
It's terrible. Ridiculous.
I'm gonna have to find a special drill for you.
What kinda drill I'ma do by myself?
If I remember right, we've gotta work on your footwork.
Hey, Coach! Hey.
Christian. You all right?
Yeah, baby, I'm great, man.
- JJ. - Yo, my man.
Hey, what's going on? Christian, man.
- Carl, man. - All right.
- Where everybody at, yo? - They'll be coming.
Are you with us, son?
Yeah.
I'm glad to see you.
I need somebody to lead this team.
I'ma make you captain.
- Serious? - Yeah.
Oh, yeah, this is my boy Dave.
Dave, that's Coach Al.
- What's your last name, son? - Yeah, about that, Coach...
he don't really speak too much, but he play that D.
- JJ. - Carl, man.
I know it's crazy out there, off this court.
But this blacktop right here...
is your sacred ground.
When you're here...
you're safe.
We're gonna be small,
but we're gonna be tough.
I just need you to dig deep.
Deep.
- I know you boys can do it. - Yes, sir, Coach.
All right. Let's get to work.
Ready. Stay low. Short chop step.
This a-way.
We're a little shorthanded. Five players.
So you'll have to be twice as good to compete.
That means you'll have to train twice as hard.
♪ Life is hard, but we gotta keep livin' ♪
♪ Once upon a time we was chillin' ♪
♪ Now we dodgin' fallin' ceilings ♪
♪ After the storm passed ♪
♪ And I still hear ♪
[police radio chatter]
♪ Hungry with hunger, feeling delirious ♪
♪ And I wonder if the Congress is hearing this... ♪
Excuse me. Can I get one?
We will have pride in our playing.
Our discipline and cohesiveness
will make us competitive.
I'm sorry. Would two be all right?
I got a team of boys I'm coaching.
[Phone ringing]
- Dayna: Al? - Hey, Dayna.
So I saw the house yesterday.
- How is it? - Needs a little bit of work.
Just a little work?
Oh, come back and get us. I'm ready to go.
- Come on. - I'm gonna come back soon.
I'll be back soon.
- All right? - Okay.
All right.
♪ Begging for change, and a hope for the future ♪
♪ Soak up the rain ♪
♪ And let the spirits start to move you ♪
♪ Release the pain ♪
♪ And the stress afflicted to you ♪
♪ Never dreamt a hurricane would do it to us... ♪
Appreciate it.
♪ A vision of a third world country on first sight ♪
♪ Can't believe my own folks called us refugees ♪
♪ Trying to write us off like we ain't worthy to be ♪
♪ The rain comes falling... ♪
Daddy!
Hey.
[Gasps] Al, why didn't you tell me?
I tried to.
Didn't know how.
My baby's room.
[Crying] Oh, my grandmother's vanity.
Ohh.
Look at this.
Alana, you're not supposed to be in here.
Al, just let her see it.
- Put this on. - We can't save nothing.
Don't touch that. It's got mold on it.
All right?
[Sobs]
I used to rock you to sleep in that chair
when you were a baby.
[Beeping]
There's nothing here anymore.
Fix the house.
FEMA'll help us put it back together again.
- I'm ready to go. - Where? Where?
- Arkansas? - They speak English.
It's not a foreign country.
But my players are here, Dayna.
Al, please, forget about your players for once.
Your family needs you, Al!
Our family's gonna make it work right here.
We're the glue that holds this place together.
If people like us leave, then what?
Our daughter was raised here.
Our grandparents, they died here.
If we don't take a stand, who will?
- I can't. I can't. - Yes, you can. You can.
I got five boys depending on me.
I gave 'em my word.
Woman on radio: The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality
said today that initial water samples from 24 sites...
Where you at, Coach?
Al.
How are you and your family making out?
House is damaged.
We're working on it.
How about you? You all right?
No. House is gone.
And my job.
Orleans Parish threw me and my tenure out
on the street like we're debris.
You know, I could use a little help over at the school.
I bet you can.
You want me to help you carry your trash now?
It's not that much money, but...
You just want my players, Collins.
I'm asking about you.
I'm not asking about your players.
I hope things get better for you.
[Clapping]
Man, look at this, bro. It all starts here, yo.
Oh, man.
We got our house back, y'all
[cheering]
These are called "MREs..."
"Meals ready to eat."
This one here is... mashed potatoes.
With gravy?
It doesn't say anything about gravy.
How you gonna eat mashed potatoes with no gravy?
You guys put that stuff down, get ready for practice.
- I got gum up in mine, yo. - I got gum too.
- All right, fellas, let's go. - Here we come, Coach.
- Stretch it out. - Just wanna get my gum.
Don't bounce it. Pass it, keep it in the air.
Gotta work on gettin' em in the lane.
- They need to spread themselves... - Coach.
- I gotta go. - You'll get your chance in a second.
- No, I gotta go. - Keep it spread out!
- I gotta go. - Go, go, go, son.
Ooh.
There you go. That's nice. That's nice, the way you spaced it out!
That's what I'm talking about. That was good.
- [Muttering] - Look at him.
[Groaning]
What's wrong, son?
I gotta go to the bathroom.
Go ahead. Go ahead.
- Me, too. - You all right?
I gotta go too, Coach.
[Laughs]
All right. Cool.
Let's check on my boys.
[Laughs]
Man: Government's supposed to be helping!
Woman: Congress has approved additional financial assistance,
so what we want you to know is
FEMA's making up for lost time.
