Coach Carter Page #3

Now, you got in here

they need a 2.3.

lf you have a 2.0, you have to score

at least 1 050 on the SA

to be eligible

for an athletic scholarship.

lf you have a 2.3,

you only need 950.

Now, 2.3 is just a C-plus.

lt shouldn't be that hard

to maintain a C-plus.

These boys are student athletes.

''Student'' comes first.

lt says they gotta wear

coat and ties on game days.

They don't own ties!

You gonna supply the ties?

There's a Goodwill

and a Salvation Army store

less than two blocks from here.

They got a box full of ties

for 50 cents apiece.

Yo, man, what you

trying to say, huh?

Oh, we too good to shop at the

Goodwill and Salvation Army, is that it?

- Yeah, l ain't that broke.

- This is crazy!

A dress code and they have to sit

in the front row in class?

- This is basketball, man!

- And basketball is a privilege, ma'am.

lf you want to play basketball

on this team,

these are the simple rules

you have to follow

if you want to enjoy that privilege.

Now, if you decide

to follow these simple rules,

l need you and the boys

to sign this contract.

They can bring the contracts

to practice tomorrow.

lf you come to practice.

l wanna thank you all for coming out

and showing your support,

and l hope l have your support

the rest of the season.

- Good night.

- Get up and leave like that?

Look, l have a hard enough time

getting my nephew to...

- How you gonna make them wear ties?

- l want the other coach back!

lt's one of your contracts, sir.

l've amended that contract.

You require your players

to maintain a 2.3 grade point average.

l've committed to maintaining a 3.5.

You require ten hours of community

service, and l've committed to 50.

Any unexcused absences, any other

disciplinary issues at school,

you can nullify this agreement

and send me to any school you want.

And how many days do l have

to consider this offer?

None.

The second page

is a letter you need to sign

that confirms my withdrawal

from St. Francis.

- They know l'm leaving.

- What?

- You withdrew from St. Francis?

- l called Richmond.

- They expect me there in the morning.

- You called Richmond?

You should have spoken to me

about this.

lt was a personal choice for me.

Well, l can fix all that in the morning.

Sir, please listen.

All l wanna do is play for you.

lf l'm one of the top students

at Richmond,

l mean one of the top in the whole

school, and l have great SATs,

l can go to any college

in the country.

l'm asking you to trust me.

You really wanna do this, huh?

Okay.

Part of growing up

is making your own decisions

and living with the consequences.

And you will earn every minute

of playing time.

Open it, please.

Morning, sir.

My name is J. Lyle

They call me wild

lt's all right

Kenyon's mom tonight

- Say what?

- You might think l'm wrong

But she's got these thongs

Hey, yo, yo, yo.

lt's Malcolm X from St. Francis.

- Hey, yo, Malcolm!

- Whatever.

- What's up, man?

- What are you doing here, son?

- l transferred to Richmond.

- Oh, no, son, l think you're just lost.

Well, l am actually lost.

Can you tell me how to get to...?

Bel Air? Hey, yo, Worm,

tell your man Fresh Prince here

- how to get to his mansion.

- Fresh b*tch.

l hope seeing you in this hallway mean

l get to see you on the court today.

l can't wait. With your five browns.

Everybody up.

Today we're going to play defense.

Sorry, sir.

Gentlemen, this is a new player,

Damien Carter.

He is my son, and he is late.

Sir, you owe me 20 suicides.

Sir, it's my first day of school,

l had to stay--

Basketball practice starts at 3.

As of 2:
55, you are late.

Get changed in the locker room.

Do your suicides on the far side

of the court so as not to disturb us.

All right, gentlemen,

give me two lines!

Okay, young sirs, we're gonna

take it to the next level.

Everything l knew about basketball,

l learned from women.

l have a sister, her name's Diane.

She was always on my case

about every little thing.

Matter of fact, she still is.

''Turn down that radio!

You eat the last piece of cake?

Did you drink all the Kool-Aid?''

She was always in my face.

So when l call ''Diane,''

we're gonna play straight

man-to-man pressure defense.

Worm! No, no, no, no, sir.

Look at your defensive posture.

Come on. Split your man.

Back straight, butt down.

This hand guards against the passing

lane, this hand protects the crossover.

All right? Palms up!

Get your head in the game.

Now we have Delilah.

She was my childhood sweetheart.

Sir, was she hot?

Oh, yes, sir.

She was steaming hot.

But she was the devil.

That girl was evil.

l remember once she tricked me

into stealing brownies

from Christ the King

First Baptist Church bake sale.

She smiled

and got her way out of it,

while l damn near had to wear

a pillow on my butt

for a month

before l could sit down.

Delilah, gentlemen.

She's our trap defense.

Take notes, freshman. This is as

close as you gonna get to playing.

Come on, come on. Move, move!

Delilah! Delilah! Delilah!

Now, l know you're all

concerned that

we didn't work

on our offense during practice.

We have all season to do that.

But what did we do in practice,

Mr. Stone?

- Run.

- That's right.

So, what do you think l want you

to do on offense tonight?

- Run?

- Correct again.

l want you to run.

l want you to run every second

that clock is ticking, all game long.

Put him back on the bench!

Rebound! Rebound!

Let's go, let's go, let's go!

Nice pass, baby!

Push it! Push it!

- Screen.

- Screen, baby. Screen. Screen.

- Worm.

- Let's go, Worm.

Stay alert! Pick him up right there!

- Oh, yeah! Oh, yeah!

- What's the call, ref?

White four, fifth.

He's out of the game.

- Oh, ref, come--

- That's his fifth foul, coach.

- Time, sir.

- Time out, white.

Bad call, ref!

That was a jump ball, damn it!

- Time out, white.

- Come on, fellas.

Come on, huddle up. Hustle up.

Get over here.

All right. Huddle up, huddle up.

- Carter, you're in.

- But, coach, he a freshman.

You wanna coach?

All right, take a deep breath, guys.

Come on, deep breaths.

- You tired?

- No, sir.

Those guys are exhausted.

That's why this guy's gonna miss

that free throw.

When he does,

Worm and Lyle are our first option.

Push the ball. Go hard to the hole.

Everybody attack the boards, got that?

- Yes, sir.

- All right, Richmond on three.

- One, two, three!

- Richmond!

- All right, let's out, all right?

- Step it up, let's go!

Look alive out there.

All right, guys, you're in better shape

than they are. Push it.

Box out, box out.

One shot.

Kenyon, right here. Kenyon!

- Come on! Come on!

- Come on, baby!

All right.

Kenyon!

- Worm!

- Yo, yo.

Oh, yeah!

Yeah! That's what l'm talking about!

- Tight pass, baby. Nice pass, dog.

- lt was all you.

A win like that don't mean nothing,

because they can't play anyway,

you feel me?

Okay, Shaq, so you dominated

down low tonight. Any thoughts?

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