Glory Road (film)

Glory Road is a 2006 American sports drama film directed by James Gartner, based on a true story surrounding the events leading to the 1966 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship. Don Haskins portrayed by Josh Lucas, head coach of Texas Western College, coached a team with an allblack starting lineup, a first in NCAA history. Glory Road explores racism, discrimination, and student athletics. Supporting actors Jon Voight and Derek Luke also star in principal roles.

Newly appointed mens basketball coach Don Haskins Lucas from Texas Western College in El Paso, lacking necessary financial resources, makes an effort to recruit the best players regardless of race to form a team that can compete for a national championship. Some of the young men he brings in possess skill, but are raw in talent when it comes to organized teamwork focusing on defense and ball distribution. In the end, his Texas Western Miners team comprises seven black and five white athletes a balance that raises eyebrows among university personnel. Haskins puts his players through a rigorous training program, threatening to cut anyone who doesnt work as hard as he demands, while trying to integrate his players into a single team with a common goal.Following initial victories against mediocre local teams, Haskins quickly discovers that he has to give his black players more free room on the court. Yet the more victories his team achieves with its flamboyant style, up until this point rarely seen in college basketball, the more racial hatred mounts on his squad. This culminates in threats to his own family, the beating of a player while on the road and ultimately the ravage of his teams motel rooms by racists while they are at an away game. Increasingly frightened, the team loses its last game of the regular season after the black players stop playing with passion. Thus the Texas Western Miners finish the 196566 regular season with a 231 record, entering the 1966 NCAA tournament ranked third in the nation. ........

Source: Wikipedia