[Complaining]
That's why we're coming to you
in the cities and churches and libraries
of this battered city.
And in Lafayette, Houston, Chicago, Dallas,
where the refugees have ended up.
Who you calling a refugee?
Did you just say what I think you said?
Let's give her a chance to speak, please.
FEMA representative: I'd like to ask you if you have any questions
I could answer right now.
Coach Collins, right?
I'm Brian Randolph.
I know who you are.
Power forward, Kennedy High.
All District, Kennedy High, bro.
You've seen me play?
I've seen you fight.
Oh. Okay, yeah.
Well, your boy was out there sweating me, so...
No.
You were out of line.
So I guess you didn't come for church.
- No, bro. - Hey.
It's not bro.
It's Coach.
My coach from summer ball sent me up here.
Coach Simmons?
Brian Simmons?
Lot of teams want me to come play for them, now, Coach.
I'm coming to you first.
But if you don't want me, tomorrow I'm going to go...
You were out of line that day.
And I can't have that on my team, do you understand?
But we could use you, Brian.
No doubt.
[Sighs]
[Laughing]
I rode plenty, but I ain't never really drove a bus before.
Then why'd you volunteer, Sam?
I drive a pick-up truck.
One of them duals with those big-ass tires in the back.
You know, same thing.
Same exact thing, it's just that...
This is the church's bus. We can't hurt the church's bus.
Oh, I see it's a church bus.
Got God on the side of that bus and everything.
You know the good thing about that is,
we don't got to work on no gas,
'cause this bus is filled with the holy spirit.
Oh, we're about to be pewn!
You know what pewn is, right?
No.
Pewn!
You mean gone?
I'm gone. Ha, ha!
Get on board, everybody!
Welcome to the NASCAR Bus series.
[Honking]
Get off my ass! Get around!
Don't sit behind me. Go by!
Come on by. Come on by.
You know what, Coach? I take that back.
This ain't nothing like my pick-up truck.
Nothing at all.
Sam? That thing under your right foot
is called an accelerator.
You know what I call it?
A bunion. A big-ass bunion.
Sam? Sam, we're gonna be late.
We're in good shape, Coach.
This here bus, like an old woman.
Ever make love to an old woman, Coach?
No, Sam. No.
Yeah, well, I have.
I make love to her,
spread her legs up and turn her around
and start hearing all those creaks and cracks.
You gotta put that leg down.
You can't hold that leg up that long.
This bus is an old woman.
I put this bus in the wrong position, what will happen?
I don't know, Sam.
Something's going to break!
Something's going to break.
Fellas? Fellas, you've got 5 minutes to get ready.
Randy, why don't you get the uniforms out, all right?
Coach, there was a slight little problem
with the rinse cycle.
[Cheering]
All: One, two, three! Patriots!
Damn you, white boy.
What, did you not measure your bleach?
JJ, I messed up.
We look like fools, man.
What the...
[laughing]
Woo! Sexy!
Hey, don't worry about that.
Just play.
Covington High welcomes the John Ehret patriots
from the West Bank of New Orleans.
The first game of the season since the hurricane.
[Blows whistle]
And the Patriots win the tip.
Stick with.
Number 21, David Lewis brings the ball...
Crowd chanting: Defense! Defense!
Hey! Whoa!
Brian!
Pass the ball!
Hey, come on, Brian.
[Grunts]
Woo!
Come on, Brian.
Announcer: First score by number 23, Brian Randolph!
Start running offense! Come on!
Hey, look up!
Ball!
Ball, ball, ball!
Hey!
Come on!
Take the shot.
White boy can't shoot!
It's all right. It's all right.
Keep your head up. Let's play.
Get back! Get back!
Where's the D?
Let's go.
Let's pass.
[Cheering]
Yes!
Woo!
[Blows whistle]
Tech. Technical foul on red 23.
You gonna call a tech on me, bro?
Brian!
- Technical foul on red 23. - Get over here.
Two shots.
Why don't you let him play, ref?
Hey, Brian! Brian.
Brian: I didn't even do nothing, man!
This is bullshit!
You don't... Get on the bench.
What?
You heard me. I told you to sit your ass down!
You sit your ass on the bench.
Announcer: Foul on number 23, Brian Randolph.
First technical, third person.
I'm Carl, Coach.
Carl, I want you to go in.
Announcer: First one's good.
[Cheerleaders chanting]
You like the view from here?
You want a water?
Or a Gatorade?
'Cause I want you to be comfortable.
Need you to get used to sitting here,
because if you don't listen to what I have to say,
and you don't do what I tell you to do,
this is the view that you're going to have
all year long.
Let's go, Chris!
Announcer: Stolen by JJ.
And the final score,
John Ehret Patriots, 67,
Covington Lions, 56.
It's a long year, coach.
Elliot Randolph.
Brian's father.
What can I do for you, Mr. Randolph?
I know a thing or two about the game,
being involved with a great player.
You want to go to district?
Give my boy the ball.
I don't need coaching help.
He can carry this team on his back.
Let's make a deal.
I'll do the coaching, you watch from the stands.
[Grunting]
[Ticking]
Coach?
Last man in?
Yeah, Coach.
Yeah.
Nope. No, let's go again.
- But we won! - Go.
Come on, man!
Let's go! You're wasted your seconds.
Al: Your mouths get you into trouble on the court!
Dog it, and you'll be running for an hour.
Pick.
Pick coming.
That's the only thing I want to hear.
East side!
West side!
East coast!
West coast!
You're a team.
