Hoosiers Page #2

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- We start when I say so.

- Would you let me know? I'm tired of...

- All right, out. Right now.

- You're kicking me out?

Yes. Don't come back until you learn

to keep your mouth shut and listen.

You're breakin' my heart.

Come on, Whit, let's fly this chicken coop.

Didn't you say you'd rather be

down at Terhune anyway?

- It's your funeral.

- Let's move, gizzard.

I ain't no gizzard.

Have fun, Coach, trying to win with five...

well, make that four and a half players.

OK, let's get those folding chairs.

Line 'em up right here.

Come on, little man!

- Let's move. Come on, let's move!

- When do we scrimmage?

- We don't scrimmage. No shooting either.

- That ain't no fun!

My practices aren't designed for your

enjoyment. Let's go! Move! Come on!

I've seen you can shoot, but

there's more to the game than shooting!

There's fundamentals and defence.

Come on, palms up. Palms up.

Come on. Pop. Pop!

Get rid of it. Pop. Get rid of it.

Hot potato, hot potato. Hold it.

Hold it! Hold it.

Let's be clear about what we're after here.

Wipe that smile off your face.

This is not funny.

The five players on the floor function as

one single unit. Team, team, team, right?

No one more important than the other.

Pop it. Pop. Get rid of it.

Come on, let's go.

Come on, big guy. Let's go! Switch!

Get rid of it! Get rid of it! Higher!

Come on, let's go!

Come on, come on, come on, come on!

No team of mine will ever run out

of steam before its opponents.

With only five players, we can't afford to.

Go! Let's move! Let's go!

- Can I help you?

- Just checkin' the boys.

We heard you got crazy ways of coachin'.

No shootin'. Practisin' without a ball.

We got some concern

about the way matters are being handled.

We'll do this every day.

You'll be in the best shape of your lives.

- It feels like we're in the army.

- You are. You're in my army.

Every day between three and five.

Listen, guys, practice is closed to

outsiders. I don't want any distractions.

- Outsiders?

- Coach Tidd never closed practices.

That was Coach Tidd.

This is something else.

- Yeah?

- Hi. I'm Rollin Butcher.

My son's got something to say to you.

Sorry, Coach, about walking out. I'd be

obliged if I got myself another chance.

Won't happen again. You're the boss.

OK. There's still an hour

of practice. Get dressed.

My boys get a little mixed up. You get any

trouble from Rade or Whit, let me know.

Coach here says he's closing practice

to outsiders. You ever...

- I'll handle this.

- No, I got this.

This man's got a job to do. He wants you

outta here. You'd better be on your way.

Make two lines facing me.

Let's go. Come on.

Bend your knees, get your butt down.

Left hand up, right hand down.

To your right. Let's go!

To your left. Let's go! Come on, move!

Oh, don't worry about George. He'll be

right with you when you start winning.

Cletus! My friend, my good friend.

Friend of years, friend of tears.

You're looking fit and fiddle.

Wilbur "Shooter" Flatch,

this is Norman Dale, our new coach.

- How are you?

- Coach.

Clete, did you tell him? Sectionals in '33.

One point down.

Five, four, three, two, one...

I let her fly!

In and out. Yeah. Well, I was fouled.

If you had some small change...

The missus and I have had

a parting of the ways.

- Get you something to eat.

- Oh, my friend. My dear fine friend.

Give it up.

- It's only two bits.

- Give it up.

- Sorry, Everett.

- It ain't your fault.

- He's my friend of years.

- I don't wanna hear it, Dad.

Jimmy, I didn't see you in class today.

Any reason you want to tell me about?

You know, in the ten years that I coached,

I never met anybody who

wanted to win as badly as I did.

I'd do anything I had to do

to increase my advantage.

Anybody who tried to block

the pursuit of that advantage, I'd just...

push 'em out of the way. Didn't matter

who they were or what they were doing.

But that was then.

You have a special talent. A gift.

Not the school's, not the townspeople,

not the team's,

not Myra Fleener's,

not mine.

It's yours... to do with what you choose.

Because that's what I believe,

I can tell you this.

I don't care if you play on the team or not.

Mr Dale, I wanna talk to you.

Leave him alone, all right?

He's a real special kid and

I have high hopes for him, and...

if he works really hard, he can get an

academic scholarship to Wabash College

and can get outta this place.

- You have something against this place?

- For him, yes, I do. He could do better.

You know, if Jimmy's as good

as everybody says he is,

I'd have thought a basketball scholarship

would have made a lot of sense.

Who'd ever see him play?

The only thing that comes into Hickory

is the train, and it's here for five minutes.

Basketball scholarship... A basketball

hero around here is treated like a god.

How could he ever find out

what he could really do?

I don't want this to be the high point of

his life. I've seen 'em. The real sad ones.

They sit around all their lives talking

about the glory days when they were 17.

You know, most people would kill to be

treated like a god, just for a few moments.

Gods come pretty cheap

nowadays, don't they?

You become one by putting

a leather ball in an iron hoop.

I hate to tell you this, but it's only a game.

Why so unfriendly, Miss Fleener?

Well, I know men like you.

You don't know anything about me.

I know you're here.

I know this place doesn't

even appear on most state maps.

A man your age comes

to a place like this, either...

he's running from something

or he has nowhere else to go.

What I'm doing here

has nothing to do with you.

Just stay away from Jimmy.

I don't want him coaching

in Hickory when he's 50.

Now, folks,

let's make him feel welcome.

Our new coach, Norman Dale.

First of all, I'd like to thank those of you

who have made me feel so welcome here.

Thank you.

The boys and I are

getting to know each other,

to see who we are, and, uh...

what we can be.

So far I like what I've seen.

I'm very excited to be part

of Indiana basketball.

This is your team.

Rade Butcher!

Whit Butcher!

Everett Flatch!

Ollie McClellan!

We want Jimmy! We want Jimmy!

We want Jimmy! We want Jimmy!

We want Jimmy! We want Jimmy!

We want Jimmy! We want Jimmy!

We want Jimmy!

I would hope you would support

who we are, not who we are not.

These six individuals

have made a choice to work.

A choice to sacrifice.

To put themselves on the line

23 nights in the next four months.

To represent you, this high school.

That kind of commitment and effort

deserves and demands your respect.

This is your team.

- Coach, you all right?

- Yeah, I'm fine.

Now, remember to discipline your game.

Absolutely no shots until

you've passed off four times.

Set your offensive patterns

before you go to score. All right?

- Is that clear?

- Yes.

How many times are we gonna pass off?

- How many?

- Four.

Let us pray.

Be strong and of good courage.

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