After attending the first night of the Faith & Race Depth class last night, I came home and enjoyed a great documentary entitled, Heart of the Game. Coincidentally, there were many conversations dealing with Race Matters in the film. If you haven’t seen this film yet, please do. Heart of the Game ”captures the passion and energy of a Seattle high school girls’ basketball team, the eccentricity of their unorthodox coach, and the incredible true story of one player’s fight to play the game she loves.”
And I admit…I’m a sucker for redemptive endings. Unlike the ending of the equally powerful 1994 hoops documentary, Hoop Dreams, I was simultaneously cheering and crying about the principal character in the documentary – Darnellia Russell – and her story of courage and triumph.
I’m inspired now to get my girls back to practicing their cross-over dribbles and left-hand layups. It’s possible that in 5 years, my oldest daughter will be playing point guard for Ballard High School!
Here’s the plot via the Wikipedia entry:
The film begins two years before the African-American Darnellia Russell attends the predominantly white and upper-class Roosevelt High School. Bill Resler, a tax law professor at the University of Washington, becomes their new girls basketball coach. Relser, a coach who uses animal and nature themes to motivate his team, believes they can win the Washington State championship but they fall short in the first game of the state tournament.
A couple of years later, Darnellia attends Roosevelt High School where she makes the junior-varsity team. Learning of her natural talent, Resler recruits her for the varsity squad. In the following years, the talented Roosevelt team falls short of winning the state championship in close games. Darnellia receives letters of interest from several major universities. However, after her junior year, Darnellia becomes pregnant by her longtime boyfriend and drops out of school.
After giving birth to a daughter, Darnellia returns to Roosevelt for her fifth year. The WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Activities Association) bans Russell from playing basketball due to a rule that states that high school students can only play on their teams for four years, unless a hardship is involved. Darnellia, believing that having an unplanned child constitutes a hardship, appeals the decision. Attorney Ken Luce represents Darnellia in court and a judge rules in Darnellia’s favor. The WIAA takes the matter to court again, and for the second time the judge grants Darnellia the right to continue playing. However, the WIAA files a lawsuit against Darnellia and Roosevelt High School. In defiance of the WIAA, the Roughriders continue to play with Darnellia on the team…
Filed under: entertainment, seattle, sports
Oh man, thanks for the spoiler P.E.
Just kidding.
Blake:
my bad. i shouldn’t have given the whole plot. i took some stuff out.
now, go and see it.
I loved this movie — and I’m a Garfield High alum! That means it must be a good movie.