You're supposed to be helping each other.
You're supposed to be watching each other's back!
Let's go!
Randy?
Yes, sir, Coach?
What you shooting these days?
Three for 10, Coach.
Three for 10?
Hell, I can hit three for 10.
I need you to hit 10 in a row.
10 in a row? Coach, I'm not Kobe Bryant, okay?
Well, you better pretend you are Kobe.
Hold on a second. Hold on a second.
Son, come on up here.
Somebody give me the ball. Come on up here, Randy.
What?
Come on. Top of the key.
Come on.
Randy makes this shot,
this three right here,
y'all don't have to run no more.
Here you go.
[All complaining]
Coach, this doesn't make any sense.
Why are you doing this to me?
You can do this.
Take the shot.
Coach, let me shoot it, man.
- I'm tired as hell, too, Coach. - Let me shoot it!
He can't make that shot.
You boys need to support your teammate.
What, do you want to distract him?
Do you want him to make the shot?
Let me shoot it. Let me shoot it, Coach.
He can't make that.
Let me shoot it.
Nice shot.
Come here, baby.
I knew he could do it, Coach!
Practice over.
I might get some respect.
Hey, bro, stop writing on the lockers, man.
This ain't the east. We respect our house, here.
Hey, hey. My bad, bro.
You got it, Captain.
Oh, shoot, before I forget.
I think I got a little something that might belong to you.
Huh?
Give you girlfriend her number back.
I ain't gonna call her. I promise.
I ain't gonna do it.
I ain't gonna do it, bro.
[Laughing]
She fine, though.
I ain't that type of brother.
You should have gave the number to me. I would've called her.
Your boy's a little soft, coach.
I'm telling you.
You're in no position to evaluate anyone,
'cause you couldn't guard a statue.
Aw.
Yeah, I'm gonna get with the D, you know.
Eventually.
You're a ball hog, Brian.
- A ball hog? - Yeah.
But let me tell you like this.
You give me the rock 70% of the time, you're going to win.
Easy.
No question.
That may be.
Yeah.
But I'm gonna run the offense through Christian.
Christian?
Yeah.
How about showing me some love, huh, Coach?
I'm the only D-1 player you've got on this whole team,
and you're going to run the offense through Christian?
Just 'cause you're a good player, son,
doesn't mean you get to do whatever you want to do.
You sure about that, coach?
Oh, I'm positive.
Man: The recent upsurge in violence in post-Katrina New Orleans
has been attributed to the closing of over 225 schools.
One surviving school, John Ehret,
whose basketball team has been cobbled together
with players from all over New Orleans
eked out a victory in their first game of the season.
This is surprising, after losing their star player,
Spencer Walker, to top-ranked Woodlawn early...
[sighs]
How you making out, Coach?
All right.
I wanted to...
to thank you for sending Brian my way.
I tried to call you,
but the number you gave me was disconnected.
Yeah, well, you know how it is.
I saw your opener.
I'm still surprised at that with only six players.
Yeah, I don't know, Coach.
If they'd have played some real defense, probably beat us.
Coach, with your personnel,
just be glad you got any wins.
You're playing Bourgeois next, right?
Yeah.
Thank you.
Hell.
I beat 'em like they stole something from me.
All you gotta do is utilize your speed on them,
and they...
You know, I could still use some help around here.
And like I said, I'll do what I can to get you paid.
I don't give a damn about the money.
So then I'll see you tomorrow.
How about 3:00?
Sure.
Whoa!
Take it.
What's that?
David, were you calling for a pick?
Were you asking for help?
Go on.
Go on, go sit down.
Go sit down.
Don't come back on this court until you're ready to play.
Hey, come on, now, Coach.
Don't you think you're being a little bit hard on him?
I mean, he is trying.
I need effort on this court.
You ready to play?
I'm ready, Coach.
All right, get in, JJ.
Carl, you get over there on Brian.
JJ, you get over there with Christian.
[Whistling]
Let's do it.
Fellas, I need you to talk to each other.
All right, JJ? Let's do it.
[Groans]
- Boy? - Coach!
David!
Woman: Coach, my initial examination indicates
that David is extremely malnourished.
What's going...
We lost our Mama in Katrina, and it's been hard.
And now it's just the two of us.
David ain't opened his mouth since then.
I'm sorry.
Could you go check on the rest of the boys?
Nurse: Sure thing, coach.
Go with him.
David, it's going to be okay.
Drink some more water.
So, I found a job.
Patient rep down at Memorial.
I start on Monday.
Great.
That's great.
Al, after school, Alana's gonna be your responsibility.
What are you talking about, Dayna?
You know I got practice.
They won't let me keep her at the hospital, Al.
Doesn't Ellis have an after-school program?
Not since Katrina.
How am I supposed to coach and baby-sit at the same time?
You're not a babysitter!
You're a father.
Right.
Maybe not.
But those boys have been through so much already...
And so have we, Coach.
Simmons: So look here, so I got two players
I think you should take a look at.
First one's name is Nick Washington.
All District, Hardin High.
Yeah, he just came back.
I'm gonna go check him out at Hardin Park after practice.
I don't know. Another East Bank kid?
I'm gonna have to go with you on that.
You don't trust me scouting on my own?
I didn't say that.
You didn't have to.
[Shouting, grunting]
Ah!
[Yelling]
That's what's up, Nick! Yeah, baby!
Daddy, in my opinion,
I think you should sign him up.
Gotta agree with you on that.
