A high school girls basketball coach, Don Haskins (Josh Lucas) is hired by Texas Western, a small Division I school in El Paso, to lead the men's basketball team. With virtually no budget, no facilities and no history to speak of as a program, Haskins has to think outside the box as he tries to assemble a team that can win some games. Not surprisingly, many highly touted/ranked players are interested in playing for the little school so Haskins starts to recruit African American athletes who are getting no interest from other DI schools. Just about everyone at the university bristles at the very thought, but Haskins doesn't care much what others think of him or his program. He gets the athletes to come out and play, but the odds are stacked against him. In the mid 1960s when black athletes were still a rarity in basketball, Haskins has seven black players on his roster.
From director James Gartner, 'Glory' is the true story of the 1965-1966 Texas Western men's basketball team that ultimately won the National Championship, defeating powerhouse Kentucky in the championship game. Read more about the team HERE.That in itself isn't hugely appealing, is it? Nah, it's how they did it. Utilizing an entirely black lineup, coach Don Haskin's team defeated an entirely white Kentucky team coached by coaching legend (and known racists) Adolph Rupp. Spoilers? Eh, sorry, I figured if you made into the third paragraph of a sports review, you knew the history. My bad. It was a strategy, a season, and ultimately, a game that changed the face and direction of college basketball. It revolutionized how the game was played, something that still has quite an impact on basketball today in 2013.
Telling the story from the angle of the players and coaches, 'Glory' follows Haskins' hiring through his recruitment, preseason, season and ultimately the NCAA tournament. Clocking in at 110 minutes (hold the credits), it tackles quite the large topic, racism (even civil rights on a bigger level) in a rather turbulent time in American history. Black players dealt with death threats, racist chants and "cheers," any number of horrific things. At times, 'Glory' goes down the heavy-handed route to show us the prejudices they faced. It gets almost tiring to the point it's exhausting as the season develops. Is this how it happened in real-life during the season? Unfortunately, yes, very much so. Racism -- small scale or a bigger scale -- is horrific, but watching it doesn't always make for an enjoyable story. Interesting? Yes, but uncomfortable to the point it takes away from the enjoyment.
Playing real historical figures -- real figures who are still alive at that -- can be a daunting task, but the performances here are solid. As Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins, Lucas makes the most of a familiar part; the coach trying to get his players to gel and be the best they can. Emily Deschanel is solid as Don's wife, Mary, dealing with the prejudice/racism on the home front. Evan Jones plays Don's nerdy assistant, Moe, while Red West is a scene-stealer as Ross Moore, a longtime basketball and strength coach with the weathered face and years of knowledge. And in a small part, Jon Voight is solid as legendary Kentucky coach Adolph Rupp.
And then there's the players, both good and bad. The movie runs under two hours and has a lot of characters to deal with. Texas Western's team includes Bobby Joe Hill (Derek Luke), a skilled guard out of Detroit, David Lattin (Schin A.S. Kerr), a bullish, skilled forward from Houston, Orstin Artis (Alphonso McAuley), a Gary, Indiana YMCA kid with flash but not fundamentals, Harry Flournoy (Mehcad Brooks), a strong-willed all-around player from Gary, Willie Worsley (Sam Jones III), a fiery little guard from Brooklyn, Willie Cager (Damaine Radcliff), an energetic, skilled worker from Brooklyn, and Nevil Shed (Al Shearer), a gifted player from Brooklyn without the toughness. The white players on the team are generally kept in the background, Austin Nichols and James Olivard being the most visible. With so many characters, they come across at times like cardboard cutouts. They're given issues to deal with -- distracting girlfriends, toughness, work ethic, health issues, overly emotional -- in an effort to humanize them.
There's something missing here in 'Glory' that prevents it from being a classic that I can't put my finger on. The history is generally portrayed accurately with some artistic license taken on how the games are portrayed. The movie scores are vastly different from some of the real-life games. Yeah yeah, I get it, drama over accuracy. As well, the basketball scenes feel rushed and much more like a 2006 style than a 1966 style. If I'm wrong so be it, but I don't think there was a lot of alley-oop dunks or off the backboard passes for throwdowns. Still, it's a good underdog story overall. If it doesn't rise to classic status, so be it.
Glory Road (2006): ***/****
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