Sports ethics
Inspired by true-life story of controversial high-school basketball coach Ken Carter, who received both high praise and staunch criticism when he made national news in 1999 for benching his entire undefeated basketball team for poor academic performance.”
Review
There are always movies that truly inspire us and touch the depths of our hearts, especially if they’re based on true stories. The typical underdog-sports-team stories are usually the ones that make us think about life’s challenges and what we can do to overcome them. “Coach Carter” is no different. The film takes place in an inner-city neighborhood in California , inhabited primarily by African-Americans. The high school basketball team of Richmond High School has won only four games the past season due to discipline issues and the troubled lives of the players. Richmond’s graduation record is only 50% and out of that 50%, only 6% go to college. Sex, drugs, and gangs plague the lives of the young high school kids and the high school has done nothing to encourage academic studies.
Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), an owner of a sports equipment shop, decides to take up the position of coaching Richmond’s pathetic basketball team, hoping to inspire and discipline the troubled youths. In fact, he had attended Richmond High 30 years ago, setting several school records in passing and shooting. At first, the kids on the team are taken aback by Coach Carter’s strict discipline (the players have to sign a contract in order to stay on the team by wearing a shirt and tie on game day, sitting in the front of class, and maintaining a 2.3 GPA), however, they warm up to him and soon their team becomes undefeated in the league.
Still, the kids on the team have their troubles. Two of the star shooters, Kenyon (Rob Brown) and Sam (Jason Sweet), both have problems. Kenyon has trouble with his grades and Sam is in hot water with his girlfriend (who just got pregnant by him). Another kid, Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez)
Review
There are always movies that truly inspire us and touch the depths of our hearts, especially if they’re based on true stories. The typical underdog-sports-team stories are usually the ones that make us think about life’s challenges and what we can do to overcome them. “Coach Carter” is no different. The film takes place in an inner-city neighborhood in California , inhabited primarily by African-Americans. The high school basketball team of Richmond High School has won only four games the past season due to discipline issues and the troubled lives of the players. Richmond’s graduation record is only 50% and out of that 50%, only 6% go to college. Sex, drugs, and gangs plague the lives of the young high school kids and the high school has done nothing to encourage academic studies.
Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), an owner of a sports equipment shop, decides to take up the position of coaching Richmond’s pathetic basketball team, hoping to inspire and discipline the troubled youths. In fact, he had attended Richmond High 30 years ago, setting several school records in passing and shooting. At first, the kids on the team are taken aback by Coach Carter’s strict discipline (the players have to sign a contract in order to stay on the team by wearing a shirt and tie on game day, sitting in the front of class, and maintaining a 2.3 GPA), however, they warm up to him and soon their team becomes undefeated in the league.
Still, the kids on the team have their troubles. Two of the star shooters, Kenyon (Rob Brown) and Sam (Jason Sweet), both have problems. Kenyon has trouble with his grades and Sam is in hot water with his girlfriend (who just got pregnant by him). Another kid, Timo Cruz (Rick Gonzalez)