Simmons: The other player you should take a look at
is a point guard by the name of Gary Davis.
You should talk to him. See what you think.
Coach, uh...
you know I don't play ball or nothing like that no more.
Who said anything about playing ball, son?
Coach Simmons.
I mean, he spoke to me...
I don't even think that you could make the team, son.
[Scoffs]
Huh?
Coach, if I wanted to make your team,
I could make your team, Coach.
That's not a problem.
I don't know. I've seen you play.
You got good D.
Yeah.
But you're very one-dimensional, son.
One-dimensional?
Yeah.
[Laughing]
Coach, I'm the fastest player in the whole of the East Parish.
[Laughing]
You know what? You know what?
It's good to see you so confident.
Anyway, doesn't matter.
Have a nice day, son.
Announcer: And here come the Patriots.
Crowd chanting: Defense! Defense!
And that's another score for the newest member
of the Patriots, Gary Davis.
Time, time!
[Whistle blows]
Good time. Good time out.
20-second time out by the Patriots.
Gary Davis has been a real spark plug on both ends of the floor.
Good effort. Good effort.
- Good play, Gary. - Appreciate it, Coach.
All right, here we go, fellas.
We got 11 seconds left, we're gonna run pairs.
Gary, I want you to take the inbound from Brian.
Just drive really hard down towards the middle.
- Okay? - Got it.
Brian, give me a hard pick for Christian.
Christian, it's your ball. You take the shot.
All right, fellas. That's the play.
- Let's run it. - [Buzzer]
I'm looking at the score. We're all right.
We got this in the bag.
What you looking at?
How much you wanna bet they don't score?
Aren't you in the wrong rooting section?
This is what I'm rooting for, little mama.
Mind your business.
Who is that?
Get over here, all y'all.
Woo! C'mon, baby!
Let's do it!
[Blows whistle]
Let's go, Brian!
Let's run the offense. Come on!
Crowd: Defense!
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
Brian, take it to the hoop, son.
Hey, Brian. Pass the ball.
[Whistle blowing]
Oh! Charge against number 23.
Hahnville?
How'd we lose to Hahnville, brothers?
How did we lose, man?
Tell Captain pork-ass to give me the ball.
Hey, man, you need to watch you mouth.
Whoa, whoa. What's going on here?
Hey!
Sit down.
What do I need to say to you all to get you
to turn this thing around?
What you need to do is stop giving your ball
to your stupid-ass pet and give me the ball, Coach.
That's what you need to do.
- You want the ball? - Hell, yeah, I want the ball.
- You want the ball? - Hell, yeah.
Let me give you the ball. Take the ball!
Get out of my gym!
You get out. You take your stuff out that locker,
you get your bag, you get your bling-bling,
you take you earrings.
Get on out!
You want to play by yourself? Go be by yourself.
Get out.
You's a bitch.
[Door opens]
[Door closes]
Al.
Come on.
Nobody move.
You hear me?
- Coach? - Yeah?
We can't afford to kick Brian off this team.
You heard what he said.
You've dealt with difficult players before.
Hell, I know you have.
The boy ain't got nowhere to go.
I got to think about these other kids.
There's other boys in there.
Everybody's got problems.
[Chuckles]
Phew, boy.
You're about as bad as Brian.
All right, what's that supposed to mean?
[Ball bouncing]
You hear that?
[Brian yelling]
You're hot-headed, hard-headed,
stubborn, and you don't wanna listen, just like him.
You need to stop making excuses
for that boy.
Go. Crush him.
What's wrong?
Ruin him. You can do that.
Go on, take the one good thing in his life away from him.
Go ahead and take that from him.
But you came to me
and told me that you want to coach your team.
Not somebody else's.
Yep.
Well, guess what?
You got somebody else's team.
You got New Orleans' team.
Whoa.
You got me, uptown, downtown,
East Bank and West Bank all in here.
I get what you're doing, Al.
Bigger than the game. I got that.
I'm just asking you to bend a little, that's all.
Just...
just listen a little.
[Shouts]
Lil' ticket?
[Brian shouts]
Lil' ticket. Come on.
Bring it here. Come here.
Look here.
I've talked to Coach,
and the problem is, he don't know your greatness like I do.
So all you gotta do is show your skills
to the Coach and the rest of these other players.
Full court.
Yeah, Brian.
Consider yourself unleashed.
Hoo!
Boy, you know you a beast when you unleashed.
Christian, Christian.
Come on, you stop him. All right?
It's on now, boy.
Come on, boy.
Check it up.
Hold on, Coach. I don't know if this is too fair.
It looks like Lil' Ticket
got, what, two, three, four pounds on Christian.
You right. You right.
David, come on in.
Come on here. Let's make this fair.
What, you're talking about, like, two on one, now?
What, you scared, Brian?
Please.
I'm gonna dunk on your ass so hard, boy,
it's gonna make you talk.
I'm sure you will.
Woo! I'm sure you will.
Full court.
Gary, you're in.
Nick, you're in.
Carl, come on in as well.
Al: Go ahead, son. You can do it.
You can play all of them. You don't need a team.
Go on, Lil' Ticket. This is easy work for you.
Come on. Put the ball in the hole.
Where your mouth at now, Lil' Ticket?
Let's go, Lil' Ticket.
Simmons: Full court.
Got something to say? What's up, boy?
Huh?
Simmons: C'mon, boy! Defend you man!
[Laughing]
Let's go.
Aw, come on, man. Put the ball in the hoop.
There it is.
What's up, punk?
