Coach Carter Page #6

That's not it at all. l love you.

l wanna be with you.

Yeah, as long as it's convenient.

l'm thinking about

what's best for us.

You're not trying to think about

what's best for both of us,

you're thinking about

what's best for you.

You don't want me to have this baby.

You wanna leave Richmond.

You wanna go play college ball.

So guess what?

We ain't got to be ready enough

for nothing, all right?

l'm ready enough to do what

l gotta do all by my damn self.

So you can take these

and go to the dance yourself.

Progress reports?

You're the basketball coach.

Look, ma'am, we talked about this.

l don't see what the problem is.

Do you know what the APl is,

Mr. Carter?

No, l don't.

The Academic Performance lndex.

They judge schools on a scale

of one to ten, ten being the best.

Do you have any idea

where Richmond falls on that scale?

No, ma'am, l have no idea.

We're a one, Mr. Carter, and have

been for the last seven years.

The state rewards schools

for their performance.

So every year l have less money

to pay faculty and staff.

- Look, ma'am--

- Can l ask what it is you want?

- l want my boys to go to college.

- College?

Mr. Carter, Richmond graduates

the higher percentage being girls.

Now, in my very educated opinion,

you have 1 5 players on your team,

you'll be lucky to graduate

five of them.

l'm sorry, ma'am,

but l don't agree with you.

Look, these boys signed contracts.

Maybe if you'd read one of them--

Your job is to win basketball games,

Mr. Carter.

- l suggest you start doing your job.

- And your job is to educate these kids.

l suggest you start doing yours.

Well...

...we had another good week.

Yeah, business is very good, Kenny.

But l'm on my own.

You're never here.

- lt gets crazy.

- Look, l appreciate everything you do.

And l promise you-- We're closed.

--as soon as the season is over,

l will be here for you.

Mr. Carter?

- l'm--

- Junior Battle's mother.

Yes, ma'am, l remember you.

Willa. Willa Battle.

How may l help you, ma'am?

Mr. Carter, l got a phone call today

from a coach at a junior college

in Sacramento.

Now, they wanna see

Junior play this Friday.

Well, that's great, ma'am,

but Junior broke some rules--

And l agree with them.

l'm not here to argue

with your rules.

l'm not.

Almost two years ago now,

Junior's older brother, Anton, was...

...killed, and it's been confusing

and hard for me and for Junior.

After you lose a son...

...every time the phone rings,

your heart stops.

Now, l'm not asking

for special attention.

l agree he needs to get straight

with his classes.

But the idea of junior college

had never even occurred to my son.

Now, l could move to the Hercules

school district, and he could play there.

- But moving is not gonna solve--

- But l want him to play for you.

Look, l'm not gonna stand here

and say l know how it feels

to lose a son, because l don't.

And l do appreciate you

putting your trust in me.

But l need to hear that from Junior.

He in the car.

Junior!

Go on.

l'm sorry for what l said and did

at practice,

and l promise to get caught up

with my classes, sir.

Look me in the eye, sir.

Everything inside me tells me

if l take you back,

l'd be making a mistake

and you'll make a fool of me.

No, sir.

You owe me 1 ,000 push-ups

and 1 ,000 suicides

before you can play.

l'll see you at practice tomorrow.

Thank you, sir.

And you gonna do

every last one of them.

Quitting basketball like you pay rent.

l don't know who you think you are.

The next time you make a decision,

you better ask me first.

Yo, Junior,

you did your thing tonight, man.

- Good looking out, yo.

- Yeah, good shot, Junior.

- Yeah, no doubt.

- Gentlemen, listen up.

l just received a call from the director

of the Bayhill Holiday Tournament.

You have been invited.

- Yeah!

- Yeah, baby!

Now, l have more good news.

l spoke to Principal Garrison today.

She informs me that your teachers will

have your academic-progress reports

prepared by the end

of holiday break.

Sir, our grades are tight, yo.

Yo, not only are our grades

all right, coach,

- but we undefeated, homeboy.

- Yeah!

We undefeated

We undefeated

We undefeated

We undefeated

We undefeated

We undefeated

Big ups to everybody who came out to

the Richmond High winter dance, y'all!

Get down!

So give it up for the new

kings of Richmond, y'all!

Yeah! Give it up, baby!

Yo, we 1 2-0, y'all,

and l just wanna say

l wanna see all the beautiful people

up at that tournament.

You know!

Y'all gonna wanna see the look on

the faces of them rich fancy-schoolers

when the Richmond Oilers

roll into town.

Holla!

Kyra, what are you thinking?

You can't drink!

- You're pregnant, girl.

- Stop.

lt's soda, all right?

So why don't you just go

back downstairs

and find one of your little girlies

to freak with.

lt ain't even like that.

Some girl just danced up on me.

- That ain't sh*t.

- Whatever.

You shouldn't be here.

lf you're serious about this,

you need to check this bullshit.

Because if not--

lf not, what, Kenyon? You wanna hold

my hand through an abortion?

- ls that what you want?

- l don't know what l want.

You so damn sure you wanna

have this baby,

why don't you tell me how

it's gonna be.

Everything's great, right?

Your cousin is 1 9 with two kids

already, Kyra.

lt's great?

lt was great when we

was getting down.

You ain't having no second

thoughts about that.

You loved me

when it came to that.

Look, Kyra, l can't tell you

what to do,

but l look around and l see exactly

how l don't wanna live.

Paycheck to paycheck?

Dead-end job?

You make it seem like everything's

gonna be all good,

like everything's so wonderful.

You don't care about me.

You just wanna go to college,

play ball and forget about me.

- Kyra, that's not even how it is.

- l don't care what you say.

- l'm having this baby.

- And then what?

You got everything figured out, right?

So tell me what comes next.

The third and final day of

the 22nd Bayhill Tournament

finds the host team, Bayhill,

trying to win the championship against

the surprising Richmond Oilers.

Defense! Defense!

Get your hands up!

Get that ball!

Richmond uses their last timeout with

- and Bayhill up by six.

- Time out!

Come on, man.

We still in the game. Come on.

Don't panic.

We're six down with 1 :20 left, right?

We've been in these guys' ass

the whole game.

We can do this.

- This is our time, right?

- Yeah, yeah.

All right, set up the 1 -4.

Run Candy.

Damien's gonna hit the three.

Kenyon, Lyle,

set a hard screen down here.

When he hits the three,

go right into Diane.

Pressure the inbound pass.

Suffocate that pass.

l want the ball back!

- Come on, baby, lock up.

- Hands in.

- Let's go.

- ''Our time'' on three!

- One, two, three!

- Our time!

Come on, let's go.

One, two, three, Cougars!

Let's go, guys!

- Hands up! Hands up!

- Ball, ball, ball, ball!

Watch him!

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