[Air]

INFO

Format: AVI (XviD)
Lenght: ~2h 15min
Size: ~1.4 GB

ABOUT MOVIE

Ken Carter, owner of Carter Sporting Goods, takes over the coaching job at Richmond High School, where their basketball team The Oilers are struggling. Carter had himself been a student at Richmond in the early '70s, and took the job as both a challenge and a favor to the previous coach. The motivation was certainly not for the $1500 yearly stipend.

Coach Carter uses respect as the basis of his coaching style. He forbids use of the word "******" and expects his players to address him as "Sir". Carter pushes the entire team hard in training, concentrating on building stamina, which causes them to be able to outlast their opponents on the court. Additionally, he makes players sign a contract, in which they agree to maintain a 2.3 GPA (California only required student-athletes to maintain a 2.0 at that time), attend every class, sit in the front row of the classes they attend, and wear a suit and tie on game day (similar to current NBA dress codes). His goal is not only to get the players to respect and believe in him as coach, but to respect and believe in each other and themselves.The initial resistance from the boys is soon dispelled, as the team becomes a undefeated competitor in the games under Carter's tuition.

However, when the overconfident team's behavior begins to stray and Carter learns that too many players are doing poorly in class from the academic progress reports, he is understandably disappointed. As many of the players have not lived up to their contract, he cancels all team activities and puts a lock on the gym until the team shows acceptable academic improvement. He meets with opposition from the parents as well as the school staff, including the principal and even the citizens of Richmond. He sticks with the plan in spite of intense media pressure. The parents point out that for some of the kids on the team, basketball is everything. The principal agrees, stating privately to Carter that a senior year winning streak might be the high point of some of the players' lives. Carter responds that their goals should be higher, and that high school basketball, while worthwhile, is only a privilege. He argues that there is and should be more for these students to live for.

Eventually, the principal, while not exactly seeing eye to eye with Carter, supports him when the school board decides whether or not to remove the lock from the gym. Carter says he will resign if they remove the lock. Though the school board does decide to remove the lock from the gym, the players begin to realize that his message is the correct one. Just as he is about to clean out his office, he see his players in the gym, but studying. Eventually, the team's grades meet Carter's standards, and he allows them to resume the season. They eventually realize that they can do more with their lives, thanks to Carter's focus on their academic careers. They study their school work and then get to play basketball. They lose in the first round of the state championship tournament but they win as champions.

LINKS

CD1
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four

CD2
Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four