Defense, Lil' Ticket!
Oh!
[Laughing]
That's two-zip. You're making me look bad.
Come on and take the ball out, son.
You're by yourself, now.
[Shouts]
[Brian shouts]
[Panting]
What's the problem?
This is easy work for you.
Talk to me.
I got it, man.
What did you say? I didn't hear you.
I said, I got it.
Run!
Your ass better run!
No more!
Brian?
You all right, son?
Damn baseheads.
Trying to steal the copper pipes and sell them for scrap.
What are you doing out here?
Came by to see if I could sit with you for a while.
Come on.
Thank you.
Came to see how you're holding up after today.
You all right?
I'm straight.
Okay, Coach, look,
I'm sorry, okay?
I know I shouldn't have opened my mouth like that,
but I'm frustrated, Coach.
For real, I'm... this is...
We've got a little bit of a season left.
Maybe I'm going to be making a few adjustments
to the personnel.
But you've got to remember one thing,
you got to fit into the team.
The team is not going to fit into you.
Only a fool doesn't change, Brian.
I am at a total loss.
What is it that you boys need me to say to you?
You're 9-11.
One more loss, and you don't make it to the playoffs.
You want to play?
Randy.
You want to play?
Son, don't you feel you deserve to play?
Ain't nothing else for me to say to you.
You've got to make the decision to be a team.
So before you go out onto that court,
you gotta work this out amongst yourselves.
Tell me what you're gonna do.
All right, y'all.
How are we gonna do this?
Maybe each player should just say what he needs to do better.
Then we could say what the other players need to do, too, right?
Ah, man, right now we're trying to focus as a team.
A team? What kinds of captain is you anyway, bro?
You ain't passed the ball to me
but about three times this whole season.
That's because you never pass the ball back, Brian.
You ain't nothing but a selfish bastard, man,
and I don't like playing with you.
You know what, Chris? You damn right.
You is a selfish little bastard.
Is that right?
What are you mouthing off for, man?
It's our team, first. You all know that, bro.
- We don't belong? - Take your hands off me.
We don't belong here, bro?
- Y'all don't want us here? - No. Bye.
You don't want us here? Speak up.
Bye.
You don't want us here, bro?
Cool.
Yo, Christian, you got to do something.
Let's roll, bro. Let's roll.
So that's how it is, huh?
Cool.
- I'm out. - Wait, wait, B-man.
- Don't walk out on your team, man. - What team?
Hey, Gary, just let him go.
What kind of captain are you, Christian?
Huh?
Yo, B.
Yo, B, stop, man.
- What, man? - Just for a second, all right?
When I moved back to Houston,
25 of them jumped on me and my little brother.
Damn near killed us both.
Do you think they care about what side of the river I came from?
Let's go back in here.
Let's handle this like men.
Come on, B.
This ain't gonna work, bro.
'Cause of him right there.
Wow, look at the man in the mirror.
You know what? I swear to God,
if this clown says one more thing to me...
[shouting]
Squash all that!
Look, B, man, I know we can work this out.
You don't know nothing.
You ain't been on this team but about a minute, bro.
What?
You heard what I said.
I've been here long enough to hear it all about you.
Brian don't play D. Brian the ball hog.
Brian don't pass the ball.
Brian don't care about anything.
- Even winning. - That's some bullshit.
- Yeah? - That's some bullshit!
I don't gotta answer to nobody in this room.
Nobody!
I don't play for none of y'all.
Stupid.
You're right. He don't play for us.
Nope.
So who do you play for, then, B?
Who you play for, B?
Huh?
Oh, what, you crying, now?
Get your ass out my face.
Who you balling for, huh?
Get out of my face, little man.
Who you playing for, huh?
Oh, what, you can't speak now?
Man, you better tell me something.
- Who you playing for? - My brother.
My brother.
Go on.
My big brother Ray.
The boy was the best ever.
Do it all over the court, you know.
All State. Second team All American.
Boy was going to the next level, and the next.
Mm-hmm.
And then, uh...
Some old stupid-ass drunk fool killed him.
He was riding his motorcycle, you know?
Killed my brother.
My daddy, uh...
He wanted to jump in the casket with him.
[Laughs]
Yeah, that day was crazy, that...
That was a hard day for us.
Um...
That boy.
You don't know what it's like.
Y'all don't know what it's like to try to fill
them big ass shoes, boy.
I know you don't.
4:30 in the morning.
Shooting jumpers till you can't feel your hands.
You did that? Hmm?
5:30 running sprints till your feet bleed?
That's my daddy.
And I gotta make him proud.
And I'm going to make him...
You know what? I don't...
Y'all gotta play for your own reasons.
I gotta play for...
I gotta play for my brother.
Hey, man, I'm sorry about your brother.
Yeah, we down with you, bro.
We down with you, B.
Real tall.
Me too, dawg.
We're your teammates.
We're your brothers now.
Brian: You know, Coach Al said only a fool don't change.
So, I guess...
if y'all down with me,
for real,
for real...
I'm down with you.
We got you, dawg.
Come on, man, put it up. Put it up, put it up.
Brothers on three. Let's go.
One, two, three.
All: Brothers!
Announcer: Please welcome from Jefferson Parish,
the John Ehret Patriots!
[Cheering]
All: Hey, Hey.
Dig a little deeper. Dig a little deeper.
[Crowd chanting]
♪ I feel like throwin' it up ♪
♪ Throwin' it up, throwin' it up ♪
- ♪ I said I feel like... ♪ - Score by Randolph!
