Hoosiers

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Excuse me. Where is

Cletus Summers' office?

- Up the stairs.

- Thank you.

- You're not the new coach?

- Were you expecting someone different?

- Younger, I guess.

- Sorry to disappoint you.

Cletus said he was hiring someone who

never coached high school before, so I...

I coached in college.

And I hear you're our new history

and civics teacher as well.

- That's part of the job, as I understand it.

- Have any experience teaching?

Tell me something.

Am I being interviewed here?

- I thought I already had the job.

- Straight up.

If everyone is as nice as you, country

hospitality is gonna get an awful name.

What a pleasant thing to say.

- Cletus?

- Hmm?

- What are you doing down there?

- Floatin'.

Norman Dale?

I hardly recognised you.

It's been 20 years.

Buffalo State Teachers College,

spring of '31.

I had a hell of a time tracking you down.

I didn't know you were still in the service.

I'm here now.

You really made good time.

Wasn't it just yesterday or the day before

that we settled this thing?

Well, you said practice started last week.

I figured I'd get here as soon as I could.

It's been a while for you.

- Yeah. I appreciate what you're doing...

- Let's not be repeating ourselves.

Your slate's clean here.

We got a job to do.

So come on, Coach,

let me show you around.

This is where it all happens. Not exactly

what you're used to, but we're proud of it.

During the season we put

800 people in here every Friday night.

- When does practice start?

- Well, we'll practise at noon this week,

cos some of the boys have got to

get ready for threshin' on Saturday.

Jimmy, I want you to meet someone.

- This is Norman Dale, our new coach.

- Hi.

- Real friendly town you got here.

- It can be.

Let's go on back out to the farm.

I got a place fixed up out there for you.

Get you squared away.

That's it. Thank you.

- Say hello to Chester.

- Hello, Chester.

Say goodbye to Chester.

So you say this kid Jimmy wouldn't

play basketball after the coach died?

Well, the coach was

kind of like an old man to him.

Kid never had any family

of his own to speak of.

At least he comes on down to the school

and shoots them buckets.

Aside from that, he's just about

backed away from everything.

I don't know why you're going on so

about this kid being irreplaceable.

It's my experience

that nobody's irreplaceable.

Well, I think there's something

you don't understand.

Oh?

In over 40 years of looking

at the best this state's ever had,

I've never seen a better ball player

than Jimmy Chitwood. Never.

I'm glad you're here, Norm.

I think it's gonna work out.

Well, it's gotta work out this time

or that's it for good.

The last time you coached

was 12 years ago?

- Yeah, that's right.

- Where?

That was in Ithaca, New York.

What you been doing since?

Well, I've been in the navy for the last

ten years. I was a chief petty officer.

Well, uh...

looks like you're gonna need a little help.

I've been running practices

the last couple of weeks.

I'll help you out till you get your feet wet.

This town doesn't like change,

so we thought we'd get together

and show you how we do things here.

We trust that you're a fine,

upstanding, God-fearing man

with Christian morals and principles

who will set an example and

a standard of leadership for our boys.

Tell me, do you believe in

man-to-man or zone defence?

Zone defence is all we've played, and

it's the only thing that'll work this year.

That's right, George.

For anything else our boys

are too small but, remember,

we were 15 and 10 last year,

and we got all our boys back but one.

Listen, I ain't interested in talking defence

and I don't have a hair of a notion

why we hired someone who's been

in the water for the last ten years.

The main point is we don't get Jimmy

Chitwood back, we don't have a prayer.

He switches over to Terhune,

we're in big trouble.

- He's right, Coach. Jimmy's...

- Gentlemen.

It's been real nice talking to you.

Good night.

Miss Fleener?

Good morning.

I heard the boys weren't

real generous with you last night.

I keep forgetting there are

only 50 people in this town.

- This hick town, you mean?

- I didn't say that.

That's what you're thinking, isn't it?

I thought we were gonna be friends.

- I guess you'll wanna talk about Jimmy.

- Why would I?

You've been told

you can't win without him?

Too many times in the last 24 hours.

What's it to do with you?

I look after him. His mother's sick, his

father passed away and we're neighbours.

He and I decided

it's best for him not to play...

- Fine.

- You hear me? He's not gonna play.

That's fine.

- You'll be convinced to go after him.

- If I am, you will be the first to know, OK?

Good morning. Good morning.

Come on, outside.

Quit throwing the ball around and shoot it!

Move it! That's the shot. Outside.

Get on the board! Good shot.

Gimme two. Gimme two outside. Get it up

there. You can't score if you don't shoot!

Shoot from outside!

Quit throwing it around! Get it in the hole!

Oh, there you are. I thought we'd go

20 minutes on, 10 off and 20 on.

I had a different schedule in mind.

Look, mister, these boys

got a routine they're used to.

You throw a new coach with newfangled

ideas at 'em, might get 'em all confused.

We'll ease into it real slow.

Hell, our first game's

less than two weeks away.

First of all, let's be real friendly here, OK?

My name is Norm.

Secondly, your coaching days are over.

Look, mister, there's... two kinds of dumb.

A guy that gets naked and runs out in the

snow and barks at the moon, and, uh...

a guy who does the same thing

in my living room.

The first one don't matter, the second one

you're kinda forced to deal with.

Translate.

That some sort of threat?

I don't know why Cletus

dragged your old bones in here.

He must have owed you something fierce.

The fact is, mister,

you start screwing up this team,

I'll personally hide-strap your ass to a

pine rail and send you up the Monon line.

Leave the ball, will you, George?

Thank you.

Huddle up.

Let's see what kind of hand

I've been dealt here.

Seven players, is that it?

Six, cos I don't really count.

Why is that?

I'm too short and I'm not no good.

I suit up for practice to be a body.

Equipment managing's my trade.

I thought everybody in Indiana

played basketball.

Most do, but not all go out for the team.

We only got 64 boys in the whole school.

It's gonna be a lonely bench. Those of you

who don't know, my name's Norman Dale.

I coached college ball for 10 years,

but it's 12 years since I've blown this.

I'm gonna be learning from you

just like you learn from me.

I'm gonna set up practice

a little differently.

But, as you'll find out,

everything has its reasons.

Basketball is a voluntary activity.

It's not a requirement.

If you don't wanna be on the team,

feel free to leave now.

- Did you hear what I said?

- Me?

- Yes, you.

- I'm just curious to know when we start.

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