Don Haskins was a high school and college basketball star who, after six years of working with high school teams, became the head coach at Texas Western University in 1962. At that time, Texas Western's basketball program was not well respected, but Haskins was determined to change that, and in 1966 Haskins assembled what he was certain was a winning team. However, Haskins' team was comprised entirely of African-American athletes at a time when racially integrated teams were still a novelty in the South and West. Despite generating a firestorm of controversy, Haskins and his players showed they could succeed where it counted - on the court. In post-season play Haskins and the Texas Western team found themselves competing for the NCAA championship against the University of Kentucky's all-white team, lead by legendary coach Adolph Rupp.
I usually like movies that are based on true events and this is no different. It was an important story to tell not just because it showed the beginning of blacks participating (and succeeding) in what was then a "white" sport, but it also explored the overall issue of race back in the '60s which provides a view of how far we have come - although there's still plenty of room for improvement. The movie itself is fast-paced, interesting, well-acted, shocking, uplifting and intense. I also felt the interviews with the actual team members in the special features section was a nice touch which put everything into perspective.
Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Would I watch it again: No
Starring: Josh Lucas, Jon Voight
I typically watch movies on Monday, Wednesday and Friday while riding the ACE Train from Tracy to Santa Clara. The opinions expressed are those of me, myself and I.
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