♪ Throwin' it up, throwin' it up ♪
A big win for the Patriots!
♪ I feel like throwin' it up... ♪
Al Collins and the Patriots win their second game in a row.
♪ Feel like throwin' it up, throwin' it up ♪
♪ I feel like throwin' it up, throwin' it up ♪
Al Collins racks up another win this time
at the expense of East St. John.
Sam: You ever ask yourself, man,
why don't Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder
ever record together?
Seems logical, right?
Probably because of safety concerns, you know.
They'd be both onstage moving their heads.
They might bump heads or something, right?
Knock each other out.
Look to help, fellas, look to help.
Announcer: 42-30...
That's five wins in a row for the Patriots.
Sam: Stevie Wonder got that song "Isn't She Lovely?"
Are you asking me, Stevie, or are you telling me?
[Laughs]
I guess he's trying to find out if she's lovely
'cause he can't see her.
♪ I feel like throwin' it up ♪
Man, look at our cheerleaders, bro.
They're like Heinz ketchup.
Just terrible, sloppy.
Look at them. Look at the way them cheerlead.
That's bad over there, bro.
Damn! Mm-mm-mm.
[Groans]
Reporter: And in high-school news,
we've got a Cinderella story that is capturing the city's imagination.
The John Ehret Patriots have made the state playoffs
after their improbable eight-game winning streak.
Their perseverance against the odds
has given the flood-ravaged city of New Orleans
reason to believe.
Wait, wait, wait. I brought something. It's just shoes.
- You got a size 12? - Here, just for you.
Thank you.
We're going all the way to the championship, baby!
What are the things necessary for us to win?
Brings the ball in to Randolph...
- Execution. - All: Execution.
- It's good! - [Buzzer sounds]
- My effort. - My effort.
- My will. - My will.
- My thoughts. - My thoughts.
- It will be... - It will be...
- because of me. - Because of me.
Come on in, fellas.
On three... one, two, three!
All: Patriots!
Unbelievable!
Here we are at the state semi-finals,
and the underdog Patriots are up by six!
Go for three!
Another missed opportunity by the Patriots.
[Crowd booing]
...supposed to be coming over.
That's the game? That's the game right there.
Turn it up.
Get up and guard him!
Announcer: Chief sails.
Stops. Pops. Hops!
Another three for the Chiefs.
Oh, my, how the momentum has changed!
The Chiefs are on a 12-3 run.
Get the ball thrown to Randolph...
Take it down, baby! Shoot the ball.
Brian, what are you doing?
You had the shot right at the key!
Passing the ball off, that's soft!
Hey, Brian! Good play.
It's all right, son. Stay in the game.
Announcer over radio: The Chiefs have come back...
Oh, come on, D! Play defense!
Keep your head on the game! Keep your head on the game.
Come on, boys!
Patriots up by two.
- Time out! Time out! - [Whistle blows]
Time out! 30-second time out!
Come on, come on, fellas.
Good effort, good work.
All right, here we go. We want to go straight.
No switching, no switching. No fouls, no threes.
No fouls under any circumstance, all right?
Either we get this down or we go into overtime.
All right? Patriots on three.
Right? Here we go.
- One, two, three! - All: Patriots!
Here we go.
They're putting in Number 21.
They did this in Mandeville.
He's only got one play,
a backdoor screen, then lob the ball in the air
for an alley-oop. The kid's a jumper.
Crowd: Go, Chiefs! Go, Chiefs!
- Time out, ref! - Time out.
[Crowd booing]
Listen up. They just subbed in Number 21,
the big guy.
They like getting that backdoor lob.
Okay, so we got to go fake man
to a match-up zone so they can't throw it
over the top of us.
Here we go, fellas. One, two, three!
- All: Defense! - Let's go!
Ball's come down to the final possession.
Chiefs have the ball, side out,
trailing by two.
Come on! Come on, baby! Come on, baby! Come on!
[Whistle blows]
Here we go.
Guard him!
[Crowd cheering]
- [Buzzer sounds] - Yeah!
Unbelievable!
Coach Collins and the Patriots have made it
to the state-championship game!
Pay up, baby.
We're going to the championship!
That's what I'm talking about!
Let's tell the whole goddamn world about this!
Hey!
Yeah!
Yeah.
[Rap music playing]
[Chattering]
What's up, fellas?
Final four. Final two.
What's happening?
- How you doing? - Congratulations. Congratulations.
Doing good. All right?
It's quite a turnaround,
y'all playing Woodlawn in the finals.
Yeah, we...
We're finally playing like a team.
What about me and you, son?
I thought we was a team.
- Daddy, you know we still... - I thought we decided
this was going to be your all-star, all-state year.
Daddy, we're winning.
Your coach is winning, getting a lot of ink for himself.
You are losing.
If your brother was here,
we'd own this state and everything in it.
[Bell ringing]
Go on and get, boy.
Your team is waiting for you.
Good luck. You're on your own.
[Door opens]
Allen, what you doing here?
I canceled practice.
You trying to work me, Allen?
What about your team, Coach?
You're my team.
Don't you know that? Come here.
Mr. Randolph. Mr. Randolph.
I just came here to ask you to come to the game.
You know...
I know about your son Ray.
I'm really sorry for your loss.
I coached against him in the AAU.
He was on the Louisiana Select team.
He went up against mine. He got 40.
He dropped 20 in the semis.
42.
23.
Six blocks.
Brian's got that in him, too.
I want to help him be all right,
but there's only so much I can do.
'Cause what the boy needs is you.
Get out of here.
All right.
We'll get Nick with Courtney Wallace.
Brian with Spitz.
[Reporter speaking on TV]
Greg...
Reporter: ...in the finals against John Ehret?
Brown: I think our record speaks for itself.
I'm blessed with the greatest player in the nation.
Of course, you're referring to Spencer Walker,
who transferred to number-one ranked Woodlawn
from Ehret earlier this year after Hurricane Katrina.
Well, look, I respect the heck out of Ehret and what they've overcome,
but we're not going to take it easy on them.
We are a dominating team.
We will dominate this game.
I respectfully say that the fairy tale is over.
Thank you, Coach Brown. Good luck.
Thank you.
Announcer: Welcome to the Cajun Dome
and the Louisiana High School Basketball State Championship!
Hey, we're sitting here right now
with Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets,
and of course, Caron Butler with the Washington Wizards.
Chris, I got to ask you, of course being from a New Orleans team,
you've got to be here tonight supporting
the other New Orleans team on the court tonight,
the John Ehret Patriots.
Yeah, you know, we had an off-day,
so I decided to come out here and see them play.
You know, being here in New Orleans,
I wanted to come out, try to show them some support,
so hopefully John Ehret can come out with the win.
This is your moment, fellas.
This is your time.
Let's bring it in.
Captain?
[Clears throat]
Christian: The Lord is my shepherd...
All: I shall not want.
He maketh me lie down in green pastures.
And now,
with a record of 21 and 11,
from Jefferson Parish, Louisiana,
the John Ehret Patriots!
Son.
Hey.
Uh, I don't like watching basketball on TV.
You can't see what's going on on the inside, you know.
Yeah. You got to get up close
if you want to see what's going on inside.
Yeah.
I'm... glad you came.
Yeah.
It's not what I know.
It ain't how I was taught to play the game,
but... you're here, you know?
Well, uh...
All I...
All I ever wanted you to be was...
the best you, son.
Not anybody else.
I wouldn't have it any other way.
All right?
Thank you, Daddy.
Thank you, sir.
Now get out there and win us the championship.
- All right? - Yes, sir!
- All right. - Yeah. [chuckles]
Announcer: The head coach of the Patriots,
Al Collins!
John Ehret fans must be really proud of their team
for making it this far.
Oh! Here comes Daddy.
Let's show him our shirts, okay?
Coach!
Coach! Coach!
With a record of 47 and 0...
[crowd chanting]
...the number-one team in Louisiana,
the Woodlawn Panthers!
Just keep your focus, guys. Just basketball.
The head coach of the Panthers, Preston Brown!
Rawr! Rawr!
Rawr!
Crowd chanting: Patriots! Patriots!
Gentlemen, gentlemen, we're going to start the game out
in a two-three zone.
All right, fellas, let's come out hard in the first five minutes.
Nick, Brian, Christian, two-three zone!
Now, we are 47 and 0.
We're going to play smart, we're going to play hard...
they cannot hang with it.
Let's win this!
- Patriots on three. - On three.
- One, two, three. - All: Patriots!
All: Panthers!
Whoo!
All right! Go, Patriots!
Let's go.
Patriots about to lose. All day, you already know.
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,
it's showtime!
[Crowd cheering]
Panthers score!
Man, told you so.
What, you never seen anybody lob a ball before?
Wake up! Let's go!
Stolen by the Panthers,
down court to dunk it.
Slams it! Ooh.
The Patriots have yet to put up any points
on the scoreboard.
Let's go, let's go. We need to score now.
Let's go, let's go.
Settle down, fellas!
Settle down!
To Verdin.
And it's... air ball!
Ref, time! Time!
You know, the Patriots just seem out of sync tonight.
Randy Verdin is having a tough time from three-point lane.
Guys, guys, guys! Fellas, you got to settle down!
All right, don't let your heads get caught up in the lights.
Just relax. Play your game.
Gary, I want you in for Christian.
I want you to settle down a little bit.
- Come on! - Let's go, y'all.
- Come on, baby. - One, two, three.
All: Defense!
- Okay, Coach. - I need you to do this, all right?
Just give yourself a minute, Christian.
[Whistle blows]
Gary Davis with the ball.
Go, go!
Crowd chanting: Defense!
Randolph.
Rejected!
Ohh!
[Crowd groans]
- He's out. - Huh?
Give us some room, son
- You all right, son? - I'm all right.
Ladies and gentlemen,
he appears to be okay.
How about a hand for Number 3, Gary Davis?
[Crowd cheering]
Well, that'll do it for the first half.
Panthers go to the locker room with a 19-point lead.
We're about to lose this game, fellas.
We're beating ourselves in the first half.
You're not boxing out, you're not hitting the boards...
they're totally dominating you!
You're running scared. What's going on?
Hey, Coach?
Could you cut the lights off for me?
What does this remind y'all of?
Katrina.
You were exiled by a hurricane, fellas.
You lost your homes,
people that you love.
You were even called refugees in your own country!
You're not refugees.
You're Americans.
Patriots even.
And a whole lot of folks
thought that you would never succeed.
But that's all right.
That's okay.
Because no matter what happens tonight,
you've already won.
Because you refuse to give up on yourselves.
You refuse to give up on your teammates.
And you refuse to give up on New Orleans.
Who in this locker room is going to give up tonight?
You've already faced the storm.
You've looked at that monster,
you've looked at her in the eye, and you survived it.
'Cause you're here!
You are here! You already won!
I just need you to give me 16 minutes.
You give yourself...
16 minutes of your best.
And win or lose,
you will always have this moment.
You will always have each other.
And you will always have yourself.
Who wants to play some basketball?
I do, Coach.
Who wants to play some basketball?
All: I do, Coach!
Who wants to play some basketball?
I do, Coach!
Who's going to play some basketball?
I am, Coach!
Well, let's play!
Patriots on three!
- One, two, three! - Patriots!
Come on!
Go, son!
Go, Brian!
Damn it.
Slam dunk!
Walker passes down the court...
Well, Coach Al Collins must have told them
that the house is on fire
'cause that's how they're playing now.
The Patriots are back in this game.
Way to play, fellas. Way to play.
This is what we're after.
You keep this up, we'll get back in this game.
I mean, what is going on?
Did you just leave it all in the locker room?
You're going to piss away a huge lead in a blink.
All right, let's spread it out a little bit.
We try to knock out shots from the outside,
get those big guys to come out and guard us.
These boys can play the game.
You know what? Why don't you step up?
Why don't you beat them, all stars?
Let's do a 29 box to Randy.
Coach, I haven't been really hitting them.
Just shoot till you miss, son. Shoot till you miss.
Randy, you can do this.
Get in here. Let's make this a ball game.
- Wake up. - One, two, three.
All: Brothers!
Come on! Come on!
[Crowd cheering]
Patriots move the ball around.
Randy Verdin to the open three!
It's good!
Yes.
The Patriots have pulled within nine!
All right! Let's do it again!
Come on, Patriots!
Pass to Verdin for three.
He nails it!
Go, get back, get back!
D-up!
Johnson dunks it to Walker.
Oh, he's fouled.
[Crowd groans]
That's his fourth, Coach. We need to take him out now.
- David. - Yes, sir.
- Why don't you get in for Brian? - Okay, Coach.
It's probably because you're tired.
Just give yourself a moment.
54 to 50, with 4:45 left in the game.
No!
No, no, no!
Christian!
33! 33!
- I can't! - Good call! You're the captain.
Go deep!
David cutting through the paint.
Two points to the Patriots!
Gary Davis scores.
The Patriots have forced the Panthers out of their zone.
The Patriots have their first lead of the game!
Get back!
Ooh!
We're all tied up!
Brian, I need you to go back in, son.
You're in!
Woodlawn with the ball and a chance to break the tie.
There's greatness inside of you, son.
But you got to believe in it.
You're not out here by yourself.
You got your whole team out here!
This is your time.
This is your moment.
All right, Brian!
Stay on your feet!
Brian, run!
Nick, Nick, Nick!
It looks like the Panthers put the game
in the hands of their star, Spencer Walker.
The Panthers spread out and isolate him against Randolph.
Ohh!
[Whistle blows]
Blue was out of bounds! White ball!
Patriots' ball!
[Yelling]
That's a good play, Coach. That's a good play.
Time out.
All right, guys.
We're exactly where we want to be.
We got the ball and a chance to win the state championship.
So, everybody, just relax.
Just relax.
This is what we're going to do.
Sit down!
Sit down.
Look, look.
All right, fellas, we got eight seconds.
That's all we got to do... we got eight seconds...
hold these boys down, slow them down.
Don't let them get that ball up the court fast.
Then we're going to go into four minutes overtime,
then we're going to kick their ass.
We're going to run a four-man stack.
We are not going to let this ball get behind us.
Brian, you're the last man on the stack.
I want you to come around the top,
as fast as your legs will carry you.
They're probably going to double-team you,
so look to Christian coming up the middle
and Nick coming up the side.
You're going to follow Randolph.
They're probably going to try to get him on the baseball pass.
Don't let that boy get behind you.
- It's time to move earth, fellas. - Let's go.
- Let's go, y'all. - Let's go, come on.
- Let's go, y'all. - Come on, now. Patriots on three, y'all.
- One, two, three. - All: Patriots!
[Whistle blows]
Hey, go, go.
Crowd chanting: Patriots! Patriots!
[Whistle blows]
Go, go, go!
Get back, get back!
[Buzzer sounds]
[Crowd cheering]
Patriots! All right! All right!
The winners and the Louisiana State Champions...
the John Ehret Patriots!
[Groans]
[Laughing]
Come on. What you laughing for, dawg?
Why are you laughing?
I bet with the Patriots.
Good game, son.
I'm so proud of you!
We did it!
Look at that!
Whoo!
♪ I said I feel like throwin' it up ♪
♪ Throwin' it up, throwin' it up ♪
♪ I said I feel like throwin' it up ♪
♪ Throwin' it up, throwin' it up ♪
♪ I said I feel like throwin' it up ♪
Coach, Coach, Coach, Coach.
Come on, man, come on.
This is for y'all.
Go, Patriots!
- One, two, three. - All: Patriots!
♪ Feel like throwin' it up... ♪
Announcer: ...the State Farm Class 5A Championship trophy
to the John Ehret Patriots.
Head Coach Allen Collins!
Coach Collins, I know y'all had to regroup four or five times
after Katrina.
And for a public school from New Orleans
to win a state championship
in a year like they've had in New Orleans,
what does it mean for that community?
I told the fellas before the game
I didn't know why God had selected them,
but we knew our guys would compete like hell.
And if you could get a bunch of people
with their backs against the wall to fight like hell,
you can do some pretty special stuff.